February 27, 2009

Ireland has become the second country in the world after the US to integrate genomic proofs in the national cattle breeding programme by assessing the quality of its breeding bulls by use of DNA.

Irish Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith launched the National Cattle Breeding Centre's genomics programme which has the capacity to increase Ireland's dairy capacity by EUR8 million annually based on the improved quality of the animals.

Smith explained that genomic selection was a cutting-edge technology to look into the DNA of young bulls to predict their genetic merit at a young age.

Using genomic selection, the centre can identify useful bulls at a young age and does not have to wait five years until their calves are born to identify their potential.

Launching the programme, the minister said Ireland's first teams of genomically tested Holstein Friesian bulls had been introduced for use in Irish artificial insemination.

The programme which has the potential to revolutionise cattle breeding by predicting the genetic potential of a bull for generating profit, will soon be extended to Irish beef production.

Local media said that the project involved collecting and analysing DNA from over 1,000 sires from the centre's genetics progeny test programme.

The best of these sires, as assessed by a combination of the new genomic assessment and conventional progeny test, will be offered to Irish dairy farmers for the 2009 breeding season.

Smith said farmers would have to wait two years before the merit of the bulls could be established without the genomic test.

The centre is a collaborative project involving Teagasc and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation and is financially supported by the Department of Agriculture.