Written answers
Thursday, 13 July 2023
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Agriculture Industry
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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576. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will furnish data on the percentage of dairy-first crosses being used in the suckler herd and their average replacement index, for each of the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35407/23]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Replacement Index is part of ICBF’s Euro-Star Index system. It is a tool used by suckler farmers to breed/select more profitable replacement females. It comprises cost of production traits such as calving difficulty and cow liveweight as well as output traits such as milk and carcass weight.
When used properly, the selection of animals using the Replacement Index will result in more efficient suckler cows with more milk and fertility whilst also producing superior offspring.
The data hereunder shows that the percentage trend has been relatively stable since 2013. On average, 23% were dairy x beef and 77% of suckler cows were beef x beef.
Current and historic information on dairy cross animals in the suckler herd is tabulated below.
| YearCalving | Total Suckler Cows Calved | Count | % of total | Replacement Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023* | 581,087 | 134,911 | 23.2 | 110.22 |
| 2022 | 822,940 | 188,294 | 22.9 | 105.09 |
| 2021 | 848,034 | 196,092 | 23.1 | 102.81 |
| 2020 | 858,582 | 199,451 | 23.2 | 100.95 |
| 2019 | 872,368 | 202,121 | 23.2 | 98.63 |
| 2018 | 899,578 | 206,953 | 23.0 | 96.29 |
| 2017 | 942,418 | 213,079 | 22.6 | 93.83 |
| 2016 | 958,486 | 212,656 | 22.2 | 91.89 |
| 2015 | 974,084 | 216,909 | 22.3 | 90.51 |
| 2014 | 946,205 | 215,135 | 22.7 | 89.74 |
| 2013 | 951,282 | 222,651 | 23.4 | 89.43 |
*Note: 2023 data is year-to-date.
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