A CALF born via IVF has joined the Dumfries-based Langhill herd and could help accelerate the dairy industry’s journey to net zero.
The calf, called Hilda, is part of the Cool Cows project, which aims to establish a nucleus of highly methane-efficient animals.
She represents a historic moment for the world’s longest-running livestock genetics project.
Fertilising Hilda’s mother’s eggs in a lab means the next generation of the Langhill Herd has arrived eight months earlier than previously possible.
The process is set to be repeated, which means that researchers are doubling the rate of genetic gain and accelerating the accumulation of data to breed more efficient dairy cows.
The partnership between Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Cumbria vets Paragon and Semex has received £335,000 from the Digital Dairy Chain’s collaborative research and development grant competition.
SRUC’s project lead, Professor Richard Dewhurst, said: “With global consumption of dairy produce growing, breeding livestock for sustainability is extremely important.
“The birth of Hilda is potentially a hugely significant moment for the UK dairy industry.
“We will use a new genomic assessment alongside existing production and environmental efficiency indices to select elite, methane-efficient heifers for breeding.
“The Cool Cows project will produce more offspring from these donors, rapidly establishing a nucleus of highly methane-efficient calves.”
First established in 1970, the Langhill Herd—which won SRUC a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2017—contributed to developing the Profitable Lifetime Index, which benefits all dairy farmers in the UK.
Project Lead Rob Simmons, director and lead vet – advanced breeding at Paragon said: “As the first veterinary practice to be awarded an RCVS Outstanding achievement in environmental sustainability.
“Paragon were delighted to help develop and deliver this important project to help support sustainability in the dairy sector.
“Genetic improvement in methane efficiency is going to be key to continuing to provide nutritious food to the public while controlling the impact of methane emissions on the environment in the future.”
Stuart Martin, programme director of Digital Dairy Chain, said: “We are very pleased to have supported this groundbreaking project.
“With the environmental impact of farming being a critical global issue, projects that look for innovative solutions to mitigate this impact are vital to the industry.
“The birth of the first Cool Cows calf marks a significant milestone, promising significant results for the future of sustainable farming.”
Over the last five years, EGENES has used the dairy feed intake records collected at Langhill to create national genomic breeding values for feed efficiency, available to all farmers who genotype their cows.
