Thursday, 10 June 2021 12:55

Global recognition for genetic work

Written by  Staff Reporters
LIC Chief Scientist Richard Spelman says these discoveries reinforce the importance of continued investment in gene discovery and genetic analysis technology. LIC Chief Scientist Richard Spelman says these discoveries reinforce the importance of continued investment in gene discovery and genetic analysis technology.

A novel scientific approach which has identified a number of genetic variants impacting the health and wellbeing of New Zealand dairy cows has been published in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature Genetics.

Scientists from LIC have leveraged the herd improvement co-operative's extensive animal database to pinpoint genes responsible for major losses in production, some of which were found to be due to previously unknown genetic disorders in dairy cows.

The newly discovered genetic variants impact animal health and milk production to the tune of up to $10 million in lost production each year across the national dairy herd.

LIC chief scientist Richard Spelman says these discoveries reinforce the importance of continued investment in gene discovery and genetic analysis technology to help farmers breed healthier, more efficient dairy herds.

"By supporting farmers to identify and minimise the number of animals that are susceptible to particular 'negative' genes, we can breed cows that are more resilient, speed up the rate of genetic gain and help ensure the sustainability of New Zealand's pastoral industries for years to come."

From Spring this year, all farmers using LIC's GeneMark DNA parentage testing service will have their calves screened for six genetic variants that have a significant impact on animal health and milk production and be notified if any of them are affected.

This information will be provided free of charge alongside parentage results so farmers can make an informed decision on whether to retain these animals in their herd.

Although affected animals are rare, around 0.5% of calves born will be affected by one of these variants, Spelman highlights the value this knowledge will deliver to farmers.

"We're excited to transform our investment in research and development into a simple convenient service for our farmer shareholders, one that could save millions in lost production.

"Knowing what calves have these genetic variations will help ensure farmers rear only the healthiest, highest performing animals," Spelman said.

Traditionally the discovery of variants which cause genetic disorders has relied on farmers notifying LIC of affected animals before scientists can attempt to find the genetic cause.

Spelman says LIC is now able to take a more proactive approach which will allow them to discover rare disorders that might not have obvious physical signs.

"Our approach starts with identifying significant drops in milk production or liveweight which may give a clue the animal is impacted by some underlying genetic disorder. If further investigation confirms this is the case, we can leverage diagnostic tests to manage the variant frequency in the population."

Spelman says the publication of LIC's research by Nature Genetics reinforces the farmer-owned co-op as a world leader in pastoral dairy genetics.

"Nature Genetics publishes the very highest quality research in genetics globally, in animal and human research alike. We were delighted to hear they had accepted our research paper on the production variant discoveries, further validating the cutting edge genetic discovery work our R&D team is carrying out."

The discoveries were made possible by genetic mapping studies on LIC's large DNA sequencing and animal productuion datasets, as well as funding received from MBIE's Endeavour fund.

"Our Next Generation Genomic Selection programme has enabled a detailed understanding of the effects of the variants identified and will enhance future discovery, as data and methods continue to develop to identify new variants at lower frequencies in New Zealand dairy animals."

LIC is one of the biggest investors in research and development for the primary sector, spending $16 million on R&D during the 2019-20 season.

More like this

LIC ready for challenges ahead

Herd improvement company LIC says it's well-positioned for the challenges ahead and remains focused on its core purpose - delivering value for farmer shareholders.

Breeding heat-tolerant cows for Africa

LIC is embarking on a ground-breaking project aimed at breeding heat tolerant and disease resistant dairy cows for Sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with the global leader in precision breeding, Acceligen, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Scheme to pick high potential 'underdog' bulls

Holstein Friesian NZ, and herd improvement co-operative LIC have launched a joint sire proving scheme that aims to select and prove Holstein Friesian bulls for New Zealand dairy farmers.

Featured

Better animal genetic gain system

A governance group has been formed, following extensive sector consultation, to implement the recommendations from the Industry Working Group's (IWG) final report and is said to be forming a 'road map' for improving New Zealand's animal genetic gain system.

SIDE 2025's new schedule, venue

Annual farmer gathering, the South Island Dairy Event (SIDE), is set to make history as it heads to Timaru for the first time.

Taranaki piggery goes solar

Installing 400 solar panels at their Taranaki piggery and cropping operation will have significant environmental, financial and animal welfare benefits for the Stanley family.

National

OSPRI's costly software upgrade

Animal disease management agency OSPRI has announced sweeping governance changes as it seeks to recover from the expensive failure of…

Machinery & Products

BA Pumps expand

Cambridge based BA Pumps & Sprayers, specialists in New Zealand-made spraying equipment, has acquired Tokoroa Engineering’s product range, including the…

Entries open for innovation award

Fieldays and its renowned Innovation Awards are celebrating their 57th year, marking a longstanding tradition in the agricultural calendar, with…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Chinese strategy

OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.

Not fair

OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter