Ireland: Minister considering taking forward a genotyping cattle proposal

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is considering how proposals around genotyping the national herd could be achieved with regards to the necessary funding, Minister Charlie McConalogue has said. The minister is ambitious to ensure that the Irish beef herd is the first in the world to be fully genotyped. He said there is an “urgency” to deliver, however a serious amount of work has to be undertaken. The potential of genotyping to deliver verifiable emissions reductions and economic benefits for farmers is being assessed and identified by the DAFM, Minister McConalogue said. In response to the issue raised by Deputy Jackie Cahill in a recent Dáil debate, the minister said Ireland is “ahead of the curve” in relation to the current amount of genotyping through various schemes. Stating that the DAFM will continue to engage with stakeholders with a view to taking forward the proposal to genotype the Irish national herd, Minster McConalogue said: “Genotyping the ...