No clarity after ICBF beef index meeting
The ICBF Industry Stakeholder Meeting that was held last week has been criticised by the Irish Beef and Lamb Association (IBLA) as “effectively a communication exercise”.
It said there appears to be more questions than before following the meeting on Thursday in relation to the validity of the indexes and said was a lack of progress in addressing issues arising from the revised beef indexes introduced in November 2023.
ICBF CEO Sean Coughlan acknowledged the frustration felt by many and the impact on farmers and committed to continued engagement and actions derived from the meeting.
The day before the meeting, the Department of Agriculture announced enhanced flexibility measures for Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) participants in a move to address potential challenges arising from the ICBF changes to evaluations.
This move, IBLA said, is an indication of no confidence in the revised index. “If the index was without issue, no such concessions would be required.”
Limited
It said the meeting fell short of a genuine consultation, with limited focus on individual trait reviews.
“The absence of key details, such as target criteria, economic values, and source data for each trait, raised questions about transparency in decision-making.”
“ICBF acknowledges the frustration that many are feeling and the impact that the recent changes have had on farmers,” said Coughlan.
“We are committed to staying engaged with this process and will be back to the next meeting with actions taken from the meeting.”
The agenda included presentations from Aidan Murray (Teagasc Beef Specialist) and Dr Paul Crossan (Teagasc Beef Enterprise Leader).
It’s understood the breed societies are looking for three points to be addressed in relation to cow weight, imported genetics and why carbon is in the main part of the index.
Several actions were highlighted during the meeting, prompting ICBF and Teagasc to confirm the scheduling of the next Industry Stakeholder Meeting on February 22.
According to ICBF, this meeting will address key concerns raised and outline further steps to address the challenges posed by the revised indexes.