AHDB: Shout about the sire

Shout about the sire, if you know – show it

AHDB breeding projects manager - cattle, Alex Brown

Currently only 30% of sires are registered on the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS). While breeders and producers aren’t obligated to record the sire on the database, by not recording known sires, they are potentially missing out information which can add value at all stages of the supply chain such as Morrisons Shorthorn Beef Scheme. Recording sire details also potentially aids

better breeding decisions as well as building consumer trust through greater traceability.

The pedigree beef sector currently leads the way in recording the sire on BCMS, and a steady increase in the percentage of sires recorded has been seen since 2012. However, there are still improvements to be made.

Within the industry there is a vast amount of data which could be harnessed to increase productivity and profits, using genetic evaluations if pedigree information for commercial cattle were available.

One example of how this has worked positively is the development of EBVs for carcase traits based on abattoir data. By combining performance records – known as phenotypic data – with pedigree information sourced from BCMS, AHDB has worked alongside EGENES to produce the National Beef Evaluations launched in November 2018, and the Dairy Carcase Index, launched in April 2018.

Based on data from the August 2021 National Beef Evaluations, the level of BCMS sire recording within the Beef Shorthorn breed is currently 60.5%, which is really fantastic given the average level of recording. By working to increase the level of BCMS sire recording even further, we can increase the accuracy and scope of EBVs available from these sources of commercial data. Using these alongside existing EBVs from Breedplan should provide you with the opportunity to breed and purchase stock that best suits your system and market requirements, driving the whole cattle industry forward.

If you don’t know your sire, don’t worry

Accurate sire recording is not always possible, for example when more than one bull is left to run with the herd, or mixed straws are used for insemination. Don’t be tempted to guess the sire for the purposes of BCMS recording, but if there are sire records on farm please input the data on BCMS when registering calves.

If you need help to keep track of which bulls you are using on which cows, AHDB has developed a suckler breeding plan to help farmers record sires used on groups of animals. This plan can be viewed online and ordered in print at https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/suckler-breeding-planfor-better-returns.

What else could change with improved recording?

The benefits of sire recording do not stop at an individual level. Even if you don’t directly use EBVs when making breeding decisions, you can still make a difference by recording known sires. More data means greater reliability of EBVs across more sires and thus genetic gains made by those routinely using EBVs will improve performance across the industry. Encouraging bull buyers to record known sires will also help improve levels of recording.

Data from the National Beef Evaluations will provide an extra selling point for those selling bulls. Both your pedigree and commercial customers do want this information.

Greater communication between genetics providers, bull breeders and bull buyers is needed in order to create an environment where the display of genetic information is standard.

As part of AHDB’s ‘Shout About the Sire’ campaign, which launched in 2019, you can follow the conversation on social media using the hashtag #ShoutAboutTheSire