Same tag for BVD and BDGP on way
Experts are still working to resolve technical issues in using the same tissue sample for both tests — but the nearly 30,000 BDGP applicants can look forward to taking just one sample for use in both schemes.
Eventually, the same sample can be used to test for BVD, and to genotype, or generate a DNA profile, for the BDGP. The DNA profile is a key BDGP requirement, to predict the genetic merit of an animal’s fertility, for example, when it is only a few days old, as accurately as traditional progeny testing would predict at the end of its lifetime.
Farmers in the BDGP must genotype about 60% of their animals, including all female calves, so that the most accurate selections can be made for replacement females (stock bulls coming onto farms must also be genotyped, as well as some cows, and on a small number of farms, some other male animals). Better replacement females will enable farmers to improve performance measures such as calving interval and calves per cow per year.
However, the BDGP will start off with separate tags for genotyping, and these are due to be sent to farms next September, in order that farmers can start to tag animals and return the tags.
“We will then start the process of genotyping with the laboratories, which is being tendered for in a public procurement process. That will start in October, and we will start to genotype approximately 20,000 animals per week.
"We will work through all animals in the period of three or four months,” said Dr. Andrew Cromie, technical director of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federatio, during a debate on the BDGP in the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
But the first step will be to send information packs to the 30,000 BDGP applicants at the end of July or in August.
The packs will communicate a picture of their herds, including their stock bulls, cows, young stock and the Euro-Star status of the animals.
Applicants can assess the information on their herds in the packs, and decide whether they should proceed in the scheme.
“Our very clear objective, as part of that communication, is that we want all 30,000 herd owners to remain in the scheme,” said Dr Cromie.
“One of the challenges, probably the biggest one we faced in the context of the scheme, was the lack of knowledge of many participants on the current status of their herds.
“That they were entering a scheme with incomplete knowledge created nervousness among farmers.”
