ICBF

What ICBF does

ICBF (Irish Cattle Breeding Federation) is a member-owned non-profit federation headquartered in Ballincollig, Co. Cork, Ireland, that operates the country's centralised cattle breeding database and genetic evaluation infrastructure. The federation combines farmers, AI companies, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), and pedigree breed societies as members and shareholders, serving the entire Irish dairy and beef industry through a unified platform that records animal events, milk yields, weights, and genomic data. ICBF's product portfolio includes the Economic Breeding Index (EBI), Beef EuroStar, Dairy Beef Index (DBI), Commercial Beef Value (CBV), Methane Evaluations, and the National Genotyping Programme, all powered by what the company describes as the largest beef genomics database in the world (7.3M+ genotypes, 1B+ SNPs, 2B+ phenotypic data points).

The core technology stack is a centralised database combining genomic and phenotypic records to produce national genetic evaluations refreshed periodically (May 2026 release referenced), with INTERBULL/INTERBEEF integration for international comparability. Operational services span milk recording (8,684 herds, 1,056,515 cows in 2026), Whole Herd Performance Recording (WHPR), the Tully Progeny Test Centre, the Gene Ireland breeding programmes, and the HerdPlus subscription service accessed via web portal and mobile app. ICBF is also the mandated administrator for major DAFM-backed schemes including the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme (€20/calf, 2024-2027), and the 2026 National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme, and co-owns the AgNav sustainability platform with Teagasc and Bord Bia (~17,000 farmers enrolled).

ICBF generates revenue through a mix of farmer HerdPlus subscriptions (Beef €60/yr, Dairy €100-€160 + €0.50/cow calved), per-sample genotyping fees (€4/calf for NGP newborns in a three-way cost share with DAFM and DII/MII), milk recording service fees, WHPR performance recording fees, and cost-recovery administration of government schemes. Distribution combines a self-service web platform (icbf.com, webapp.icbf.com), a mobile app, four tag supplier partners, four integrated farm management software platforms (Agrinet Herdapp, Herdwatch, Kingswood Computing, Farm Ops), and direct DAFM Agfood.ie scheme integration. The customer base is entirely Irish, with deep penetration across dairy and beef farmers, pedigree breeders, and an emerging sustainability-focused farmer segment through AgNav.

Name

ICBF

Legal name

Irish Cattle Breeding Federation

Website

https://icbf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ICBF (Irish Cattle Breeding Federation) is a member-owned non-profit federation operating Ireland's centralised cattle breeding database, providing genetic evaluations, milk recording, genotyping, and government scheme administration to Irish dairy and beef farmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Livestock Genetic Evaluation Services

NAICS

Dual-Purpose Cattle Ranching and Farming (112130)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Genomic Testing & Genetic Evaluation Services (AFAEAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Genetic Trait Selection (e.g., polled, disease resistance) Services (AFAEAJAJ), Breeding Program Design & Genetic Consulting (Mating Plans, EPD/Index Selection) (AFACAEAD)

Keywords

• Cattle breeding database
• Genetic evaluation services
• Dairy herd recording
• Beef cattle genetics
• Livestock breeding indexes

