The livestock breeding industry is on the brink of a revolution, driven by high fuel and feed prices, as well as major advances in genetic technology. The latter threaten to sideline breeds that haven’t kept pace with the times. B ig companies are now capable of taking genetic improvement out of the hands of the ordinary cattle breeder, as has happened with pigs and chickens.
This could reduce farmers to mere multipliers of the genetic material supplied by such companies. While the road to genetic improvement started 15 000 years ago, when the first animals were domesticated, the theory behind modern animal breeding is very new. It has become one of the fastest-growing sciences, with stocks of genetic information doubling in less than a year. A changing world T he latest cost-price squeeze, stemming from rising fuel and grain prices, will have a particularly far-reaching impact on intensive production systems. It could lead to more crossbreeding in the dairy industry and to the emergence of new, more efficient breeds to replace current breeds.
New technology will enable more accurate measurements and help selection programmes focus on efficiency, instead of maximum production. Feedlots are also under pressure. Should this industry, which requires late-maturing animals, scale down, then breeds that mature earlier will play a more prominent role in beef production. These breeds could include the Nguni, Afrikaner and Brahman, certain synthetic breeds, and crosses with early-maturing breeds.
Some breeds could even disappear. But if more animals are going to be marketed off the veld or planted pastures, the national herd will have to be reduced to prevent overgrazing. Ensuing higher beef prices could lead to changes in import regulations and more imports from counties such as Brazil, that have lower production costs. Making a commercial success One way to increase the profitability of meat production is to go for niche markets, such as natural beef. But this will require more emphasis on adaptability – the ability of animals to produce and reproduce under natural conditions – in selection programmes. reed societies can expect to survive only if they attract more members and get more animals into the system.
That means getting more commercial farmers involved and doing away with the word “stud” so that outstanding registered animals can form part of the seed-stock industry. An extra advantage for breeders of smaller breeds will be that more information will be available for more accurate assessments of breeding values. With the new generation of powerful computers, breed analysis will become more common on a global scale.
This will make it possible to group herds across countries according to production systems, genetics, climate, topography and other factors. his will make it feasible to group dairy herds in the Tsitsikamma with herds in New Zealand. Each animal could have a local and international breeding value and, eventually, local scientists might only measure the breeding values of indigenous breeds or those unique to Africa. Finding the balance eedless to say, all of these developments demand greater expertise across the industry, from production to genetics.
According to Prof Frikkie Neser, genetic change is easy to bring about, as shown by how selection led to the many breeds of dogs, from the 159kg English bull mastiff to the tiny Chihuahua, all developed from the wolf. There is also immense variation in horses, with the miniature pony and Clydesdale having the same origin. ut there are many examples of where selection went wrong. In America there was so much emphasis on turkeys’ breast size it interfered with their mating ability, making artificial insemination necessary. Contact Prof Neser on 082 494 4899. |fw
