ICSA Suckler chair Jimmy Cosgrave has said he has serious concerns regarding the credibility of the star ratings and valuations being applied by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).

"A major issue is ICBF's refusal to accept weights submitted by farmers unless they are recorded by an ICBF-approved agent. Farmers have invested heavily in purchasing or renting weighing scales, and they are undertaking the considerable risk of handling livestock for weighing, only for their data to be ignored in the calculation of overall ratings. The same issue arises with survey sheets-both of these factors contribute 20% of the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) scheme, yet this data is effectively disregarded. If 20% of the scheme is not being utilised, then why are farmers going to the effort?"

 Mr Cosgrave said ICBF's reliance on mart weights is also problematic. "They only accept weights from individually weighed animals and do not accept group weights, including animals going for export. These exported animals are often top-tier calves, and their exclusion from ICBF data skews overall statistics and eligibility criteria. This is creating an artificial shortfall of qualifying animals, which is unacceptable. Either more animals must be made eligible through proper statistical inclusion, or the star rating system must be revised down to three stars," he said.

 "Adding to these concerns is the issue of data accessibility. Farmers are voluntarily providing crucial data to ICBF but are then denied access to this same information unless they pay for a HerdPlus subscription. This lack of transparency is unacceptable. All farmers should be able to access this information freely on mart boards so they can make informed decisions when buying and selling livestock."

 Mr Cosgrave said ICSA is calling on ICBF to take immediate action by uploading all available data and making it accessible to all farmers. "If ICBF refuses to do so, then all star ratings for beef animals-particularly breeding animals-must be removed. The current system lacks credibility, and the future of the industry cannot be dictated by unreliable and selectively applied statistics."