Much later than anticipated, the 2017 ICBF active bull list has just been published.

Ballinteskin Arnold (FR4021) tops the list, with an EBI of €295.

In second spot is Nextgen Candy (FR2385), with an EBI of €282. Candy is a calf from one of the cows in the Teagasc next generation herd based at Kilworth near Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork. In third spot is another Cork-bred sire Ballybride Cardiff (FR2339), with an EBI of €273, bred from the herd of Liam and Paddy O’Leary farming near Conna, Co Cork.

The top-75 list is dominated by genomic rather than daughter-proven sires that would have dominated in the past.

AI companies

Three companies make up the majority of the list.

The National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC) – the joint arm of Munster AI and Progressive Genetics – has 41 sires, Dovea AI has 16 sires, while Eurogene/LIC has 14 sires. Bova AI/Forge Group, based in Limerick, has three sires, while World Wide Sires has one sire listed.

Eight sires dominate the ancestry of the new active bull list. ABO, GZY and WLY each have seven sons on the list, LHZ and PSZ have five sons, SEW has four, and BGJ and YRY with three each.

Changes lead to changes

The two big issues causing significant changes to the numbers this year are the fact that daughter-proven data from 2011 genomic sires are included in proofs, as well as the introduction of the 2015-born bulls that have calving survey data.

The average EBI on the active bull list has fallen from last year.

Last year, the EBI of the top 75 was €293, ranging from €365 at the top to €268 at position 75. This year, the average of the top 75 is €229, a drop of €64, with a range from €295 at the top to €204 at the bottom.

Some individual sires are seeing a more severe drop in EBI than the €30 to €40 drop in EBI predicted, based on revised genomic fertility proofs.

This significant drop in average, plus the fact some individual sires have dropped more than this, further emphasises the need for farmers to use a team of sires.

Anger from AI companies

The significant fall in values is likely to anger some AI companies.

They are already very angry with the ICBF that the active list is coming out so late and the fact that a lot of the information they included in catalogues is now obsolete.

Last year, the active bull list was published in late February.

AI companies are scrambling for the list as soon as possible, as this is peak season for sales of straws in advance of the breeding season starting mid-April in the deep south of the country.

ICBF dairy active bull list

Scroll through or search the table to view bull rank and figures. Click here if you have problems viewing the table.

Key to Table: Ho% = Holstein Genes, PED = Pedigree Registered, SRM = Supplementary Registered, Proof = The status of the bull proof (DP-IRL = Daughter Proven based on milk recorded daughters in Ireland, DP-INT = Daughter Proven, based on milk recorded daughters outside of Ireland (International), GS = Genomically Selected), CI = Calving Interval Days, SU% = % Survival from lactation to lactation, CD% = % Calving Difficulty, M.Time = Milking Time Seconds, Avail = Availability (H=>6,000 doses, M= 4-6,000 doses, L=2-4,000 doses).

Semen availability information is given by each AI organisation. Farmers are strongly urged to use a minimum of five AI bulls from the list. For more information on the ICBF active bull list, please call 1850 600 900 or log on to www.icbf.com Copyright© ICBF 2017