In April 2025, I spoke with Mr. Ger O’Brien, a suckler farmer from Co. Kilkenny, about using Beef Shorthorn genetics in his herd. Since then, Ger has purchased a new Beef Shorthorn bull, Ballylehaun Ukraine 10^th who is a double carrier of the Myostatin E226X gene. The following includes the 2025 interview and a recent conversation about Ger’s new breeding plans.

April 2025: Ger O’Brien is a suckler farmer based in Callan, Co. Kilkenny. He began his journey with crossbred calves in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “I started out with Simmental × British Friesian and Limousin × British Friesian calves. I then kept these as suckler cows. Over the years, I purchased two Blonde d’Aquitaine bulls from John O’Halloran, Mullinahone, and also used Limousin sires throughout the herd.”

Ger recalls his experience with Limousin females in the mid-2000s. “I noticed that when breeding Limousin females back to Limousin sires, I was beginning to lose milk in the herd. Although the cattle were easy-fleshing, I needed a breed that would retain those traits while also improving milk production. As a result, I started looking at other breeds.”

Ger also wanted a bull carrying a myostatin gene that would not significantly increase calving difficulty in his Limousin cows. In 2023, he purchased a Beef Shorthorn bull from breeder Padraig Flanagan of Elphin. “I bought Lismacool Bosco, who carries the NT821 Myostatin gene.”

Ger was looking for a bull that would bring milk, softness and shape to his calves, and he found those qualities in Bosco. Crossing the Beef Shorthorn bull with his Limousin cows has delivered excellent results. “The calves are easily born, averaging 40kg at birth, and are up and sucking in no time. Their docility is outstanding, and the hardiness of the calves has been a real game changer.” Pictured below are some heifers sired by Lismacool Bosco.

Looking ahead, Ger plans to breed the Beef Shorthorn-cross females back to Limousin or Salers, as he believes both breeds complement Beef Shorthorn genetics well. He is also considering the use of sexed semen.

Ger has also invested in pedigree Beef Shorthorn females, purchasing heifers from both Johnny Keane of the Bushypark Herd and Peter Luttrell of the Raheenadeeragh Herd. “I bought a heifer from Johnny by Bushypark Jack and put her in calf to Glann Jenson. I also bought a heifer by Doon Jupiter from Peter Luttrell.”

Ger hopes to register pedigree calves from these females in the near future and intends to continue incorporating Beef Shorthorn genetics into his commercial herd.

June 2026: I recently caught up with Ger to see how his breeding programme has progressed since our last conversation.

Most recently, Ger purchased his second Beef Shorthorn bull. This time he has welcomed Ballylehaun Ukraine 10th, bred by James Muldowney, Co. Laois. “I took a chance on buying a young bull. He is only 13 months old now and carries two copies of the E226X Myostatin gene, making him a double carrier,” Ger explained.

Ger plans to use the bull on cows that do not carry a Myostatin gene, or on females carrying only the F94L variant. He describes his new purchase as “a very smart bull, with good muscle and a strong, solid red colour. It could be a game changer with this bull type to compete with continental genetics”.

Ger has been extremely pleased with the performance of Beef Shorthorn genetics within his herd to date. “They are lovely, quiet, docile cattle,” he said.

We wish Ger all the best with his new bull and look forward to following his progress.

Disclaimer:Breeders are advised to be aware of their animal’s myostatin status and make their own informed decisions when mating animals.

For more information on Myostatin, click here: Myostatin Information Document

By Áine O’Donovan Nicholson