EBV accuracy improvement set to benefit Limousin breeders

EBV (estimated breeding values) data from 5m Limousin cattle has been added to the UK evaluations. This includes 2.6 cattle with full pedigrees and 2.3 animals with performance records now available on the Limousin Basco System.

This will show a 14% increase in the available performance records for beef cattle from this European performance data on Limousin genetic evaluations.

Limousin breeders and traders will benefit on an 18% increase on available EBV data across 5 core genetic traits.

  • Calving ease
  • Birth weight
  • Maternal calving ease
  • 200 day milk weight
  • 200 day growth

The British Limousin Cattle Society believe this new data made available from the addition of abattoir data which accumulated data from over 10,000 sires adding 273,000 records last year, could see the accuracy of some traits increase by 88% with an 18% overall increase.

The abattoir data was gathered by a team of geneticists called Interbeef which is likened to Interbull for beef farmers, Interbull innovated the international trading of dairy semen.

Limousin calving ease and birth weights have been recorded and added to the Basco records from the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ireland and the UK.  

200 day (weaning) weights have been sourced from 11 countries to enhance the available Limousin data.

This will hopefully encourage other beef breed societies to follow suite and finally see a good increase in beef breeders adopting breeding data to improve their herds, as Limousins breeders commonly do.

The availability of an Interbeef trait evaluation should open up the international semen trading capability for beef on an equal standing to dairy semen trading.

This innovation allows for huge improvements in profitability and genetic improvement to UK herds from sourcing the right bull and importing it or equally to export British beef bulls that rank well in International markets.

This offers a huge opportunity to increase profitability from Limousin genetics and will hopefully be the start of the playing field being leveled between genetic data availability of dairy and beef genetics.

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