National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC)

As part of my research project I am based in the National Cattle Breeding Centre, Naas Co. Kildare. I will spend eight months here in total conducting research on RFID chips and their effect on semen or if they have any at all. The NCBC operates beef and dairy breeding programmes and is the leading cattle breeding organisation in Ireland. NCBC was set up in 2005 when both Munster and Progressive Genetics decided to create the company in order to operate the breeding programmes, house the best bulls in barns and process their semen. Straws produced in NCBC are used in the field by technicians working for either Munster or Progressive Genetics nationally and operate under Ireland Genetics internationally. NCBC owns five barns, three based in Enfield called Layoff, East Wing and West Wing. Two more barns are based in Mallow, Co.Cork called Mallow Road and Mallow Field.