Bringing genetics to bear on Irish bulls

INNOVATION TALK:HIS NAME IS Lauragh Evert but you have probably never heard of him. He sounds foreign, but is a local lad who is number one in the entire country at what he does. Lauragh Evert is Ireland's top rated bull, whose genes are so good his daughters are guaranteed to be more valuable, generation after generation.

The business of cattle breeding has become very high-tech in the past decade. It began around 2001 when quantitative analysis was brought into play to improve the national herd. Firstly, breeders began tracking family lines to isolate those lineages that delivered better animals and crossing them with other superior animals. The rapid advance of the genetic technologies pushed this up to top gear with animal-trait information hidden in an animal’s genetic make-up being combined with existing knowledge of superior animal lineages.

Dr Donagh Berry of Teagasc Moorepark and his colleagues have been in the thick of these developments, in the process increasing the value of Ireland’s national herd. With a little help from Lauragh Evert, of course.

His genetic contribution can be quantified, brought down to a single number called his “economic breeding index”. This is the likely added value that his genetics will contribute to any animals he sires. His added breeding index is currently €254, which means his progeny will all yield €254 more profit per year of life when compared to lesser animals. It is not just that they will provide more milk or meat, they will also will have other valuable traits such as a longer life, better udders or just being healthier.

Ireland doesn’t always run with the leaders when it comes to new technology, but this was not the case with the genetic/genomic analysis of the Irish herd. The agricultural research and policy body Teagasc was out of the gate with the front-runners and has been applying quantitative analysis based on genetics since 2001.

Over time, the million strong dairy herd was subjected to quantitative analysis focusing on the profitability of the progeny of specific bulls. The breeding was selected on the basis of this profitability and the results have been remarkable. There has been a 50 per cent improvement in milk yield since this technique began to be applied.

When detailed genomic analysis began to emerge, that too was taken up and brought to bear on the national herd. The US dairy industry applied it first in 2009, but Ireland was second in the world, only a matter of weeks behind. But the Irish programme isn’t as large at that of the US – we can’t afford to do a genomic analysis on the 1.05 million dairy cows here or the 1.1 million beef cows.

The US has a catalogue of 40,000 animals, while we have just 4,500 DNA profiles gauging genetic merit. But the work was done here, and the goal is to produce the ideal bull to match Irish conditions and farming practices.

The Teagasc researchers look for DNA markers that profile for 15 desirable traits in progeny, including milk production, general health, fertility and others. But if you can identify the genetic markers, it becomes possible to alter other traits, ones that deliver other benefits.

Livestock around the world represent one of the largest sources of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, given off when the animals belch. It may be possible to reduce methane production by breeding out this trait.

Altering fat and protein content is another target. Whole milk is only about three per cent fat, but of this, 70 per cent is saturated fat for most herds. Irish milk is about 65 per cent saturated fat and the researchers want to reduce this figure through breeding directed by genomic analysis. It may also be possible to increase protein content, improve meat quality and emphasise other useful characteristics using these methods.

The US has a top bull too, Badger-Bluff Fanny Freddie. Agricultural researchers there were able to determine that he was going to be something special long before he began to sire progeny, a prediction made through the use of genomic technology. He is a bull king amongst kings and has an index of €609, although he exists in a different market and direct comparisons with our own Lauragh Evert’s index may not be possible.

Teagasc’s success in keeping abreast of these international developments also shows something else – that Ireland does have the capacity to achieve world-class status in research and its commercialisation. It should tell us that Ireland can be a world leader in research – and can make it pay.