Animal breeding and reproductive technologies are becoming increasingly interconnected, offering new opportunities to accelerate genetic gain. Breeding indexes like the economic breeding index (EBI) and dairy beef index (DBI) complemented with the use of sexed semen and other assisted reproductive technologies are underpinning this advancement.

Evolution of the EBI

The dairy cow national breeding index, the EBI, which ranks animals on overall breeding merit, is being updated in 2025 to reflect changing input and output prices. This is routinely undertaken to future proof all Irish breeding indexes.

The upcoming revision will also involve an update to the genetic base for milk production and fertility against which everything is compared; the base population will move from 2005- to 2007-born cows to 2015- to 2019-born cows. The impact is that EBI of all animals will reduce by approximately €91.

Integration of sexed semen with dairy-beef

Sexed semen technology enables pre-selection of calf sex with high accuracy (~90%). Its increasing availability in Ireland, coupled with satisfactory pregnancy rates, makes it a valuable tool.

When applied to the top genetic merit females, sexed semen accelerates genetic gain and ensures replacement heifers are born early in the calving season. The widespread use of sexed semen also creates an opportunity around the use of beef semen for non-replacement matings, creating more marketable calves and reducing the number of male dairy calves born.

The DBI helps identify beef bulls suitable for mating with dairy females. It balances traits important to dairy farmers (eg, calving difficulty) and beef producers (eg, carcase). A validation study strongly confirms the accuracy of genetic evaluations. The ICBF sire advice system optimally pairs beef bulls with dairy dams to reduce calving difficulties and enhance beef value. Nonetheless, fertility rates with sexed semen remain about 10 percentage points lower than conventional semen, largely due to lower sperm counts and sensitivity to handling. High pregnancy rates are, however, still achievable, especially when semen is handled correctly and when the sexed semen is targeted to the most appropriate cows.

Assisted reproductive technologies

Assisted reproductive technologies, including multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) and in-vitro embryo production (IVP), enable the generation of multiple offspring annually from genetically elite cows, thus accelerating genetic improvement.

A large field trial undertaken by Teagasc involving over 1,100 cows compared pregnancy rates using timed artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer. Results showed similar conception rates between AI and embryo transfer using fresh embryos but higher pregnancy losses with embryo transfer, particularly when embryos were frozen. In conclusion, accelerated genetic gain in Irish cattle breeding is being propelled by strategic use of breeding indexes, sexed semen, and assisted reproductive technologies.

Tools like the EBI and DBI are essential for guiding selection decisions while advanced reproductive technologies, including sexed semen, offer potential for multiplying elite genetics rapidly. Together, these strategies promise to deliver sustained improvements in productivity, profitability, and sustainability in Irish livestock farming.

Dairy-beef: a growing asset

Irish dairy-beef production plays a central role in the national beef sector, contributing approximately 60% of total beef output. This system is predominantly pasture-based, with 80–90% of an animal’s lifetime feed derived from grazed or conserved forage. Following the removal of EU milk quotas in 2015, dairy cow numbers have surged by around 50% in 2011, reviving dairy-beef’s dominance last seen in the early 1980s.

Despite a reduction in the beef genetic potential of the national dairy herd, the overall beef genetic merit of the calf crop has increased due to higher use of beef sires rather than dairy sires. The growing adoption of sexed semen has accelerated this shift.

In 2024, over 55% of dairy-born calves were sired by beef bulls. This strategy reduces the number of low-value dairy-bred male calves and enhances the overall quality of the calf crop.

The beef breeds most commonly used in dairy herds are early-maturing types like Angus and Hereford, which offer easier calving and quicker finishing.

These breeds, when matched with high-quality management systems, can be finished at 19–22 months, considerably lower than the national average of 27 months. This helps meet both market demands and national climate targets by reducing methane emissions per kilogramme of beef produced.

Teagasc-led research has shown that high beef genetic-merit calves (measured by the commercial beef value, CBV) finished under 22 months can generate a net margin over €1,300/ha, with carbon footprints under 13kg CO2e/kg of carcase, substantially lower than the national average beef carcase.

Use of improved forages such as clover and perennial ryegrass swards further boosts efficiency by reducing reliance on chemical nitrogen.

Despite these promising systems, commercial dairy-beef farms often underperform financially, with up to 61% of farmers ceasing calf rearing within five years.

To bridge this gap, wider adoption of technologies like CBV-guided calf selection, enhanced pasture management, and integration between dairy and beef sectors is essential. Monitor farms participating in the DairyBeef 500 campaign in 2024 achieved a net margin of €717/ha, attributed to improved beef prices, higher animal and lower input costs (feed and fertiliser), in addition over a 10-year period the CBV of Angus-sired steers on programme farms increased from €76 to €96.

Data from the Tipperary dairy calf-to-beef farm shows that high genetic merit animals with high levels of technical performance can achieve high levels of financial performance.

In conclusion, Irish dairy-beef production holds significant potential to deliver sustainable and profitable beef.

However, success hinges on aligning genetics and feeding systems that produce carcases that meet overall market specification (ie, weight, conformation, fat and age).

Come visit the Dairy-Beef village at Moorepark 2025 where there will be a live carcase demonstration and discussion on the opportunities that exist to improve the carcases produced from the dairy herd.