At the recent ICBF and Sheep Ireland Genetics conference (ISGC) there was a poster session that showcased the latest ongoing research into animal breeding and genetics from the dairy, beef and sheep industries.

Nicola Fetherstone is a PhD student based in the Teagasc campus in Athenry was judged to be the winner of the best poster.

As part of her studies Nicola is comparing the actual milk yield of ewes against their €uroStars (EBV for Daughters Milk) to validate how well the €uroStars are working.

The Elite Irish ewes (5 Star) had an average milk yield of 1.88kg compared to a yield of 1.74kg from the Low Irish ewes (1 Star). What this means in terms of lamb growth rates is that lambs from the Elite ewes were 0.7kg heavier at 6 weeks of age and were ready for slaughter 10 days earlier than the lambs from the 1 Star ewes.

Congratulations to Nicola, and we look forward to the results of her future work.