Has anyone signed up for The National Genotyping Programme with ICBF?
I'm in the SCEP scheme and I will be genotyping anyway under that. I see there is a FAQ document on ICBF.
ICBF Web Application
Yup same as yourself in SCEP so might aswell
Will signing up for this save money on genotyping for the SCEP scheme?
No you pay for your SCEP requirement. Then all others are 6 euro I think. The only reason I'm joining is all can be done at birth so saves the hassle of wrestling big calves. Tag & send samples away immediately way easier
Any gaps in your breeding herd are free this year too I believe.
I signed up there today. 10 different screens to go through.
What's the story with tags unused from this year, I've 10 sets of tags left over this year that will go unused, can I get the "buttons" to match these "old" tags or is it a case of dump the unused ones I already have and order new sets for next year going forward??? I've not signed up yet, but thinking it would be a lots easier on man and beast to do them at birth
From FAQ
9) I already bought my tags for 2024, what can I do now?
a) If you have single tissue national tags bought or left over from calving 2023, you will need to order corresponding button tags to genotype these calves at birth.
Did any suckler beef farmers receive their NGP tags for 2023 ? I thought we would have received them by now.
Good man patsy, that's not so bad. At least the ones I have won't go to waste. I'm sure mullinahone will be only to happy to organise the buttons 🤣🤣🤣
Got a letter from ICBF this week advising me to join - are many on here joining ?
Don't see much in it for us bar what people are saying about getting it out of the way at birth.
I usually apply the SCEP/BDGP tags to yearlings before they go out for their second summer so think I'll be giving this a miss.
Did you go for it yourself? Have to order tags for calves and dunno whether to go for it.
On a side note, does any suckler man that buys an untagged calf to stick on a dead calves cow, and register it as hers, worry about the paper trail showing different bull and different dam because of the genetics showing up
I joined SCEP this year, wasnt in the old BDGP scheme, so i'm waiting to get the results of the genotyping I done back about 6 weeks ago before I sign up.
Effectively if I dont have enough 4 or 5 stars in the herd when I get the results, i'll be pulling out of the SCEP scheme so hence no need to join the NGP.
If I do have enough 4 or 5 stars, then yes I will also sign up for the NGP cos as mentioned by another poster, it will be far handier genotyping the calf after its born rather than trying to round them up etc at a later stage for every year of the scheme, its just another job in my eyes that can be avoided by signing up.
I signed up too. The only reason like everybody else is saying is to have the sample tags at birth when it is easy enough to tag calves. My place is fairly scattered and it usually ends up that I have to pen a few groups to get the genotyping done.
No not going to bother with this scheme - I'll just carry on doing as I was up to now
I signed up for the pilot genotyping scheme this year. There’s not much extra work in it. You’re tagging the calf for the BVD anyways, the 2nd tag is now for the genomics. Send them off to their respective labs, and 1 week or so later, you’ll be notified that you can register your calf Birth.
Log in, you’ll see the parentage details, if you’re happy, click save and register and that’s it. Handy for lads that might be Aiing and running a bull. I did have a heifer that came back on the genomics as being a bull, but I was able to override this. Most of the time it’s 100%
Tags arrived for the scheme today from Cormac tags
Same here. The service from Cormac is top class never a delay from them
Just got word of my tags have been dispatched today to tag remaining weanling heifers. Problem is I've them sold they been collected tomorrow. Waiting long time for tags to arrive. Mullinahone coop!
It says on the letter that came with them that if you have the cattle sold for the corresponding tags they can be discarded so you should be fine
Did many people sign up for this in the end ?
It has been extended until the end of October.
I tagged the few requested at the weekend. Honestly next year tagging for genotype at calving is the best idea in awhile. Trying to wrestle with a 850kg cow who never puts here head in the head gate or a 300kg calf to get a small tag in. Pure torture!! Anyway thats all females on the farm done for this scheme! Hopefully they're quicker with the genotyping than they are with the SCEP samples as I still have 2 left as "sent to lab" which they received first week of July
So I'm actually still weighing up whether to join or not and can't fully get my head around what it will cost me.
Lets say I have 20 Cows for arguments sake and 10 is my reference for SCEP each year and that 10 must be genotyped each year for that.
The price to genotype in SCEP is €18 per animal so this year is costing me €180.
Next year SCEP genotyping will again cost me €180 for the reference number of 10 but if I join the NGP will I also have to pay another €180 to genotype the other 10 calves next year or will it cost me the €6 each they mention next year so €60 in total for the other 10 ?
I had one heifer sold without knowing she was picked for tagging. They told me to discard her tag and they sent out a hair sample kit. You have to get 20 or 30 hair follicles in it off another female and sent that for testing instead
I'm still in it after thinking I would pull out. I have the bord bia inspection tomorrow so we will see how that goes.
If that doesn't go well or any of the ICBF tags come back as empty and need to be redone I'll be out of it again.
Think it's a no brainer to join it really, especially for lads in scep. Animals will need to be genotyped anyway so it will be much easier to tag a new born calf than having to gather up all stock at some point in the summer. The problems of low reliability from icbf star ratings will be eliminated aswell. Everyone in scep should definitely be in it.
The only thing is people in SCEP don't need to genotype all their calves each year - only 70% of their reference number.
So this scheme will now force us to genotype all of them and pay for it also if I'm correct.
You won’t be regenotyping the cows every year. Just new born calves
It’s €6 each for the ones not needed to be done for the SCEP i think.
Yes but I'd only be required to genotype 10 calves for SCEP next year but will have to genotype all 20 for NGP if I go into it
