Paula Hynes: Traceability and a record-breaking DNA programme make Irish agri-food stand out

Becky Hynes cleans off a newly born Charolais bull calf. Picture: Andy Gibson

The rain is as relentless as the workload at the moment, and it seems impossible to get two dry days together, which has meant the milking cows have been fully housed all week.

With no fine outlook in the weather forecast, it seems we will have to resort to using all the old tricks of extra strip fences and back-fencing cows to ensure we get a couple of hours grazing every day.

Calf sheds are really filling up fast now, with a number of cows calving every day. It is amazing how breeding programs have changed so much in the last number of years.

With the advancement of sexed semen, it has given us the scope to breed so many beef calves now. Every dairy-bred calf born in the autumn and again in this spring has been female, so we have no shortage of Jersey and Holstein heifer calves. 

Looking back a few years, when we were using conventional semen, we would probably have had between 20 and 30 male dairy calves now.

All the beef calves are Charolais, and there is plenty of variation in colour, from white, grey and orange. With current calf prices, the Charolais calves are high-value and there is always great demand for them.

There is so much talk about food traceability at the moment, and Ireland really is a step ahead when it comes to the traceability of cattle, as we will most likely be the first country in the world to have a fully DNA-tested national herd.

We are part of the DNA registration programme, which means when a calf is born, we use double tissue tags. One tissue sample is to test the calf for BVD, and the other is a DNA sample, which we send to the ICBF.

We enter the calf’s registration details on Agrinet, and once the laboratory has completed a DNA profile, the parentage can be verified for the sire and dam of the calf. Registration is then completed automatically with the Department of Agriculture.

We also receive a genetic profile for each animal. For dairy females, we get their economic breeding index, and for beef calves, we get their commercial beef value (CBV) — all of which indicates how efficient and profitable each animal will be.

If you were eating Irish beef anywhere in the world, theoretically, you could take a sample of it for DNA testing. And once the animal was DNA-registered, the meat could be traced to that animal.

As it stands, we already have the highest traceability in the world, and DNA traceability would take it to the highest level possible. That level of traceability gives international customers huge confidence in Irish beef.

Special new birth

We had one special new birth on the farm this week. Some of you may remember Espresso, a calf we showed in 2024. She is a granddaughter of Esprit, who was three times grand champion at Swiss Expo and voted one of the top cows in the world.

It seems like only yesterday we did the deal with Gary and Izzy Jones to purchase Espresso, but time goes so quickly. She was always a heifer very much like Esprit — she has tremendous power, great depth and a super appetite.

We didn’t show her in 2025 as we simply felt she had too much strength and power for an incalf heifer class. Well, she calved at the beginning of the week with a lovely heifer calf sired by Dropbox and automatically knew her job as a mom, keeping her calf safe between her front legs when they were lying down.

Espresso hadn’t forgotten her halter work either and was led straight to the crate so we could milk her colostrum for the calf. Just like the show ring, milking never phased her either. She settled in the milking parlour straight away and ramped up her milk production within 48 hours.

A heifer milking like Espresso needs extra TLC, as she is simply using so much energy every day producing milk. In general, cows cannot consume enough energy in the first six weeks after calving. Hopefully, she will continue to progress and might see the show ring again this year as a milking animal.

Show season

Early February always reminds me of how quickly the show season comes around, as the Cork YMA AGM takes place. I attended it with Becky and Georgie last Friday night.

As outgoing chairman, Stephen Shannon gave his address and a roundup of activities and successes the Cork club had throughout 2025. It was wonderful to see the AGM attended by members of the senior club, Cork Holstein Friesian Club.

The YMA club is the youth section, which aims to encourage the younger generation of pedigree breeders, helping them develop skills and make friends with other young breeders. Congratulations to Eimer Lehane, who was voted club person of the year for 2025.

The club has big plans for 2026. They are planning to hold a showmanship and clipping workshop during the Easter school holidays. There will also be stock judging evenings during the summer and, of course, the Cork YMA calf show in late June or early July, which always takes a lot of planning and continues to go from strength to strength. There will also be other social events for the club.

Sarah Shannon is the club chairperson, Kate Lehane takes up the secretary role, and Becky Hynes is the club treasurer. Cork YMA is active on all social media channels, so if you think you would like to learn more as a young breeder or make new friends, the club is a great opportunity.

Showing might not be for everyone, but you can also learn how to prepare dairy animals for the sales ring, or simply learn how to breed better pedigree heifers and cows.

If you are interested in joining the club, it can be contacted through social media, by contacting any of the committee members, or via CHFC.