Breed Improvement Programmes
The Irish Limousin Cattle Society Ltd. (ILCS) is recognised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/1012. The aim of the Society is to preserve and improve the Irish Limousin breed by adhering to a strict breeding programme which maintains the breed characteristics and using all available technology to improve the breed.
The Breeding Sub Committee advises the ILCS Council on the breed improvement initiatives across three main selection indices:
- Replacement
- Terminal
- Dairy Beef
Specific breeding goals and objectives are established for each of the breeding indices focussing on key traits and selection criteria. The Irish Limousin ‘breeding herd’ is owned and managed by the membership of the ILCS. There are approximately 20,000 pedigree Limousin females in the national herd. To accelerate the rates of genetic progress, the ILCS will apply breeding programme specific selection criteria to identify the top females in the national pedigree Limousin herd. Participating breeders can then mate these females with selected sires from the ILCS breeding programme sire panel to produce the next generation.