Headquarters

HQ city

Bandon

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. HerdPlus Membership Subscriptions: Annual recurring membership fees for farmer access to ICBF's online herd management services and genetic evaluations. Beef HerdPlus at €60/year (incl. VAT), Dairy HerdPlus from €100 + €0.50/cow calved (online) or €160 + €0.50/cow calved (postal), Dual HerdPlus from €100/€160 + €0.50/cow calved. Membership is mandatory for participation in the National Genotyping Programme and SCEP, creating a recurring revenue base tied to scheme participation.
2. Genotyping Fees: Per-sample genotyping fees collected from farmers, with standard rate of €18/sample divided equally across three Programme Partners (DAFM, DII & MII, and participating farmers at €6 each). For NGP calves (2024-2027), farmer pays €4 for genotyping of newborn calves plus additional tag and postage costs (~€2-3), with ICBF collecting the €4 via direct debit approximately one month after tag ordering.
3. Milk Recording Service Fees: Service fees from milk recording organisations and individual dairy farmers participating in the national milk recording scheme, with 8,684 herds participating and 1,056,515 cows recorded in 2026.
4. WHPR (Whole Herd Performance Recording) Services: Genetic recording fees for weanlings and grow, with a network of WHPR Breeder Herds, ICBF Scorers, and breeder profiles supporting premium bull-finding and performance testing services.
5. Government & Industry Scheme Administration: ICBF administers government-backed farmer schemes including the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme (€20 per eligible calf, max 50 calves, 2024-2027), and the 2026 National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme (€20 per eligible calf, min 5, max 50). These provide cost-recovery revenue streams tied to scheme participation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ICBF operates Ireland's centralised cattle breeding database, combining genomic data (7.3M+ genotypes) with phenotypic records to deliver national genetic evaluations (EBI, EuroStar, DBI, CBV) for the Irish dairy and beef industries. It provides paid HerdPlus membership services for herd recording, administers the National Genotyping Programme and government livestock schemes (SCEP, CSP Dairy Beef Welfare, 2026 National Dairy Beef Weighing), and runs the Tully Progeny Test Centre and Gene Ireland breeding programmes.

Product overview

ICBF offers a unified central cattle breeding database platform that powers a portfolio of integrated products and modules for the Irish livestock industry. The core ICBF Database (over 7.3M genotypes, 2 billion phenotypic records) anchors the platform and supports member services including HerdPlus and the ICBF HerdPlus App, genetic evaluation products (EBI, EuroStar, DBI, CBV, Methane, Meat Eating Quality, TB & Liver Fluke), and the Animal Search/Bull Search/Stockbull Finder/Active Bull Lists lookup tools. Around this core, ICBF delivers operational services such as Milk Recording, the Tully Progeny Test Centre, WHPR (Weight and Health Performance Recording), Gene Ireland (Dairy, Dairy Beef, Beef), and the National Genotyping Programme. Government-affiliated schemes managed or supported include the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme, and the 2026 National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme, while the ICBF Mart Trader delivers live mart data and Commercial Beef Value displays. The platform also integrates with farm management software (Agrinet Herdapp, Herdwatch, Kingswood Computing, Farm Ops), tag suppliers, and the AgNav sustainability platform (a partnership with Teagasc and Bord Bia).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HerdPlus: ICBF's branded herd recording and information service for farmers, with its own dedicated social media handles (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram) and a mobile app.
• ICBF Mart Tracker
• Tully Progeny Test Centre
• Gene Ireland

