Top 10 dairy bulls will deliver over €1 billion over the next 10 years

THE top 10 dairy bulls at the National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC) in 2010 will deliver additional income of over €1 billion to Irish dairy farmers over the next 10 years, according to NCBC chief executive Bernard Eivers.

Speaking at the recent NCBC annual general meeting in Portlaoise, Bernard Eivers said the top 10 dairy bulls supplied by the Enfield centre last spring had an average economic breeding index (EBI) of €215, which is €79 higher than the baseline index.

“Over 300,000 doses of semen from these bulls were used by dairy farmers. This will result in a minimum of 44,000 replacement heifer progeny from these superior bulls. The additional income potential from using these bulls is €1.1 billion over 10 years, or an average of €110m per year.”