Global breeding programs

Aligning Dairy and Beef breeding objectives and decision support tools. The Irish experience

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Abstract

The emergence and growing adoption of technologies such as sexed semen, genomic testing of the national dairy herd, and the increased use of beef-on-dairy matings are redefining the trajectory of genetic gain within Ireland's dairy sector. In Ireland, where over 65% of national carcass output now originates from dairy herds, these innovations have significant implications for both the dairy and beef industries. A coordinated approach to breeding goal design is therefore important to ensure that gains in productivity are achieved in tandem with improvements in efficiency, profitability, and environmental sustainability. The objective of this paper was to investigate the impact of current versus optimized breeding strategies utilizing all available genetic indexes, decision support tools and reproductive technologies on herd level phenotypic performance for traits of economic importance.For every animal within a dairy herd, a dedicated breeding index and selection of decision-support tools is available to help farmers make the most profitable management decisions. Among these, the Economic Breeding Index (EBI) guides the selection for dairy replacements and next-generation sires; the Dairy Beef Index (DBI) identifies beef sires most suitable for use in dairy herds to produce more valuable dairy-beef progeny; the Cow's Own Worth (COW) Index supports within-herd culling and herd-structure decisions based on predicted lifetime profitability; and the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) predicts the beef performance of dairy-origin progeny. Underpinning and linking these are mating advice tools. Each index represents a profit-based selection tool, with economic parameters derived from bioeconomic models developed by the national research institute, Teagasc. Collectively, these tools form a circular, data-driven framework linking genetic potential, reproductive strategy, and realized commercial performance, thereby enabling continuous improvement across both the dairy and beef sectors.Analysis was performed using data stored in the ICBF database including individual animal production, fertility, and genetic evaluation data in addition to herd level performance metrics. The genetic potential of dairy females for profitable milk production and the suitability of their progeny for dairy-beef production was modelled using linear mixed-models while accounting for herd metrics such as herd size, reproductive performance, conception rate for both sexed and conventional semen and culling rate. Results suggest that optimized semen allocation i.e. targeting high-EBI and high-fertility females for sexed dairy semen, and lower-EBI and low-COW cows for high-DBI beef semen, increases genetic progress in the replacement population and optimizes the profit potential of the herd. Use of the CBV as a downstream feedback tool further supports a more circular and sustainable dairy-beef system.The Irish experience illustrates how a data-driven, nationally coordinated approach underpinned by genomic evaluations and decision support tools, can deliver balanced progress across dairy and beef sectors.

Keywords: 2026

How to Cite:

Kelleher, M., Evans, R., Crosson, P., Shalloo, L. & Berry, D., (2026) “Aligning Dairy and Beef breeding objectives and decision support tools. The Irish experience”, World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production Digital Archive 2026(1): 2286404. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/wcgalp.23986

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