TEAGASC commissioned to cost IFA dairy herd improvement scheme
IRELAND - Speaking in Moorepark after the Stakeholders’ Consultation on Future Milk Quotas organised by Teagasc’s Rural Economy Research Centre, IFA President Padraig Walshe said he had commissioned Teagasc Moorepark to cost out an IFA proposal for a Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme.
8 November 2006
1 minute read
Padraig Walshe said “the objective of the IFA proposed scheme is to improve the performance, health and welfare of dairy cows, herds and ultimately the national herd. A very important additional benefit of this scheme would be to help dairy farmers maximising solids in their milk, particularly protein, as co-ops are changing their payment systems to a solids-only basis.
” The IFA leader said the scheme proposed by IFA would be of commercial value to dairy farmers. It would involve farmers partaking in a detailed breeding and milk-recording programme over a period of 5 years, with particular emphasis on the following areas: · Participation in a recognised milk recording scheme to monitor animal performance and identify animals with high SCC; ·
Participation in a breeding programme using high quality AI or natural bulls; · Areas of particular importance in breeding would include: fertility, ease of calving, calf and cow mortality, calving intervals, cow longevity, and protein performance. · Emphasis on husbandry methods minimising all forms of stress, whether associated with disease, handling or nutrition; ·
Source: ifa.ie
