Increase your herd’s genetic value
Choose the bull teams you want, then contact your LIC rep to buy.
Genetic progress you can rely on
When every mating decision matters, consistency matters too.
Premier Sires teams are designed to help you make dependable genetic gain across the traits that drive herd performance — season after season.
That means:
- Stronger all-round herd improvement
- Greater confidence in mating decisions
- Less compromise between key traits
- Teams selected for balance, not just standout averages.
Built on thresholds — not averages
Every Premier Sires bull must meet strict minimum standards across key traits before selection.
Balanced genetic gain
Teams are designed to deliver consistent progress across production, fertility, survival, efficiency and more.
Confidence in every straw
Only LIC’s top-performing bulls earn a place in Premier Sires® teams.
Proven selection process
Backed by LIC’s genomic insight, herd recording data and decades of breeding expertise.
Rather than selecting bulls based on exceptional performance in a single area, Premier Sires teams are built for balanced herd improvement across the traits that matter most to New Zealand dairy farmers and genetic improvement.
Each bull must meet rigorous standards across multiple traits before earning selection.
This positioning reinforces exclusivity and rigour.
Premier Sires teams
Forward Pack
Top performers from our Daughter Proven teams, plus a selection of elite young bulls. Ideal for fast-tracking genetic gains.
A2
A2A2 genomically selected bull team. Ideal if your breeding objective is to go A2A2.
The technician can then inseminate the cow with a more suitable bull.
DataMATE also updates your mating records in MINDA.
If you’re doing the inseminating yourself we’ll use your herd records to prepare a DIY Mating Report identifying potentially risky matings. Your herd records must be up to date in MINDA before we can prepare the report.
Inbreeding and recessive genes – more details about how we reduce the risks of inbreeding.
BW reliability and how it works
BW reliability indicates how confident we are that an animal’s BW reflects its true merit.
Reliability measures how much information has contributed to the animal’s trait evaluation. It is shown as a number on a scale of 0 to 99.
If the reliability is high (in the nineties) the index is not likely to change greatly as further information is included in an animal’s evaluation. It may change greatly, but the chances of it doing so are small.
The lower the reliability, the more likely the index will significantly change as further information is added to the evaluation.
The more information that is included in the evaluation (such as daughters and lactations), the higher the reliability. If a bull has no recorded parents and no recorded offspring, his BW has a reliability of 0.
It’s important to realise that the reliability says nothing about the bull — it refers to the amount of information we have about the bull’s relatives in general, and his daughters in particular. We might say: “This bull has a low reliability,” but we really mean that the bull’s evaluation is based on the performance records of only a small sample of daughters.
Using a team of bulls gives you greater protection from individual bull movements.
Premier Sires® technician service prices
Genetics pricing effective 1 April 2026.
Customers are charged per 100 inseminations or part thereof, depending on the number of inseminations to Premier Sires. As described in the tables, the average cost of inseminations decreases as the number of cows being put to AB increases.
|
Qualifying inseminations* |
Forward Pack (per insemination) |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Qualifying inseminations* 1-100 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $32.15 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $32.15 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $32.15 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 101-200 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $31.55 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $31.55 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $31.55 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 201-300 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $31.05 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $31.05 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $31.05 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 301-400 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $30.35 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $30.35 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $30.35 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 401-500 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $29.70 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $29.70 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $29.70 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 501-600 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $29.05 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $29.05 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $29.05 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 601-700 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $28.45 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $28.45 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $28.45 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 701-800 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $27.75 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $27.75 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $27.75 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 801-900 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $27.10 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $27.10 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $27.10 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 901-1000 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $26.45 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $26.45 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $26.45 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 1001-1100 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $25.80 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $25.80 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $25.80 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 1101-2000 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $25.05 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $25.05 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $25.05 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 2001-5000 |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $24.15 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $24.15 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $24.15 |
|
Qualifying inseminations* 5001+ |
Forward Pack (per insemination) $23.85 |
A2/A2 team** (per insemination) $23.85 |
SGL Dairy (per insemination) $23.85 |
*Qualifying inseminations include: All Premier Sires products; Fresh Sexed Semen; Fresh SGL Dairy, and; Fresh SGL Hereford.
**The Premier Sires A2/A2 team is comprised of genomically-selected bulls only.
Premier Sires DIY prices
Genetics pricing effective 1 April 2026.
|
Number of cows |
Forward Pack (per straw) |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) |
SGL Dairy (per straw) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Number of cows 1-100 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $31.10 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $31.10 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $31.10 |
|
Number of cows 101-200 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $30.55 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $30.55 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $30.55 |
|
Number of cows 201-300 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $30.00 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $30.00 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $30.00 |
|
Number of cows 301-400 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $29.30 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $29.30 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $29.30 |
|
Number of cows 401-500 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $28.70 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $28.70 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $28.70 |
|
Number of cows 501-600 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $28.00 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $28.00 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $28.00 |
|
Number of cows 601-700 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $27.35 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $27.35 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $27.35 |
|
Number of cows 701-800 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $26.70 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $26.70 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $26.70 |
|
Number of cows 801-900 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $26.05 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $26.05 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $26.05 |
|
Number of cows 901-1000 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $25.35 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $25.35 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $25.35 |
|
Number of cows 1001-1100 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $24.75 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $24.75 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $24.75 |
|
Number of cows 1101-2000 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $24.00 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $24.00 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $24.00 |
|
Number of cows 2001-5000 |
Forward Pack (per straw) $23.10 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $23.10 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $23.10 |
|
Number of cows 5001+ |
Forward Pack (per straw) $22.80 |
A2/A2 team* (per straw) $22.80 |
SGL Dairy (per straw) $22.80 |
* The Premier Sires A2/A2 team is comprised of genomically-selected bulls only.
