When your nominated parents don’t qualify in DNA testing, it can feel a bit frustrating at first but there’s a clear process in place to sort it out.
Let’s walk through what actually happens.
So, your nominated parents didn’t match – what now?
When you submit a DNA request and results are received, the first thing we do is test the calf against the nominated sire and dam provided. This is always the quickest way to confirm parentage, because you’re giving us your best guess based on your records.
If they do verify – great, you’re done.
If they don’t verify, it simply means the calf isn’t genetically compatible with one or both of those animals. It doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong with the test – it just means we need to dig a bit deeper.
Next step: we check any extra parents you’ve listed
If you’ve included a parent list – extra sires or dams you think could be possibilities – we’ll run those next.
This is really helpful in situations like:
-
Multi-sire paddocks
-
AI programs where there’s a backup bull
-
Any joining where more than one parent is possible
The more options you give us here, the faster we can usually land on the right answer.
A very common example is AI with a backup bull. You might nominate the AI sire, but if the backup bull was running and ends up being the actual sire, the verification process will pick that up when we test your list.
Then we look through your own animals
If we still don’t get a match, we expand the search to all genotyped animals in your ownership.
At this point, we’re essentially asking: “Is there anything in your herd that fits genetically, even if it wasn’t nominated?”
This step often picks up cases where:
-
Records were a bit off
-
Animals were moved between groups
-
A sire was present that wasn’t originally considered
Still no match? We go wider
If nothing turns up in your herd, we then run the calf against the full database of genotyped animals.
This is the most thorough step, comparing your calf to all eligible animals that have been DNA tested. It can take a bit longer, but it gives us the best chance of finding the correct parents—especially in more complex situations like:
-
Purchased animals with unclear background
-
Embryo transfer mix-ups
-
Historic recording gaps
What you’ll get back from us
If your nominated parent doesn’t qualify, we won’t just leave you guessing.
We’ll come back to you with:
-
Which nominated parent didn’t match
-
Any verified parent we’ve identified through the process
From there, we’ll ask you to confirm whether that result makes sense based on your knowledge of your program.
The key thing to remember
This process is designed to help you get it right.
Mismatches happen – it could be as simple as a wrong recording, a missed joining detail, or just the realities of running cattle. What matters is that, by the end of the process, you’ve got accurate, verified parentage you can rely on.
How you can help speed things up
A couple of simple tips:
-
Include any possible sires or dams in your parent list
-
Make sure all potential parents are DNA tested where possible
-
Nominate your sire and dam if known
At the end of the day, even if your nominated parents don’t qualify, the system is built to work through the options and get you to the right answer. And once it’s verified, you can be confident your records and your genetics are spot on.
Once Parentage is verified you will receive your results and you can complete your registration form to get your WBVs!