Products and services

• ICBF Central Cattle Breeding Database Core centralised cattle breeding database storing 7.3M+ genotypes, 1B+ SNPs, and 2B+ phenotypic records — the largest Beef Genomics database in the world — supporting genetic evaluations, milk recording, and animal search for the Irish cattle industry.
• HerdPlus Membership Service Annual membership service providing Irish farmers with access to herd reports, breeding advice, genetic evaluations, and tools to improve herd genetics. Tiered as Beef (€60/yr), Dairy (€100–€160 + €0.50/cow calved), and Dual HerdPlus; mandatory for NGP and SCEP participation.
• National Genotyping Programme (NGP) Collaborative genotyping initiative enabling Ireland to achieve a fully genotyped national herd. Farmers genotype newborn calves via Double Tissue Tags at ~€6/calf, gaining parent verification, genomic EuroStar figures, and CBV data in marts. Partners include DAFM, Dairy Industry Ireland, and Meat Industry Ireland.
• Gene Ireland Breeding Programme Breeding programme with three variants (Dairy Gene Ireland, Dairy Beef Gene Ireland, Beef Gene Ireland) providing high-EBI young bulls for use on Irish dairy and beef herds to accelerate genetic gain.
• Genetic Evaluations (EBI, EuroStar, DBI, CBV) Suite of national genetic evaluation indexes including Economic Breeding Index (EBI) for dairy, Beef EuroStar, Dairy Beef Index (DBI), Commercial Beef Value (CBV), TB & Liver Fluke, Meat Eating Quality, Methane Evaluations, and International INTERBULL/INTERBEEF evaluations. The EBI comprises 8 sub-indexes including Milk Production, Fertility, Calving Performance, Beef Carcass, Carbon, Health, Maintenance, and Management.
• Milk Recording Service National milk recording service provided through partner organisations for recording milk yield, fat, protein, and somatic cell counts of dairy cows. In 2026, 1,056,515 cows were recorded across 8,684 herds.
• Tully Progeny Test Centre ICBF's performance testing facility for commercial progeny testing of bulls, supporting Gene Ireland breeding programmes across dairy, dairy-beef, and beef. Includes commercial progeny test results, current intake, and Tully Gallery of tested animals.
• WHPR (Weight and Health Performance Recording) Genetic recording service for weanlings and growing cattle, capturing weights, health traits, and physical scores (calf quality, docility, milk ability, mothering ability, feet and legs, teat/udder score) to inform genetic evaluations. Utilises ICBF Scorers and breed herd profiling.
• ICBF Mart Tracker Live mart data web application providing Commercial Beef Value (CBV) information for cattle traded through Irish livestock marts, helping farmers with everyday market intelligence and buying decisions.
• Animal Search / Bull Search / Stockbull Finder Searchable database tools allowing farmers to look up individual animals and bulls by AI code, herd-book number, or name; retrieve proofs, pedigree information, genetic evaluations, and sire eligibility for the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme; and find stock bulls based on genetic criteria.
• Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) Administration Government agricultural scheme administered by ICBF supporting beef farmers to improve environmental sustainability of the national beef herd through eligible bull/AI use, female replacement strategy, genotyping, weight recording, and calving detail submissions.
• CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme 4-year government scheme (2024–2027) administered by ICBF providing €20 per eligible calf (max 50 calves/year) to dairy farmers using 3, 4, or 5 star beef sires to improve animal health and welfare of the national herd.
• 2026 National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme 2026 government scheme administered by ICBF requiring weighing of dairy-beef calves and submission of weights to ICBF, paying €20 per eligible calf (minimum 5, maximum 50) to support better on-farm decision making.
• Herd Book Services Service supporting pedigree registration of breeding animals, integrated with Pedigree Breed Societies to provide verified parentage and breeding animal records.
• Health and Disease Genetic Evaluations Genetic evaluation service for health and disease traits including TB (bovine tuberculosis) and Liver Fluke susceptibility in cattle, identifying outlier animals predisposed to disease.
• Methane Evaluations Genetic evaluations for methane emissions in cattle, supporting environmental sustainability by providing breeding values for reduced methane output and aligned with the AgNav sustainability platform.
• Meat Eating Quality Evaluations Genetic evaluations for meat eating quality traits in cattle, supporting breeding decisions to improve carcass and eating quality outcomes.
• AgNav Sustainability Platform Ireland's agricultural sustainability digital platform co-launched in 2023 by Teagasc, Bord Bia, and ICBF for carbon, biodiversity, economic, and social sustainability assessment. Initially covers dairy and beef, with planned 2026 expansion to sheep, pigs, poultry, horticulture, and forestry.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,056,515 cows recorded across 8,684 herds in milk recording in 2026
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• TeagascflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-launch partner (with Bord Bia and ICBF) of AgNav, Ireland's agricultural sustainability digital platform, launched in 2023. AgNav has enrolled ~17,000 farmers and generated 11,000+ sustainability action plans. Teagasc is leading the planned 2026 expansion to add sheep farming support and grant private agricultural advisors access to the platform currently restricted to Teagasc advisory services.
• Bord BiaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-launch partner (with Teagasc and ICBF) of AgNav, Ireland's agricultural sustainability digital platform, launched in 2023. AgNav has enrolled ~17,000 farmers with 11,000+ sustainability action plans generated. Bord Bia brings its role as Ireland's food board to the sustainability assessment platform.
• Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine (DAFM)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Programme Partner of the National Genotyping Programme, providing one-third of the €18 per sample genotyping cost (€6 contribution). DAFM also funds and oversees the SCEP, CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme, and National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme that ICBF administers. Scheme applications are submitted through DAFM's Agfood.ie platform.
• Dairy Industry Ireland (DII)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgramme Partner of the National Genotyping Programme alongside Meat Industry Ireland (MII) — together DII and MII contribute one-third of the €18 per sample genotyping cost (€6 contribution). Industry-wide industry body representing Irish dairy processors.
• Meat Industry Ireland (MII)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgramme Partner of the National Genotyping Programme alongside Dairy Industry Ireland (DII) — together DII and MII contribute one-third of the €18 per sample genotyping cost (€6 contribution). Industry body representing Irish meat processors.
• AgritagsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTag supplier for the National Genotyping Programme. Farmers in the NGP can only order the specific Double Tissue Tags from their chosen tag supplier, which includes Agritags.
• Cormac TaggingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTag supplier for the National Genotyping Programme. Farmers in the NGP can only order the specific Double Tissue Tags from their chosen tag supplier, which includes Cormac Tagging.
• DatamarsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTag supplier for the National Genotyping Programme. Farmers in the NGP can only order the specific Double Tissue Tags from their chosen tag supplier, which includes Datamars.
• Mullinahone Co-opminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTag supplier for the National Genotyping Programme. Farmers in the NGP can only order the specific Double Tissue Tags from their chosen tag supplier, which includes Mullinahone Co-op.
• Teagasc (Beef Conference)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the Teagasc National Beef Conference, scheduled for 18 November 2025 at the Raheen Woods Hotel in Athenry, Co. Galway, focusing on value, profit, and renewal in beef farming with farmer health and wellbeing content aligned with International Men's Day.
• VistaMilkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration referenced under ICBF's Publications/Stats section, relating to dairy and cattle research initiatives.
• HoliCowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration referenced under ICBF's Publications/Stats section, relating to dairy cow health and welfare research.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CRV: Dutch/Flemish cooperative providing cattle breeding, AI, and herd management services across dairy and beef. Operates a national genetic evaluation database analogous to ICBF's, with comparable member-cooperative structure, breeding indexes, and farmer-facing HerdPlus-style subscription services.
• VikingGenetics: Cooperative owned by Danish, Swedish, and Finnish farmers delivering cattle genetics, AI services, and Nordic Total Merit (NTM) indexes. Directly comparable to ICBF in mission (national dairy/beef genetic evaluation), cooperative ownership, and farmer subscription model.
• Lactanet (Canadian Dairy Network): Canadian dairy cattle genetics and herd management organisation running national genetic evaluations (LPI, Pro$) and milk recording. Closely comparable to ICBF as a national-scale dairy/beef genetic evaluation body with farmer subscription services and industry-federation governance.
• Select Sires: US farmer-owned cooperative providing cattle AI, fertility services, and genetic evaluations. Comparable to ICBF in cooperative/federation structure and cattle genetics mission, though more commercially oriented toward AI services than ICBF's national database model.
• ABS Global: Global cattle genetics company (part of Genus plc) offering AI, genomic testing, and breeding services to dairy and beef producers. Comparable to ICBF in delivering cattle genetic evaluations and breeding tools to farmers, though as a commercial entity rather than a federation.
• National Milk Records (NMR): UK milk recording and herd information service providing milk yield, quality, and somatic cell count recording for dairy farmers. Directly comparable to ICBF's milk recording service line, with a similar farmer-subscription model and disease testing services.
• Holstein UK / Cattle Services (UK): UK breed society and herd registration body providing pedigree recording, genetic evaluations (PLI), and classification for the British dairy herd. Comparable to ICBF in herd book services, pedigree registration, and breed society coordination for dairy cattle.

Broad incumbents

• AHDB (Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board): UK statutory levy board for agriculture and horticulture, providing market intelligence, knowledge exchange, and industry data across multiple livestock and crop sectors. Comparable to ICBF in its national-level agricultural data and industry-services mandate, though broader in scope and UK-focused.
• Teagasc: Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority — semi-state research and advisory body. Functions as ICBF's flagship AgNav partner and a parallel institution in Irish cattle research (e.g., National Beef Conference co-host), making it a peer in cattle research/data services rather than a direct competitor.
• Bord Bia: Irish state food board promoting Irish food and drink, and ICBF's co-launch partner on the AgNav sustainability platform. Comparable in being an Irish semi-state industry body but broader in scope across food marketing, quality assurance, and sustainability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HerdPlus
• Facebookfacebook.com/HerdPlus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irish-cattle-breeding-federation
• Instagraminstagram.com/icbfherdplus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICBF