Gene editing will be at the heart of future dairy cattle breeding programmes, according to Ai Services’ chief executive, Larry Burke.
He made the comment while speaking at the 2024 ‘Winter Fair’ breakfast, hosted by the Northern Ireland Institute of Agriculture Science.
“Gene editing is a technology for the future. Its use can speed up the rate of progress achieved within all breeding programmes.
“It is a force for good and will inevitably, be recognised by the likes of the European Union over the coming years,” Burke said.
He confirmed the significant rationalisation that has characterised the international dairy cattle breeding sector over many years.
“This been driven by increased costs and the growing use of new technologies, including genomics and the use of sexed semen.
“Previously, top dairy sires would have been maintained at stud for us to six and possible eight years, but with the advent of genomics and the fast turnaround of new genetics, this period of time has been reduced to two years.
“Investing in new technologies has also incurred significant investment, which will continue into the future,” he said.
Referring to the specific dairy breeding needs of Northern Ireland over the next 10 years, the Ai Services’ representative stressed the need for every bovine animal to be genotyped as matter of priority.
“Information is king – armed with such information, it will be possible to push ahead with dairy breeding programmes for the future that will make a real difference, within a relatively short period of time,” Burke stressed.
Gene editing
He identified three overarching themes that must be addressed in the context of a future dairy breeding programme for Northern Ireland. These are: resilience, efficiency and the production of high quality milk on a consistent basis.
The Ai Services’ representative specifically highlighted the challenge posed by bovine tuberculosis (bTB) to the dairy industry in Northern Ireland at the present time.
Approximately 10% of cattle herds in the north have been impacted by the disease over the past 12 months.
“It should be possible to breed bTB resistant cows into the future. This trait is highly heritable.
“The dairy cow of the future is one that is moderately sized with an ability to generate as much milk as possible from forages,” Burke explained.
He added that it is “critically important that the quality of the milk produced matches the demands of processers, who are exporting to markets around the world”.
