Description of Service

The following is a brief description of the service:

Name –

HerdPlus is the name of the new service. 

Objectives  –

To provide information farmers can use to increase their farm profits.
To increase best breeding practices and to facilitate increased uptake of AI Milk Recording, Linear scoring and weighing.

Herd focus –

The service is focused at the herd level and thus covers all animals regardless of breed, pedigree registration status, usage of AI, usage of milk recording or usage of beef performance recording.

Contents –

The core of the service is a set of Herd Reports including: Dairy EBI, Beef Euro-Star Breeding chart, Herd Inventory , Calving Report ,Reproductive Performance, Expected calving, Sire advice, Beef Suckler Cow Report and Milk Quality.  The service will also include routine participation in Animal Events and notification of breed improvement initiatives for which the herd may qualify.

Personalised Notebook – HerdPlus clients will receive a personalised animal events recording notebook each year from ICBF. By “personalised” we mean each farmer will get his own animals preprinted on its pages. So the notebook will entail pages for Breeding Chart, Expected Calving and Herd list – all with your cows preprinted, making it easier to record events.

Helpdesk 1850 600 900 –

As part of the service ICBF have put together a HerdPlus Help team of trained staff to help farmers understand what each report means and  how to use the information therein. (Note: The staff are located within ICBF not in an outsourced call centre).

Cost –

Participation in the service for 12 months will cost €60 (inc VAT) or €120 (inc VAT) for the electronic and postal versions respectively. 

Payment –

The service must be paid for in advance by a direct payment to ICBF.  Direct debit, credit card and cheques will be accepted.