Retaining his second place is Inch Persistent (PLI £352), the highest type transmitter of the breed, with a Type Merit (TM) of 2.32. He combines this with a good index for HealthyCow, at 255.

Irish-bred Raheenarran BCG Sochar moves up one place into third position, with a PLI of £314. He now has close to 900 daughters milking in the UK and has the best genetics for Somatic Cell Count in the breed’s top 10, at -13.

Climbing to fourth is the highest milk volume transmitter, Manorpark Google (PLI £304). He stands just ahead of Catlane Cromwell, which has a PLI of £303 and a favourable Calf Survival rating of 6.2.

Jerseys

Stability at the top of the Jersey rankings sees the high milk volume River Valley Cece Chrome hold on to the top spot with a PLI of £478. His 493 UK daughters confirm his production (PTAs are 765kg milk and 57.5kg combined fat plus protein), while he also has the highest TM of the top five bulls at 2.1.

In second place is VJ Ravninggaard Huus Hamlet (PLI £447). High daughter fertility (FI 11.7) and the transmission of good overall health earns him a HealthyCow index of 213.

Danish VJ Raastrup Hihl Gislev (PLI £417) remains in the top three, while newcomer VJ Goenbjerg Lobo Lobster makes his first appearance with a PLI of £393. Lobster is a high component bull (0.39% fat, 0.23% protein) with favourable udder health (-23 SCC).

Holding on to fifth position is JX Spring Creek Marlo Stoney (PLI £371), whose green credentials – including long daughter lifespans – earn him the highest EnviroCow of 2.8.

Ayrshire

The Ayshire rankings show no change in the top three places with VR Alatalon Flame Feton retaining the number one position. He features a strong daughter Fertility Index (17) and a PLI of £480.

Feton is followed in second and third by VR Gobel (PLI £422) and VR Vilano (PLI £416). Both bulls offer favourable environmental credentials with EnviroCow indexes of 2.7 and 2.6 respectively.

New in fourth place is genomics graduate VR Viljar Vilperi (PLI £374). He confirms his genomic predictions as a good milk components sire (PTA fat at +0.18% and protein at +0.15%) which he combines with good daughter fertility (FI 14).

As he did in the previous, April, proof run, VR Fabu rounds off the top five. He transmits long daughter lifespans (+156 days) and has a PLI of £332.

Marco Winters, head of animal genetics at AHDB, offers the usual reminder when it comes to selecting bulls from the non-Holstein breeds. He says: “Please remember the indexes of one breed cannot be compared with another in the £PLI rankings, as each animal’s index is expressed against its own breed average, or base.”

However, breeds can be compared using either of the across-breed indexes (Autumn and Spring Calving Index) which are published in a separate ranking and particularly useful in crossbreeding herds.

Picture AHDB : Catlane British Friesians