More than 100 stakeholders gathered at Teagasc Moorepark this week for a Dairy Breeding Summit hosted by VistaMilk Research Ireland Centre.
The event brought together global breeding organisations, researchers and Irish industry stakeholders to discuss the future of dairy breeding in Ireland.
The summit focused on how Ireland can continue building a dairy breeding programme that is economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.
Speakers included representatives from international breeding and genetics organisations such as Geno, ST Genetics, Genus ABS and Viking Genetics.
Irish contributions came from Seán Coughlan of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation and Teagasc reproductive technology expert Dr Stephen Butler.
Professor Donagh Berry, Director of VistaMilk, said the event was designed to start a collaborative conversation about the future direction of dairy breeding.
“One of the sector’s greatest strengths has been its willingness to rapidly adopt innovation once new technologies became practical and deliverable at farm level,” he said.
“We are now entering another major period of transformation, driven by advances in reproductive technologies, data analytics, genomics and evolving societal expectations.”
Dr Margaret Kelleher of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation said the summit allowed the Irish industry to engage directly with global leaders in dairy breeding innovation.
“The technologies and breeding strategies discussed at this summit are already shaping dairy industries internationally,” she said.
“Continued collaboration between industry, researchers and international partners will be essential to maintain that momentum into the future.”
