AFBI research pioneers the way forward for dairy cattle breeding

Researchers representing five of fifteen key European partner institutes involved in the 5-year EU-funded research project entitled GPlusE (Genotype and Environment) visited AFBI sites at Hillsborough and Newforge recently.

The overall aim of the project is to develop new breeding tools to enhance selection for optimal fertility, environmental impact, health and production efficiency of Holstein dairy herds into the future.  The project involves the collection of production and health data for over 10,000 Holstein-Friesian cows across Europe and relating these to genomic profiles. This will enable the development of new predictive relationships and genetic markers for a wide range of important production and health traits.

The purpose of the visit by partners from the five European institutes and universities involved in the project was to discuss recent progress on the research and also to observe the techniques used at AFBI for assessing the important animal characteristics and the laboratory procedures for RNA extraction from blood and milk.

 
Those attending were from the Royal Veterinary College (London), the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the University of Liege Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Belgium), the Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (Germany), Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (Belgium) and University College, Dublin.  The key AFBI researchers involved in the project include Drs Conrad Ferris, Alastair Wylie and Matt Bell.
 

Notes to editors: 

AFBI carries out high quality technology research and development, statutory, analytical, and diagnostic testing functions for DARD and other 

Government departments, public bodies and commercial companies. 
AFBI's Vision is “Scientific excellence in Northern Ireland …  serving the world”.

All media enquiries to AFBI Press Office.

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