Genus and the ABP Food Group have announced a multi-year strategic partnership, which will see the two companies collaborating to improve beef genetics at the producer level.
Genus will use the Irish company’s supply chain data to work with beef bulls to deliver genetically superior animals into ABP. The two companies are aiming to create a more sustainable supply chain by using the genetic developments to improve carcase values, feed to weight gain efficiencies and overall quality. The partnership will see Genus receive a royalty from ABP for the genetic value delivered.
Paul Finnerty, CEO of ABP Food Group, said: "This is an important development for our business and we are delighted to be working with Genus, a global leader in the field of animal genetics. Major strides in genetic improvement have been made in pork, poultry and dairy in recent decades, but beef has lagged behind.
"Now is the time for this to change. Collaborating with Genus we see the potential for producing even better-quality beef from a more sustainable and efficient supply chain, thereby underpinning the competitiveness of our business."
Karim Bitar, CEO of Genus, added: "Our proprietary genomics technology platform gives us the ability to deliver significant benefits in beef genetics, in line with our achievements in dairy and porcine.
"We believe that by entering into strategic partnerships with integrated beef producers, together we will be able to deliver significant value enhancement across the supply chain. ABP has a track record of implementing cutting-edge technology in order to produce high-quality beef with maximum efficiency, and we are delighted to be working with them to drive this significant opportunity."