Kevin McDermott of Sheep Ireland gave a presentation on the factors involved in improving the rate of genetic gain in flocks on day 1, session 1 of the ICBF & Sheep Ireland Genetics Conference which took place on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th December 2018 in the Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone. During his presentation, Kevin broke down the make-up of genetic gain – Intensity, Variation and Accuracy along with Generation Interval, giving an example of a low intensity selection of replacement ewe lambs and a high intensity selection of replacement ewe lambs. Some of Kevin’s take home messages included setting a breeding objective, using multiple sires and very importantly recording high volumes of data for heritable traits especially.

Take a look at Kevin’s presentation by clicking here.