Niall Kilrane from the ICBF Tully Test Performance Centre is on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to give an update from the research centre which is the national commercial progeny test centre located on the edge of Kildare town. 

Historically, pedigree bull breeders used to bring their young bulls to the centre for performance testing. However, following a review in 2011, ICBF then began to purchase the commercial progeny of new AI sires that have been progeny tested through the Gene Ireland breeding programme. 

At any one time there are approximately 200 animals on site and to date almost 5,000 commercial animals have been through the centre. These animals are a mix of bulls, steers and heifers from both suckler and dairy dams. 

The data captured is growth rate, feed efficiency, methane emissions and even meat-eating quality. 

They are currently in the early stages of setting up a system that will capture the water intakes of the animals. Some of these traits have a direct impact on the genetic evaluation of the AI sire concerned whilst some of the data is in its infancy but could be extremely useful in the future. 

All of work is only possible through collaboration with industry partners including herd owners, AI companies, breed societies and the DAFM.

For further details go to: 

https://www.icbf.com/tully-bull-centre/

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