Livestock Breeding
A.I. Licences
Persons wishing to practice artificial insemination in their bovine herd must be appropriately trained and licensed and ensure that only semen from approved sources is used in the process. No person other than the herdowner, or his/her nominee, who has satisfactorily completed an approved programme of training in the practice of artificial insemination, can be approved by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to carry out the inseminations within that herd.
Field Service Licences
Field Service Licence holders provide a year round quality bovine artificial insemination service (A.I.) to farmers through a network of trained A.I. technicians. Each Field Service Licence must:
• Ensure that good veterinary practices and procedures are adhered to;
• Utilise semen only from approved sources;
• Maintain satisfactory records; and
• Facilitate the recording, testing, genetic evaluation and publication of results of bulls used for test purposes.
A.I. Technicians Licences
The provision of a quality bovine A.I. service is ensured through the licensing of A.I. technicians employed by, or contracted to, Field Service Licence holders.
Licences to distribute Bovine Semen
Organisations or individuals must be appropriately licensed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to engage in the distribution of bovine semen thereby protecting animal health and welfare and traceability of the product.
Approval of Bovine Semen Centres
Premises where bovine semen is stored must meet specified EU standards and must be placed under the permanent supervision of a centre veterinarian approved by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Please note persons intending to apply for an approval for a bovine semen storage centre are advised to contact the Department at the outset so as to obtain full information on the approval process.
Approval of Bovine Semen Collection Centres
Premises where semen is collected must meet specified EU standards and must be placed under the permanent supervision of a centre veterinarian approved by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Approval of Bovine Ova/Embryo Collection or Production Teams
Only teams approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for the purpose of producing and or collecting bovine ovas/embryos can operate such a service.
On-Farm Collection of Bovine Semen
Herdowners can preserve the bloodline of their bovine herd by having semen collected from their own herd for use within their own herd. Application for approval for On Farm Collection must be obtained from Livestock Breeding, Production and Trade Section in Cavan. Applicants or their employees for on-farm collection must have a D.I.Y. A.I. licence to store semen
Where an applicant does not have a D.I.Y. A.I. licence the semen collected on–farm must be stored in an approved centre and released only for use in his/her herd to a licensed A.I. company inseminator.
Kerry Cattle Premium Scheme
The Scheme encourages the maintenance of a number of separate herds of Kerry Cattle in Ireland and the creation and maintenance of a sufficient reserve of pure bred breeding stock.
An applicant is eligible to participate in the scheme if:
• He or she is a member of the Kerry Cattle Society Ltd;
• His or her herd is located within the territory of the State and contains at least five breeding females registered in the Herd book of the Kerry Cattle Society Ltd;
• All Kerry cows in the herd are served by bulls of the Kerry breed, either by natural service or artificial insemination;
• All progeny of Kerry cows in the herd are submitted for birth notification or registration in the Kerry Cattle Herd Book and are registered with ICBF and the Department through the Animal Events system; and
• each animal, on which premium is being applied for, was born in the applicant’s herd and is alive on the date of application.
A premium of €86.18 per eligible calf is payable.
Pure-Bred Bovine Herd Book
A herd-book is any book, register, file or data medium, which is maintained by a recognised organisation and in which animals are registered with reference to all their known ascendants.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the Competent Authority for granting approvals under this legislation subject to the applicant having complied with the criteria for approval.
National Beef and Dairy Herd Improvement Programme
The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) is approved by this Department to carry out testing, genetic evaluation and publication of evaluation results for dairy and beef cattle in Ireland. Working with its shareholders and all stakeholders in the sector, a range of breed improvement programmes are in operation designed to improve the sustainability and profitability of the dairy and beef herds.
Sheep Breeding
Sheep Ireland is responsible for sheep breeding. It commenced operation in 2008, with the funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. It has an industry based decision making structure and a database to meet the information needs of the sheep breeding sector, and the wider industry. It has developed structures for sheep breeding in Ireland along similar lines to that achieved by ICBF for cattle breeding. Contact www.sheep.ie for further information.
Licence to Practise Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer in Sheep
The practice of Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer in sheep is prohibited except under licence issued by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the Disease of Animals Act, 1966 (Foot and Mouth Disease) (Control on Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer in Sheep) Order, 2001, (S.I. No. 381 of 2001).
Licences to practice artificial insemination and embryo transfer in sheep may be granted only to registered veterinary surgeons.
Approved Ovine Semen Collection Centres
Ovine semen collection centres are regulated under the European Communities (Trade in Animals and Animal Semen, Ova and Embryos) Regulations, 1996 (S.I. No. 12 of 1996). Trade in ovine semen must be carried out in accordance with these Regulations.
Please note persons intending to apply for an approval for an ovine semen collection centre are advised to contact the Department at the outset so as to obtain full information on the approval process.
Approved Ovine Semen Storage Centres
Premises where ovine semen is stored must meet specified EU standards. The centre must be placed under the permanent supervision of a centre veterinarian approved by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Pure-Bred Ovine and Caprine Flock-Book
A Flock Book is any book, register, file or data medium, which is maintained by a recognised organisation and in which ovines and caprines are registered with reference to all their known ascendants. The operation of a flock-book is regulated under the European Communities (Pure-Bred Sheep and Goat Flock-Book) Regulations, 1994 (S.I. No. 16 of 1994).
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the Competent Authority for granting approvals under this legislation subject to the applicant having complied with the criteria for approval.
Pig Breeding
Approved Porcine Semen Collection Centres
Porcine semen collection centres are regulated under the European Communities (Trade in Porcine Semen-Animal Health) Regulations, 1993 (S.I. No. 242 of 1993). Trade in porcine semen can only be carried out in accordance with these Regulations.
Please note persons intending to apply for an approval for a semen collection centre are advised to contact the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine at the outset so as to obtain full information on the approval process.
Pure-Bred Porcine Herd-Book and Hybrid Porcine Register Department approval for an organisation to maintain a herd-book or register is granted under the European Communities (Breeding Pig Herd-Book and Register) Regulations, 1994