All prices exclude GST.
Premier Sires® pricing examples
Forward Pack
Forward Pack delivers the best of Daughter Proven, Genomically Selected, and Spring sires.
As the number of inseminations increase, prices move down the graduated price scale, and each insemination is charged at the appropriate Forward Pack, A2/A2 or SGL Dairy rate.
Example: If you were to have 320 Forward Pack Premier Sires Technician Service inseminations, you’d be charged $10,082 in total, which over 320 cows is an average of $31.51 per cow.
|
Number of inseminations |
Price per insemination |
Total cost for each hundred |
|---|---|---|
|
Number of inseminations 1-100 |
Price per insemination $32.15 |
Total cost for each hundred $3,215 |
|
Number of inseminations 101-200 |
Price per insemination $31.55 |
Total cost for each hundred $3,155 |
|
Number of inseminations 201-300 |
Price per insemination $31.05 |
Total cost for each hundred $3,105 |
|
Number of inseminations 301-320 |
Price per insemination $30.35 |
Total cost for each hundred $607 |
Total cost: $10,082
Average cost per insemination for 320 cows: $31.51
All prices exclude GST.
InvestaMate Discount
|
Percentage discount |
Year of qualification |
How/When applied |
|---|---|---|
|
Percentage discount 3% |
Year of qualification First |
How/When applied Applied as a credit in March, following the season's mating. |
|
Percentage discount 5% |
Year of qualification Second |
How/When applied At the time of charging. |
|
Percentage discount 10% |
Year of qualification Third and subsequent |
How/When applied At the time of charging. |
You will move up or down the InvestaMate scale each season depending on whether the 95% threshold was met in the previous season.
Straw purchases may comprise any combination of Premier Sires or Alpha straws. Premier Sires Fresh Sexed and Sire Proving Scheme inseminations contribute to the 95% threshold of (InvestaMate) qualifying purchases.
‘Qualifying’ animals are female animals born prior to 31 December 2024 in the ‘herd’ at the time of October charging. ‘Herd’ is defined as the ‘whole herd’ group in MINDA. The InvestaMate discount does not apply to Premier Sires Fresh Sexed or Sire Proving Scheme products (i.e. InvestaMate discounts only apply to Premier Sires Forward Pack, Premier Sires A2/A2, Premier Sires SGL Dairy, and Alpha Products).
All prices exclude GST.
Retirement of Daughter Proven Premier Sires
Following the decision to retire of our Premier Sires Jersey Daughter Proven team in 2024, LIC will be retiring the Premier Sires KiwiCross® and Holstein-Friesian Daughter Proven products in 2026.
This decision hasn’t been made lightly as these teams have been a part of the fabric of LIC genetic offerings for decades. However, we’ve seen a significant drop in demand for the Daughter Proven teams with close to 89% of our total Premier Sires inseminations now going to our Forward Pack teams, which includes a mix of the best Daughter Proven bulls along with elite genomic bulls.
Will LIC continue to use Daughter Proven bulls?
Yes, the top Daughter Proven and elite genomic bulls will be used in Forward Pack and Alpha Pack frozen options.
Does this mean LIC will have less bulls overall?
No. We will still have the right number of bulls to meet demand. Overtime we will simply have more elite genomic bulls that have been selected on their genetic merit.
Does that mean the bulls LIC collects from are worked harder?
No. This change doesn’t alter bull numbers. Like our Jersey daughter proven bulls, our KiwiCross® and Holstein-Friesian bulls will be used for the Premier Sires Forward Pack and Alpha Pack frozen options.
Daughter Proven products are a cost-effective option - does this mean farmers will have to opt for premium products with higher price tags?
While we have been seeing significant growth in sales towards our Premier Sires Forward Pack products, LIC continues to offer a wide range of semen products to suit individuals’ herd aspirations and budgets. Options can include:
- Premier Sires Forward Pack
- Alpha Pack frozen options
- Economy Pack
- Classic Pack
Do LIC’s genomically selected bulls have higher gBWs than Daughter Proven bulls?
LIC data validation shows that Premier Sires Forward Pack teams deliver more genetic gain than Daughter Proven teams alone.
When comparing the genetic gain from Forward Pack and Daughter Proven teams between 2017 and 2024, the average gBW of the Forward Pack teams is 36.1 gBW greater than the remaining two Daughter Proven teams (KiwiCross® and Holstein Friesian).
Each Premier Sires team is carefully selected to optimise genetic gain.
Every team has a weighted average across breeding worth (gBW) and traits other than production (TOP). This value reflects the use of top-ranked bulls in each team.
We’ll make sure your herd is mated with a good selection of bulls in the team to achieve close to the team’s weighted average.
Can LIC be confident in genomically selected bulls without daughter proofs?
Advancements in genomic technology allow us to know a bull’s genetic merit upfront meaning we are less reliant on daughter proofs, and sales show our farmers have increasing confidence genomically Selected bulls.
Genomic predictions have become more accurate over time due to the increased number of animals being genotyped and ongoing statistical developments.
Is LIC reducing its investment in genetics?
LIC is committed to breeding the best cows faster. The collection of phenotypes through a structured acquisition programme will always be of critical importance to LIC – the retirement of Daughter Proven products do not impact our ability to build on our collection.
Each year LIC invests around $18 million into R&D (7% of revenue), making us one of the largest private investors in R&D for the primary sector. These investments enable us to focus on faster genetic gain for the national herd.
Increase your herd’s genetic value
Choose the bull teams you want, then contact your LIC rep to buy.
