Call for more flexibility in beef data scheme

At the risk of making the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) even more complicated than it already is, there is a need to consider some recourse to appealing the star rating of cows in a farmer’s herd.

This is emerging as an issue as farmers consider the ratings applied across their herd by Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).

The BDGP is a scheme introduced to use modern technologies such as genomic testing (testing DNA) to identify the best genetics at the earliest possible stage in suckler herds.