National Genotyping Programme - ICBF

endainoz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121194105#Comment_121194105

How does that work out as 70%? If your concern is paying for a few calves each year you must be really clutching the pennies! 😂. I can understand it for massive numbers maybe but not for less than 20 calves. Also the convenience of tagging and genotyping at birth is an obvious plus for it I think.

Sami23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121194302#Comment_121194302

🤣 I agree they aren't my numbers I was just trying to explain it.

As the cost of SCEP genotyping is 18euro - for the extra calves that have to be done next year on top of the SCEP requirement will they cost the 18euro or the 6euro mentioned ?

tanko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121193659#Comment_121193659

I’m in SCEP and not going to join it. Cows and calves are in and out for Ai and dehorning so it’s no big deal to tag them. As for the star ratings, genotyping makes SFA difference. Overall the Eurostars are a pile of crap anyway.

ABitofsense

18e for SCEP genotyping & 6e for any additional calves under NGP scheme from my understanding of the scheme.

Difference also is tags available at calving Vs middle of the summer.

Time and hassle saved tagging at birth is worth that 6e extra to me anyway

endainoz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121194464#Comment_121194464

Genotyping makes a massive difference in terms of reliability, and evaluations will come far sooner now. As for the Eurostars being a pile of crap, it's irrelevant really as they're going no where.

tanko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121194499#Comment_121194499

I know they’re not going anywhere. To say it’s irrelevant whether the Eurostars are fit for purpose or not is laughable. There needs to be an independent investigation into what ICBF get up to.

patsy_mccabe

Genotyping is very important for a few reasons. It verifies both the dam and sire, but it also establishes which genes get carried from the parents. With ICBF, the calves start off as an average of both parents then goes up and down from the genotype results. If you have a polled calf, it will also verify if it is homogeneous polled (full polled) or heterogenous polled (half polled). No other way to do this before you have calves on the ground.

You'd be crazy now to buy a bull that is not genotyped.

anthony500_1

They must be struggling to get numbers signed up with the extension of the closing date,and I'm now getting texts asking me to sign up, they must be under pressure for numbers to meet there requirements. I've still not signed up. I'm really on the fence on this one

endainoz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121194547#Comment_121194547

Everyone knows it's to give ratings to dairy beef stock, there's no big mystery or conspiracy about it. I'd say you'll be waiting a long time for any investigation however.

Donald Trump

Applied for SCEP here. But I can't see the benefit of this. We have a few sucklers but you're talking only 10%.

My understanding is that we'd get all the cows genotyped now for free, but then have to pay 6 quid a head for all the dairy calves being done going forward. And the only "benefit" would be that we'd have the SCEP ones' tags at the start of the year?

Am I missing something? Because it doesn't seem that there is any real incentive to go to the bother

Diarmuid B

They’re tagged as calves so all parentage and genomics is done before they’re 30 days old. No more gathering up weanlings or yearlings and bringing them in to the pen to wrestle with them to get a tag in. Just makes life easier for everyone and all parentage issues/errors would be sorted at birth instead of months down the line when you may be tight for deadlines for schemes. That’s just my take on it anyways, €6 per animal to have it all sorted when they’re born is a no brainer really.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121293234#Comment_121293234

But we'd be tagging say 8 dairy calves @ 6 Euro per head cost to save some potential inconvenience with one suckler calf. Unless there is some other actual benefit or requirement that I must be missing

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121293258#Comment_121293258

The biggest benefit will be towards dairy beef breeding on both the cows side and also the bull. It will help to deal with some of the poor beef subindex breeding and also give confidence to what you are buying. As a calf rear, actually knowing what you are buying is half the battle.

In the next 3 years, I can guarantee that every calf in the country will be DNA sampled at birth to register it.

mossy_90

Well lads just have a quick question.

We usually run low in tags every and end up waiting for them and calf's waiting too...so I ordered a clatter of them for next year in advance before I heard about the ngp program .....I'm assuming I'd like at the loss of them if I join ngp program.?would I be rite in thinking that?

Also the main benefits I see is

Not rounding them up for tagging when older?

Besides that it is more money out of pocket if you go with NGP.?

