asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will make a statement on his Department's proposed approach to improving the beefing qualities of the national herd.
Written Answers. - National Breeding Herd.
153.
Since dual purpose cows comprise 80 per cent of the national breeding herd with beef cows comprising the remaining 20 per cent, the Department of Agriculture's approach to improving the beefing quality of the herd is twofold — to improve beef merit in beef cows and to maintain the beef merit of the Friesian, cow breed while at the same time improving dairy merit.
Specific steps taken to improve beefing qualities include selective importations of superior breeds and strains of existing breeds and the operation of an integrated testing and selection programme designed to enhance the economically important traits — viz. growth rate, feed efficiency, ease of calving and carcase merit.
The national testing and selection programme is operated in co-operation with breed societies and AI organisations. The programme involves:
— on farm weight recording in pedigree herds for weight gain to enable selection of breeding females and males for future pedigree breeding,
— central performance testing of beef breed and Friesian bulls for growth rate, feed efficiency, body measurement and carcase merit which is assessed by ultrasonic for identification of superior sires for use in the AI service and by breeders as sires in pedigree herds, and
— progeny testing of beef breed and Friesian bulls for ease of calving, calf mortality, growth rate, carcase merit and meat quality to identify the best bulls for widespread usage in the AI Service.
The Control of Bulls for Breeding Act, 1985 was introduced primarily to ensure that the quality of the national herd will not be jeopardised by the use of genetically inferior bulls.