Limerick breeder and his prize cow Desmond Radio Rozelle are top of the charts

DAIRY breeder Martin O’Sullivan, Newcastle West, raised the bar in the 2024 Diageo Baileys Champion Cow competition by claiming the best Economic Breeding Index (EBI) award.

It is presented in recognition of the highest EBI exhibited in the competition. Mr O’Sullivan’s cow Desmond Radio Rozelle had the judges at Virginia Show singing her praises.

The EBI is Ireland’s national cattle breeding index for dairy animals ranking on-farm performance across milk solids production, fertility, health, and longevity credentials.

EBI is recognized as a key metric to help towards meeting National greenhouse gas emissions obligations.

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Minister Heather Humphreys said: “The Baileys Champion Cow competition has been running for over 40 years and it is definitely the one to win for dairy breeders.

The Diageo Baileys Cow highlights and rewards dairy breeding excellence.

Strength, body conformation and proven excellence in quality milk production are base-line criteria upon which a winner is selected.

Acknowledging the commitment of the farmers who took part, Robert Murphy, head of Baileys operations at Diageo, said the event was a spectacular showcase of dairy excellence and the dedication of farming families.  

Tirlán chairperson, John Murphy said competitions like this “showcase the steadfast dedication of the farming community to high quality breeding, sustainability and unrivalled animal welfare standards”.