The genetic improvement of the Irish cattle population

Abstract

The dominant position of the cattle industry in the national economy does not need to be stressed. The 1.5 million cows and 14,000 bulls in the country and their progeny are both the raw material for much of the output of our farms, and the agency through which much further raw material is processed into marketable products. The output of meat, dairy produce and livestock which derives from this population of animals makes up a half of the total output of agriculture, and two-thirds of all agricultural exports.