Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 820: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason pedigree bulls are not required under the new suckler cow grant scheme; the consultations she had with the ICBF before announcing the scheme; and the way the scheme will improve quality in the beef herd. [1022/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Animal Welfare, Recording and Breeding Scheme for Suckler Herds aims to encourage and underpin the adoption of high levels of animal welfare and improve the quality of the national beef herd. Provided it is a beef breed, farmers are free to choose the type of bull they use in their herds as this does not deflect from the aims of the scheme. The scheme has seven measures and compliance with these measures, regardless of the type of bull used, should result in enhanced welfare and quality.

My Department had consultations with ICBF regarding the extension of their recording programme to cover the objectives of the scheme. As the Animal Events system operated by ICBF is an integral part of the Scheme, a number of consultations took place on how the scheme would be rolled out to farmers. The scheme will improve quality in the beef herd in a number of ways. A core part of the scheme is the collection of valuable breeding data on animals from a large range of farms. The central analysis of this data by ICBF will lead to accurate profit based breeding indexes on beef cattle in the country. These indexes will show in a clear and easily understandable manner the most profitable bulls to use on farms, whether they are pedigree or not. They will also allow farmers to identify the cows that are producing the most profitable and best quality weanlings.

The training and education module element of the scheme will provide practical knowledge for farmers on many aspects of quality beef production. The other measures relating to welfare improvement, and best practice on weaning will also contribute to improving the health and quality of animals being produced from the Suckler herd.