The Sustainable Ruminant Genetics (SRG) team recently attended BEEF2026, Teagasc’s flagship national beef open day, held at the Teagasc Grange Research Centre in Co. Meath. The event brought together farmers, researchers, industry organisations and agri-businesses to showcase the latest research, technologies and practical solutions for improving the sustainability and profitability of Irish beef production.
Commercial Beef Value (CBV)
Genetics was a key theme throughout the day, with Commercial Beef Value (CBV) featuring prominently across technical demonstrations, exhibitions and panel discussions. One of the highlights for the SRG team was attending a panel discussion chaired by Agriland’s Technical Beef Specialist Breifne O’Brien, where representatives from across the industry explored the growing role of genetics in driving improvements in beef production.
During the discussion, Margaret Kelleher, Genetics Operations Manager at ICBF spoke about the increasing adoption of Commercial Beef Value across the industry. She explained that while the CBV is often compared to the Economic Breeding Index (EBI) in the dairy sector, it is not a breeding index. Instead, it is a practical tool that helps identify the most profitable animals within a herd by bringing together economically important traits in an easy-to-understand format. With carcass weight contributing significantly to the index, the CBV provides beef farmers and finishers with valuable information to support more informed management and purchasing decisions.
Margaret also highlighted the rapid progress the CBV has made since its introduction in late 2021, noting that genetics tools take time to become established but that it was encouraging to see the CBV featuring prominently throughout the event and increasingly being incorporated into industry schemes and bonus payments.
ICBF
The SRG team also had the opportunity to catch up with colleagues from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), SRG’s service provider for the Bovine Genetics Project (BGP). Their presence throughout the event demonstrated how genetic evaluations and performance data are helping farmers make better-informed decisions that can improve herd efficiency, profitability and sustainability.
Events such as BEEF2026 reinforce the growing importance of genetics in the future of beef production. As the Bovine Genetics Project continues to roll out across Northern Ireland, SRG is committed to supporting farmers in making the most of the genetic tools and information available to improve the long-term performance of their herds.
The SRG team would like to thank Teagasc for delivering another excellent event and looks forward to continuing to engage with farmers and industry partners as the Bovine Genetics Project progresses.
