New firm aims to lead in the Irish AI industry
Their new company, Eurogene AiServices (Irl) Ltd, aims to start delivering a fully integrated service this spring. Eurogene chairman Tom McIIwaine said the Irish dairy industry is changing fast and AI companies need to keep ahead. “The milk payment structure is projected to change to fat and protein payments, with a penalty for volume, and quota will free up, meaning farmers will be more focused than ever on profitable cows, fertile and producing high milk components. EBI has introduced a new profit focus into grass based dairy farming in Ireland and has met with growing farmer understanding,” said Mr McIIwaine.
He added, “The recent enhancement to EBI, shifting to an across-breed evaluation, means farmers can select the most profitable bulls for their farming system, no matter what breed. Eurogene’s team of Rotbunt, Holstein Friesian, Montbeliarde and beef sires, combined with NZ Genetics, provides Irish farmers with more choice than they’ve ever had.
“I see a very strong future for Irish dairying and this merger is another positive indication of LIC’s commitment to the industry,” said Stuart Bay, Chairman of Livestock Improvement, the co-op owned by 12,500 New Zealand farmers, which has owned NZ Genetics (Ireland) Ltd outright since 2006, and now becomes the second largest shareholder in Eurogene AiServices.
“At this stage, the NZ Genetics’ product offering is genetics, but in the future we anticipate being able to include some of the services available to New Zealand farmers, like Once-a-Day and Short Gestation genetics, Diagnostics and DNA testing,” said Mr Bay.
“The new company will benefit from the technological advances which derive from LIC New Zealand’s annual $NZ10 million investment in research and development”.
Eurogene AiServices Ltd, whose shareholders include AiServices Northern Ireland Ltd, Dr Folke Rohrssen, James Murphy and William Irwin, brings 70 AI technicians, breeding advisors, and sales and administration staff to the merger.
