THERE’S stability in the latest non-Holstein bull proofs published by AHDB Dairy, as two Catlane bulls fill the tops spots in the British Friesian index. 

Catlane Chad has retained his number one position and offers a profitable lifetime index (PLI) of £496, thanks to his transmission of low cell counts (SCC index -16). He also transmits good daughter resistance to mastitis with a mastits predicted transmitting ability (mastitis PTA) of -5, one of the best scores in the breed, as well as good solid conformation with a type merit (TM) of 1.40. 

Sitting in second with a PLI of £400 is Catlane Caleb, which transmits good percentages of fat and protein (+0.31% F and +0.14% P). 

Two Kirkby bulls fill third and fourth place as Kirkby Jupiter (PLI £387) offers the highest type transmission (TM 2.45) while Kirkby Major has a PLI of £326. 

Sitting in fifth is Skyhigh Patrol which has a PLI of £290 and transmits the highest milk volume in the top five. 

Danish-bred bulls from the VJ stud lead the Jersey section and taking the number one position is VJ Hilario with a PLI of £558. 

With an increase in lifespan PTA to +0.6, VJ Zummit moves up significantly to take second place with a PLI of £539. 

Sunset Canyon Dazzler benefits from the inclusion of genomic information as he makes his debut in third place with a PLI of £516. With a TM of 1.9 and good all round transmitting abilities, he edged ahead of former number one, VJ Link, who now takes fourth with a PLI of £474. 
VJ Zlager completes the top five (PLI £471). 

Ayrshires are led by the Swedish Red bull, VR Global (PLI £578), which continues to dominate the rankings with a good lifespan index of 0.6 and a mastitis PTA of -3.

Bulls from the VikingRed stud fill the next few spots as VR Hattrick (Hasley x Gunnarstorp), a new entry and high production sire, sits second with (PLI £529).

VR Hammer remains in third position with a PLI of £482, while Gunnarstorp – which now has 690 UK daughters contributing to his index – sits in fourth with a PLI of £464 and Pell Pers (PLI £454) rounds off the top five.

“The introduction of genomic information for the Ayrshire, Guernsey and Jersey breeds will help improve the accuracy of certain traits, even for some proven bulls,” said Marco Winters, AHDB Dairy head of animal genetics. “While there may be relatively few on these lists at present, this number will grow. And for bulls included, the improvements in reliability will be seen in particular for traits which are observed later in life. However, it is important to note that although the same process is used for all breeds concerned, the reliability of genomic information differs between the breeds due to the different population sizes used to calibrate the genomic information.”