Vol. 524 No. 6
121 Mr. J. Brady asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the action taken by his Department and the agencies under the aegis of his Department to improve the genetic merit of Irish beef cattle and to improve cattle breeding standards generally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23383/00]
Cattle breed improvement activities in Ireland were, until recent years, fragmented between a number of organisations including my Department, AI organisations, milk recording and breed societies. A new central co-operative organisation called the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) incorporating all of these interest groups was set up on an interim basis in 1997 with the support of funding and other forms of assistance from my Department. A permanent structure for the organisation and operation of the co-operative was established in July this year.
The main objective of ICBF is to improve the genetic merit of the national herd, particularly by improving genetic evaluation and providing information on breeding quality. ICBF is in the process of clearly defining breeding objectives for beef cattle in the context of changing market requirements and farming systems. ICBF is pursuing a pro-active strategy for achieving these objectives through the operation of a comprehensive national, recording, testing and genetic evaluation programme using sophisticated IT systems.
Teagasc has intensified its efforts this year to promote the development of quality breeding by producers. For example, Teagasc undertook a series of road shows earlier in the year in order to give producers guidance on the ideal heifer replacement essential for the production of quality beef. This was also central to its exhibition at the National Ploughing Championships.
