The National Genotyping Programme (NGP) has transformed calf registration in Ireland, setting new standards for efficiency and accuracy. To date, over 700,000 dairy and beef calves have been registered through this innovative method.

During the peak of the calving season in spring 2024, the programme hit a remarkable milestone, processing over 98,000 samples in just one week.

On average, the turnaround time from a calf’s birth to the issuance of its passport was 13 days.

It is important to note that the timeliness of posting samples was the main driver in achieving the 13-day turnaround time. During the peak of spring submissions (mid-February to mid-March), on average, samples arrived in the lab seven days after the calf was born.

However, the overall turnaround time increased from late March onwards as farmers posted samples less frequently.

The time samples spent in the lab remained consistently at four to five days throughout the spring, as detailed in Figure 1

Therefore, to minimise delays, farmers are encouraged to post samples at least twice a week to ensure the quickest possible processing time from birth to passport issuance.

Registration details

It is also important for farmers to submit registration details immediately after tagging the calf and without waiting for DNA results to be issued.

As part of the registration process farmers must record key details, including the calf’s date of birth, gender, dam, sire breed, and whether the calf was stillborn.

Once the lab processes the sample, DNA results are sent to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

If any inaccuracies, such as incorrect parentage or gender details, are identified, they are automatically corrected before the calf’s passport is issued.

Corrected errors

The programme’s success is evident in its ability to improve data accuracy. Among genotyped calves, 15% of dairy calves and 10% of beef calves had parentage errors identified and corrected before the passports were issued.

Additionally, in cases where farmers had not recorded a sire, the genotyping process successfully identified sires for 83% of these calves.

In conclusion, the National Genotyping Programme has not only streamlined the calf registration process, it has also enhanced the reliability of herd data, offering significant benefits to Irish farmers and the wider agricultural industry.