Sustainable Ruminant Genetics (SRG) attended the CAFRE and Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) Beef Conference at Greenmount Campus on Wednesday 10 June.
The conference brought together farmers, industry representatives, advisors and researchers to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the beef sector. The morning programme featured a range of speakers, including Colin Smith from the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC), who provided an update on current beef market trends and highlighted SRG as part of the industry’s future development. Delegates also heard from Paul Crosson of Teagasc, who outlined the significant impact that genetic improvement can have on farm performance, efficiency and profitability.
A key feature of the afternoon programme was a farm walk around the CAFRE Beef and Sheep Centre, with information stops covering topics including grassland management, clover, fertility and genetics.
At the genetics stop, CAFRE Senior Technologist Darryl Boyd delivered a presentation on the Bovine Genetics Project (BGP), outlining the background to the project, the organisations involved, the objectives of the project and the benefits it aims to deliver to Northern Ireland’s beef and dairy sectors. The presentation also highlighted the subsidised genotyping scheme available through the project and explained how farmers can become involved ahead of the scheme launch on 1 September 2026.
Supporting the genetics presentation, SRG Business Support Specialists Hannah Martin and Lois McConaghy demonstrated the range of information currently available through the SRG User Portal. Attendees were shown examples of herd reports that can already be accessed by registering at www.srgni.com, providing an insight into how data can support herd management, breeding decisions and genetic improvement.
The conference provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the practical benefits that the Bovine Genetics Project and SRG User Portal can deliver to the Northern Ireland cattle sector, while engaging directly with farmers and industry stakeholders.
SRG would like to thank CAFRE and the Ulster Farmers’ Union for organising a successful event and to everyone who attended the genetics stop throughout the day.
