Why are some Bulls not on the ICBF Active Bull List?

  • Post category:News

A question that is often asked is ‘why are some of the newest bulls not on the ICBF active bull list?’. The reason for this is that some of these bulls do not meet the criteria to be included in the active bull list. The criteria is outlined below for both the dairy and beef ICBF active bull lists.

Dairy

The EBI details of the bulls on the list are based on the December 2018 genetic evaluations computed by ICBF. Semen from all of the Bulls has been indicated as being available by the various AI Companies, hence the term ‘Active’ Bull List.

The criteria for making the list are as follows:

  • Bull is approved for ‘Widespread Use’
  • EBI’s with reliabilities greater than or equal to 35%
  • Calving difficulty evaluations with reliabilities greater than or equal to 70% and at least 50 calving records either in Ireland or in the country of origin of the bull.

Where can I see a listing of ALL DAIRY AI BULLS?

If you are a member of HerdPlus you can ‘select bulls using traits’ in the ‘Dairy Sire Advice’ application. This application ranks ALL BULLS available when you ‘select bulls using traits’.

Beef

The beef ICBF active bull list is a facility which allows you to see all available AI bulls across all AI companies, ranked on a single. The list also allows the user to sort and filter bulls on various criteria. You can therefore search for the best AI bulls available to deliver the traits most important to your farming system. There are two lists available.

1. A Terminal list which ranks on the Terminal Index and is associated with the following set criteria

i.   50% reliability or greater on the Terminal Index

ii.    50% reliability or greater on Calving Difficulty

iii.    Bull must have a valid genomic component to his evaluation

iv.    Bull must also have sired at least 1 calf that has a calving survey recorded on it

2. A Replacement list which ranks bulls on the Replacement Index and is associated with the following set criteria

i.    50% reliability or greater on the Replacement Index

ii.    50% reliability or greater on Calving Difficulty

iii.    Bull must have a valid genomic component to his evaluation

iv.    Bull must also have sired at least 1 calf that has a calving survey recorded on it

Click here to view ICBF active bull list