Video provided by Teagasc Beef.

50% of the reference number of females on your farm must be GENOTYPED 4 or 5 star on the replacement index by 31st October 2020.

Currently about 10% of herds are not meeting their requirement.

The main thing that farmers need to do at this point:

  1. Be aware of your own herd’s situation.
  2. Check compliance. This can be done by logging into the ICBF website, select ‘View Profiles’, then “BDGP Eligibility’. This will then open an overview screen detailing your herd’s compliance status.
  3. Check to see if your herd has any 4 or 5 star females that are waiting to get a genomic evaluation. The October evaluation will be published on Tuesday 6th of October and the November evaluation on Tuesday 24th November.
  4. If you are not currently meeting your female requirement you may need to buy in genotyped 4/5 star females.

If purchasing cows/heifers, please ensure to check that they are BDGP eligible.

BDGP eligible females (BDGP I)  must meet the following criteria:

  • Born before 30th June 2019.
  • Born on/after the 1st January 2013.
  • Genotyped 4/5 star on date of purchase.
  • Have a published genomic evaluation.

To be sure that you have the most up-to-date information, use the ICBF Animal Search tool on the website or mobile app. A green banner will appear on the animal search to indicate that an animal has a genomic evaluation. Any animal without this green banner does not have a genomic evaluation.

If you require support or clarification, please contact your Teagasc adviser, the HerdPlus office in ICBF or the Department of Agriculture.