Thanks in advance

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121293362#Comment_121293362

Maybe so. But we tend to keep calf to beef (or near enough). The factories aren't paying extra for knowing the parentage and anyone buying to finish off the last couple of months is buying based on what they see rather than paper.

If there was no charge for it I think we'd do it to have all the cows done. Or even if going into it meant that the SCEP ones only cost 6 quid that might be something.

Of all the tasks with animals, tagging is one of the easiest. Once you can get them tight in the crush with their heads up you don't even need to try to restrain them. Just line it up and a quick pull on the tagger and it's done. They are going to be coming in for weighing anyway.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121293012#Comment_121293012

Same as that. Given you have to weight them aswell that’s the same opportunity to have them in the crush and tag them so no extra handling.

The faffing around at the blue card stage waiting for sire confirmation would be a pain in the arse also.

tanko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121293446#Comment_121293446

If you want to use those tags you’ll have to order button tags with the same numbers to take the genomic sample.

As for farmers saying they won’t have to round them up for tagging when they’re older do farmers never have a sick animal or dose cattle or Ai cows or ever put their cattle into the yard during the summer? They’re must be lots of farmers who let their cattle out in the Spring and never have them in the yard til housing.

If you’re in the SCEP scheme joint the NGP will actually cost you more money afaik because you have to genotype every animal born on your farm.

mossy_90

Thanks for the reply Tanco

A rite I didn't know that you can get the buttons.im sure that cost also.

I fully agree with you.i dose calf's every six weeks through the summer and always problems along the way aswell. So plenty of opportunitys to tag. along with when they are weighed (although some years this is done in the field 🤣)

Cost you money is all I can see aswell

Think my tagging for scep is 400 already and they want to add another 150 or more to it. Why not do them all for 6 euro.

Thanks again I think I'll leave it to them👍

Alibaba

So I joined the National Genotyping Programme. Have a couple of young calves now and have some tags left over from earlier in the year.

Am I right in saying that I'll have to order the dna button tag now to sample these ?

Also is it Weatherbys I have to send the samples to be tested ?

I think The Department were saying they cover the cost of sampling you're remaining animals in 2023 ..

tanko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121402708#Comment_121402708

You don’t have to order button tags for calves born this year but you will for any calf born next year if you want to use up those tags left over from earlier this year. Yeah the department will cover the cost of sampling any remaining female animals you have which aren’t genotyped, there is an option not to do this if you want. They will send genomic tags out to you for these animals.

cjpm

Has anyone got the address for the National Genotyping Lab??

I’ve previously sent the cow samples in the pre addressed envelope, and I need to send the bulls sample as I tagged him this morning…..

Silverdream

I got a free tagger from Mullinahone Coop when I ordered the Genotype pair sets. Maybe its only for those in the program as I only found out when I went to order the tags

Sugarbowl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121540284#Comment_121540284

So you just ordered a button tag for the remaining double tag sets you have left over for next year calves is it?

Lime Tree Farm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121540274#Comment_121540274

National Genotype Testing.

PO Box 13637

FREEPOST FKE 7650

Naas,

Co. Kildare.

ANIMAL EXEMPT SPECIMEN

Silverdream

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121540496#Comment_121540496

I ordered 18 tags sets for next years calves. (I wanted to order more but the dept restricted me to 18) but I still got the free tagger

Lime Tree Farm

Same here, I tried ordering just now to be told I have exceeded this year's dept allowance. Looks like we are being whacked into a quota system - sounds ridiculous - in 2019 we had 4 sets of twins, would we have to apply for a dispensation if there was to be a repeat of that scenario

Silverdream

No I got the same feeling, like they are dictating to you how many calves to have. At the moment you can get a dispensation, but it will be easy for them to close that one out too if they want to

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541076#Comment_121541076

ICBF samples have a different PO Box number

Lime Tree Farm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121543211#Comment_121543211

That's correct, NGP have a different box no.

For SCEP box no. label use the following:

Exempt Animal Specimen.

FREEPOST

ICBF Genotype Laboratory,

PO Box 1069

Naas Mail Centre,

Co Kildare.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121543924#Comment_121543924

It's also the same PO Box number as the ICBF , but with a different lab name, for hair samples if you end up having to send them in