Industry and government must get behind Agri-Food Strategy Board's genomics initiative to bring more science to livestock breeding, according to Ulster Farmers Union deputy president Ivor Ferguson.
“We welcome the findings of its report which assessed options to deliver continued genetic improvement for beef, sheep and dairy farming,” Mr Ferguson said.
He added that the UFU and a few other NI industry organisations had fully supported this initiative and had provided significant funding so that this report could be used for the betterment of the industry. Mr Ferguson added that the speed with which it had been delivered highlights how the industry's main players can work better together.
"As an industry we have to do what we can to improve producer profitability and it is now time to look at how we can best use these technological advancements to give farmers more tools to help with management decisions,” he said.
Mr Ferguson said the pig and poultry industries have changed dramatically over the last 20 years by not only making better genetics more accessible but also by making full use of them. “The challenge now is to see how we can do the same for beef, sheep and dairy,” he said.
The Republic of Ireland, Australia and the USA have already moved ahead with livestock genomics programmes which have been funded by Government and industry.
The UFU says however that the good news for producers here is that there is already a lot of information available through Aphis, abattoirs, markets and milk recording, but it is essential that this information is evaluated and better utilised.
This report also holds an important message for meat processors and retailers, highlighting that advances in genetics are a long term process. “We are all aware of the changes in specification that have taken place over the last couple of years. These have created practical and financial difficulties on local farms. If processors are serious about this initiative they must show leadership. They need to begin giving long term signals that the market is changing. This would ensure farmers have the best chance of producing the animal that is going to return the best market value,” said Mr Ferguson.
