The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon has today (June 10) announced the re-opening of Ireland's national bovine genotyping programme (NGP) for new applicants.

The NGP was launched in 2023 as a first step toward building a fully genotyped national herd.

This world-first initiative integrates DNA sampling into calf registrations to verify parentage and deliver genomic evaluations for newborn calves.

An additional 4,500 herds were accepted into the NGP in 2024, bringing the total number of participants to 15,000. Farmers not currently participating are encouraged to apply.

Minister Heydon said: "I am delighted to be extending this world-first initiative to more Irish farmers.

"The response to the programme has been very encouraging to date and by increasing participation, we are taking another significant step towards reaching my ambition of genotyping the entire national bovine herd," the minister added.

The NGP is a collaborative initiative that has been designed based on a cost-sharing model between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the beef and dairy industry, and participating farmers. 

Genotyping the national herd provides a huge opportunity for both the dairy and beef industry to accelerate in the rates of gain of national breeding indexes, which will enhance farm sustainability and reduce carbon emissions.

At a farm level, participation in the NGP brings significant long-term benefits, including more accurate breeding decisions, improved herd performance, and access to cutting-edge genotyping technologies that future-proof farming enterprises.

The chief executive of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), Sean Coughlan said: "ICBF welcomes the opportunity to bring more herds into the NGP.

"This builds on the excellent momentum gained over the course of the programme so far and will provide more Irish farmers with the tools to make informed, data-driven decisions on farm."

The NGP will reopen for new applicants from 2:00p.m today (June 10) on the ICBF website.

Interested farmers are encouraged to apply as early as possible to ensure inclusion in phase 3 of the programme.