€43m national cattle genomics programme launched 

ICBF chairman Michael Doran said the initiative will help provide a range of decision-making tools to help farming meet its environmental, social, and economic sustainability targets.

Ireland will soon be able to boast a €43m world-first national cattle genotyping programme.

This programme, which is being run through a strategic public-private partnership model, will enhance the environmental sustainability, health and productivity of Irish beef and dairy herds.

The first year of the project, 2023, will have a €23m budget and will be funded by the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, with the five-year programme to be notified to the European Commission under agriculture state aid rules. From 2024 onwards, the costs will be shared equally between the Department, industry and farmers.

Speaking at the launch, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said the funding will allow a "critical mass" of herds to participate in the first year.

“We are stepping out a hugely ambitious and world-first programme that will ensure that Irish farming remains the most pioneering agriculture sector in the world. This is the first step in delivering on our ambition of genotyping all cattle in the country," he said.

“By harnessing genetic data, the programme will empower Irish farmers to make informed breeding decisions, optimise herd management and animal welfare, and contribute towards Ireland’s climate action targets.

“I am confident that genotyping on a national scale will contribute to Ireland’s ambition to becoming a world leader in sustainable food systems, in line with our shared Food Vision 2030 strategy.” 

The voluntary genotyping programme, which will be available to both beef and dairy herd owners, will run over a five-year period and represents a significant step towards realising the minister’s ambition for Ireland to be the first country in the world to genotype the national bovine herd.

The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) will administer the programme on behalf of the Department. Full details on the application process will be made public in the coming weeks.

Mr McConalogue added: “We are well placed to develop work in this area. Ireland has made a good start on genotyping, particularly through my Department’s innovative schemes to enhance the environmental and economic performance for the beef sector, such as the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) and its successor Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP).”

ICBF chairman Michael Doran said the initiative will help provide a range of decision-making tools to help farming meet its environmental, social, and economic sustainability targets.