The seven-year programme, called Resilient Dairy: Innovative Breeding for a Sustainable Future, was launched at Fieldays and is being led by farmer-owned herd improvement co-operative Livestock Improvement Corporation with investment and support from the Ministry for Primary Industries and DairyNZ.
It will invest in new disease management technologies and advances in genomic science to improve cow productivity and produce better cows with improved health, wellbeing, and environmental resilience.
Over the programme’s life LIC is investing $11.2m, MPI $10.3m and DairyNZ $4.2m.
“At the heart of the new programme is innovation that aims to deliver long-term economic, environmental and animal health benefits for New Zealand,” MPI’s investment programmes director Steve Penno said.
“For NZ to maintain its reputation as a world-leading producer of premium products we need to further increase the value of our products in a way that improves sustainability.
“MPI is investing in this new programme as it aims to deliver long-term gains in a number of areas, including sustainable production, milk quality and animal wellbeing while, importantly, reducing impacts on the environment.”
LIC, the largest supplier of artificial breeding services to NZ dairy farms, will leverage its existing capabilities in genomic science and diagnostics to develop innovative breeding tools and tests that support more sustainable milk production.
“We’re committed to providing farmers with the tools they need to improve their prosperity and productivity in a sustainable way with animal health, wellbeing and the environment at the forefront,” LIC chief scientist Richard Spelman said.
“This programme will strengthen our existing research and development work to keep our farmers and NZ leading the global pastoral dairy system,” Spelman said.
Investment from industry-good body DairyNZ will go into rebuilding its national evaluation system for dairy cattle to incorporate genomic information to facilitate faster rates of genetic gain.
“Resilient Dairy is our opportunity to get back in front of the world with genetic gain,” DairyNZ strategic investment leader Bruce Thorrold said.
“With new discoveries in genomic methods and data collection we are now in the position to jump ahead and incorporate genomic data into our animal evaluation system – enabling the whole sector to maximise genetic gain,” Thorrold said.
Spelman said the programme will address calls for resilience and sustainability on dairy farms, now and into the future.
“Through the new Resilient Dairy: Innovative Breeding for a Sustainable Future programme, we’re investing now to help future-proof our dairy industry and deliver long-term benefits for NZ.”
