Loss in production caused by affected stock, hot and muggy weather and a greater focus on animal welfare are all reasons farmers are reaching out to CRV Ambreed seeking genetics to manage facial eczema (FE) long-term.
CRV Ambreed continues to be the only genetics company in New Zealand to offer a genetic solution to manage FE.
It’s our response to an industry need and farmers already breeding for FE tolerance say it works.
Clinical or physical signs of FE are usually easy to spot.
Skin loss and lethargy are clear signs an animal is suffering from an FE challenge. In extreme cases FE can cause skin irritation and peeling and sometimes death.
For every clinical case of FE DairyNZ estimates there will be 10 cows with sub-clinical facial eczema.
However, research by VetEnt veterinarian and researcher Emma Cuttance revealed a much larger problem than farmers participating in the study realised.
Of the farms studied with liver damage, 41% of the cows were affected by FE despite only 3% showing physical symptoms.
Sub-clinical symptoms are much harder to see, usually going undiagnosed and untreated but causing damage to the cow’s liver and a sharp drop in milk production – Cuttance says about 8% a day.
Dairy farmers are turning the corner to reduce the severity of the disease and build greater resilience in the herds.
They understand that only so much can be done to manage the impact of FE, for example, apply zinc, pasture spraying or pasture management and the only way to build in tolerance safely is through genetics.
This year sales for CRV Ambreed’s facial eczema tolerant bulls are up by more than 10% compared to the same time last year with demand greatest in Taranaki, Waikato and Bay of Plenty where outbreaks of FE are more prevalent.
Farmers including FE tolerant bulls in their breeding programme this year will see the first benefits when the calves are born. The offspring will be up to 25% more resistant to an FE challenge, resulting in better growth and minimal liver damage.
If a farmer is future-proofing a herd and commits to using FE-tolerant bulls long-term, gains in FE tolerance will be made year on year as each generation of daughters enters the herd.
We have found most farmers stick with an FE breeding programme once they start.
In some instances farmers have told us they have decreased or even stopped dosing their young stock with zinc. This has given them greater confidence that FE genetics work and an FE breeding programme is sustainable.
The other benefit to farmers is the quality of FE bulls available from CRV Ambreed is getting better every year.
Better genomic information is allowing CRV Ambreed to select better bulls for the breeding programme. Our FE-tolerance breeding value (BV) is also enabling us to select better cows.
With better genomic information and FE BV combined, it has enabled CRV Ambreed to create bulls with increased FE tolerance along with better conventional traits like protein, fat, body condition score and fertility.
That means farmers will have access to even better genetic gain for FE tolerance without the trade-off on other traits.
If predictions are accurate and we’re in for another long, hot summer, higher humidity will increase the number of toxic spores in pastures and could result in a spike in the number of FE cases.
We expect this will motivate more farmers to talk to us about how we can help them to breed a healthy and efficient herd and use genetics as an effective, preventive measure to combat FE.
As a business, CRV Ambreed’s goal is always to help dairy farmers achieve the best possible herd and we will continue to collaborate with farmers to provide best genetic tools and information to achieve a healthy and efficient herd.
Peter van Elzakker is the product manager for CRV Ambreed
