Hereford dairy-beef progeny trial on ABP Demo Farm
The ABP Demo Farm and Irish Hereford Prime are involved in a joint initiative aimed at enhancing the genetic performance, sustainability, and market value of Hereford cattle in Ireland.
The current research initiative has been ongoing since 2020, and the performance of 150 calves from 13 different sires have been recorded by the ABP Demo Farm since the inception of the joint initiative.
The breed improvement element of Irish Hereford Prime's beef sustainability programme involves a structured initiative offering Hereford genetics through artificial insemination (AI) sires to farmers for use on their breeding cows.
Irish Hereford Prime, alongside the Irish Hereford Breed Society, have invested in AI sires that are currently standing in Dovea AI station, as well as the purchase of Irish and international Hereford semen that may not be widely used on the dairy herd due to cost or availability.
These bulls are selected based on the following traits:
Superior carcass traits (weight and conformation);
Shorter gestation periods;
Excellent calving ease;
Reduced age at finish .
Every year, a number of the calves born from the programme are purchased by the ABP Demo Farm and are reared through to finishing at 19-21-months-of-age with their performance recorded.
Data is collected on a number of key performance traits including:
Weight gain;
Health;
Back fat scanning;
Methane;
Feed intake;
Water intake;
Carcass data;
Meat quality.
In 2025, the calves purchased through the trial were from the following two sires:
Awbegpoll 1 Fisher (HE9777)
Knockmountagh Cuchullain (HE9637)
Fisher is one of the highest-index Hereford sires available in Ireland across all traits, with a Replacement Index of €131, a Terminal Index of €115, and a Dairy Beef Index (DBI) of €147.
The bull has a calving difficulty figure of 2% on beef cows and 3.7% on dairy cows and is in the top 1% of the breed on gestation length at -1.51 days.
Fisher is an heterozygous polled sire with +11.2kg carcass weight and is in the top 5% of the breed on conformation.
Cuchullain has a DBI of €104 and is +11kg for carcass weight. He is -15 for days at finish and has a beef sub-index of €100.
Irish Hereford Prime and the ABP Demo Farm aim to provide updates throughout the year on how the progeny from these two sires are performing.
In 2024, progeny from Karoonda Sampson (HE4654) and Battalion Fronteir (HE4658) were slaughtered on the ABP Demo Farm. Their performance is outlined in the table below:
Sire Progeny Grade Cold weight Age
(Months) Progeny Grade Cold weight Age
(months) HE4654 Steers O=/+ 319kg 21.2 Heifers O+ 277 18.7 HE4658 Steers O=/+ 324kg 21.1 Heifers O=/+ 250 18.7
Commenting on the data, ABP Demo Farm manager Sean Maher said that the progeny from both of the sires 'performed very well, taking into account two difficult years from a weather perspective'.
ABP Food Group's agri-sustainability manager Stephen Cnnolly said: 'At ABP, we are delighted to support Irish Hereford Prime with this programme.
'We think that it is an excellent initiative and aligns to our goal of supporting genetic improvement of beef cattle in Ireland with benefits to our farmer, the environment, and our customer.'
Data is critical to making strides in breed improvement and the ABP Demo Farm is a critical part of that with over 85,000 live weights recorded on the farm since 2015 combined with the addition of three Greenfeeds on the farm through collaboration with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and the Meat Technology Ireland (MTI).
This programme allows for the collection of methane data which is a major benefit for the industry.
Niall O'Mahony, chair of Irish Hereford Prime said: 'We look forward to seeing the results of the 2024-born Hereford cross cattle that will be slaughtered at ABP later this year'.
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