The National Cattle Breeding Centre: Revolutionizing Dairy-Beef Genetics in Ireland

Irish dairy farmers are well aware of the lasting impact that breeding decisions have on the profitability of their herds. The National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC), Ireland’s leading breeding programme, is removing the guesswork in dairy-beef breeding. With the widest range of proven sires available through shareholders Munster Bovine and Progressive Genetics, NCBC focuses on improving conception rates, easy calving, shorter gestation, and producing calves of high commercial beef value (CBV).

Dr. Doreen Corridan, CEO and fertility expert, stated, "Choosing sires from the NCBC Dairy Beef Programme means choosing exceptional fertility, calving ease, shorter gestation, and saleable calves with the highest CBV, all backed by the most extensive dataset in the industry." The NCBC's rigorous sire selection process, led by beef programme manager Rose Goulding, ensures that only the top sires are accessible to farmers. NCBC sires, including seven of the top 10 dairy-beef bulls in Ireland, undergo extensive progeny testing by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, ensuring peace of mind for herd owners. Additional advantages for farmers choosing NCBC genetics include the programme’s commitment to Irish farming, superior genetics, and exclusive availability through its partners.

NCBC's latest innovation, bull categorisation, aids in making profit-driven breeding decisions easier, categorizing bulls as Elite Genomic Test Sires, Rising Stars, and Proven Premium Sires, each with distinct strengths. The partnership between NCBC, Munster Bovine, and Progressive Genetics presents a trustworthy choice for farmers aiming for more profitable breeding outcomes.

As Rose Goulding articulates, "The scale of our dairy-beef programme allows us to continually remove bulls that do not meet our fertility standards."