The Little Book of Irish Science SFI Little Book of Irish Science | Page 66

63
Genetics hits the
Bulls-Eye for Cattle Breeding
Back in 2009 Ireland became only the second
country in the world to incorporate DNA information
directly into dairy cow breeding to increase yield.
Scientists led by Dr Donagh Berry at Teagasc
in Cork, have since shown that by analysing the
genome of dairy cows before breeding, genetic
gain has increased by over 50%. These increases
are also predicted to apply to milk, meat and
wool production helping to increase sustainability
without increasing herd size.
www.teagasc.ie