The IFA and ICMSA have come out this week strongly suggesting the AI companies need, at the very least, to press pause on the proposal that AI companies have the first call on the intellectual property rights on some valuable bull and heifer calves, as opposed to the farmer. Given the IFA participation on the board of ICBF, who are facilitating the initiative, the move by the farm organisations merits attention. Also, the fact that farmers sit on the governance boards of Munster, Progressive and Dovea, means there is at the very least some misunderstanding or uncertainty among farmers themselves.

The initiative may well be the right move long-term and may only be impacting a fraction of farmers in any one year, but the legal principle and potential value destruction for the farmer, after years of breeding, is a lot to give up without a discussion and proper clarity.

Perhaps if the initiative had been floated or launched last October, it might have had time to settle and gain momentum.

Already some farmers are signing up cows to contract matings as individuals, however this industry-wide initiative is more far reaching and fundamental. See more on pages 4 and 32.