Ireland’s National Genotyping Programme has marked another major milestone, processing one million calf genotypes in 2026 alone, a remarkable achievement for an initiative that only began in 2023. The programme, the first of its kind globally, integrates DNA results directly into calf registration, transforming accuracy, efficiency and traceability across Irish agriculture.
The programme has expanded rapidly since its introduction. In 2025, 866,781 calf genotypes were processed through the National Genotyping Programme, so reaching 1 million calf genotypes within the first eight months of 2026 is a major milestone. This growth reflects strong farmer uptake and the programme’s progression towards full national genotyping, where every calf born in Ireland will have DNA-verified parentage and sex at birth.
One of the most significant benefits of calf genotyping is the identification and correction of registration errors.
The graph above shows the level of parentage and registration errors identified across the 1 million calf samples processed this year. In dairy herds, parentage errors were detected in 15% of calves, where either the sire or dam predicted by DNA differed from the parentage recorded at calf registration. This figure was 12% in beef herds. In addition, 2% of calves had a DNA-predicted sex that differed from the sex recorded at registration.
By incorporating DNA results directly into the calf registration process, both parentage and sex errors can be identified and corrected quickly, helping to avoid additional paperwork and reducing the need for passport amendments.
The National Genotyping Programme has represented a significant shift in how calves are registered in Ireland through the integration of DNA technology. It continues to improve animal identification, traceability, parentage verification and the national cattle breeding programme.