Incoming changes to Terminal and Replacement indexes set for July

ICBF will be implementing changes updating some economic values, such as carcass weight and gestation, to better reflect current and future market conditions

Updates to the economic values for Terminal and Replacement Indexes are set to be implemented at the end of July. File picture 

Updated economic values will be used in the Terminal and Replacement Indexes following the recent publication of the EU beef price forecast.

Following the 2025 updates to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) beef index, the organisation committed to reassessing economic values following the release of the EU beef price forecasts, which were published this spring.

Following the reassessment, the main changes will be made to the economic values used in the Terminal and Replacement Indexes. Farmers will see these changes implemented in the July 2026 Evaluation scheduled for Tuesday, July 21.

Discussing the upcoming changes, an ICBF spokesperson said: “Regular reviews of the economic values underpinning our beef indexes are essential to ensure they remain aligned with real-world production systems and market conditions. These latest updates reflect the improved outlook for beef prices and help ensure that the Terminal and Replacement Indexes continue to identify the animals most likely to deliver profit on Irish farms.” 

These values are based on the Teagasc Beef Systems model and reflect expected costs and returns in beef production. As the beef price outlook has improved, the economic importance of several traits has increased.

Important to note is that there will be no changes to the underlying breeding values (PTAs), only the economic values used to calculate the overall index.

Traits linked to output and sale value will now have a higher value, and traits related to efficiency and fertility will also be impacted indirectly.

This will translate to animals with strong carcass and output traits will generally see increases in their index values, and animals with good fertility and efficiency traits will also benefit. Some animals may move up or down in ranking, slightly driven by the change in economic emphasis rather than new data.

With an increased emphasis on carcass weight, cull cow weight, milk (maternal weaning weight), shorter gestation periods and calving interval will see the greatest increase in values and survival trait, experiencing a more modest increase.

Why are these changes important, and how are they calculated?

These beef indexes are designed to rank animals based on expected profitability. Updates to economic values allow for the indexes to remain aligned with current and future market conditions, help inform farmers to select animals based on real economic returns and to continue to support efficient and sustainable beef production.

The Terminal and Replacement Index values are calculated by multiplying each trait PTA (e.g. carcass weight, calving difficulty, milk) by its economic value and then adding these together to give the overall index value.

When economic values change, the overall index value will change even if the animal’s PTAs stay the same.