8. Import

a) Each imported animal must be registered with the Society as soon as possible by submitting the official Herd Book Pedigree certificate of the country of origin together with the normal registration fee. Donor bulls of imported semen must be registered with the Irish Society in the normal manner and be Genotyped.

b) Imported embryos should be registered with the Society, applying the same criteria and fees as home produced embryos. Copies of official documentation must be applied as appropriate, including copies of the official Herd Book. Both donor animals must be genomic /blood typed and the resulting calf’s parentage verified.

c) Export of animals, embryos, semen etc., should comply with the national legislation in place at the time.

9. Selection and Breeding Objectives In selection of breeding animals, members are encouraged to maintain the breed’s characteristics, and keep a good balance in size and conformation (ie. medium, no extremes). They should also focus on the following qualities of the breed:

• Easy Calving

• Short Gestation

• Plentiful Milk Supply to Rear Calf

• Docile

• Long Lived

• Good Forage Efficiency

The Breeding objective is to have a national Aubrac herd:

• producing cows with adequate milk, medium size, economically kept, long-lived, regular breeders and with a docile temperament.

• producing bulls of adequate size, with good feed conversion and temperament, high kill out but all without forgetting the maternal orientations of the breed.

The overall objective is to provide top quality breeding stock to both suckler and dairy farmers on the island of Ireland.

10. Performance Testing

The society provide performance testing for breeders, which is outsourced to ICBF. Data collected are compiled to form the “€uro-Star” Index. The €uro-Star Index is a breeding index designed to aid beef farmers in the selection of more profitable breeding animals.

€uro-Star Indexes quantify the genetic component of an animal’s performance across all traits of importance for Irish suckler farmers. Whole Herd Perfomance Recording (WHPR) is available to breeders, to Linear Score their animals.

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