New Research Aims to Breed the Ideal Dairy Cow for Africa

A PhD student from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is planning to combine social science with animal genetics in an attempt to help African dairy farmers breed the ideal cow for their environment.

Aluna Chawala's PhD has been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which aims to lift the poorest people out of hunger and poverty, and he plans to use the data he gathers to create practical breeding goals for African dairy farmers, so that their livestock is adapted for an African system, rather than a Western one.

Aluna will spend hours chatting with and observing African farmers to try and identify the key genetic traits required to help grow the dairy industry on a continent where farmers can make as little as a few pounds a day.

“There has historically been a lack of understanding around what breed companies consider to be a good dairy cow, and what is actually a good dairy cow in Africa,” Aluna explains. “The environment is so different over there, in terms of weather, feed and diseases, that we really need to breed a completely different type of dairy cow. But first we need to know exactly what that dairy cow should be.”

In other news, a bluetongue vaccine will be made available in the UK from mid-July. 

With an 80 per cent chance that the bluetongue virus will reach the south of the country later this summer, MSD Animal Health has moved quickly to ensure a vaccine is available to help British cattle farmers and vets prevent the disease securing a foothold in the UK.

John Atkinson, MSD Animal Health vet and Technical Manager, commented: “Conveniently, BLUEVAC BTV8 is licensed for both cattle and sheep, and can be used during pregnancy. All animals should be given a primary course of two injections under the skin, three weeks apart. The immunity afforded by the vaccine lasts for a year after completion of the primary course.”

Welcoming the news, National Farmers Union livestock chairman Charles Sercombe said: “This is really welcome news for the industry and we strongly urge farmers to discuss vaccination with their vet in order to fully understand the risk to their business considering their system and geography. These conversations should be ongoing because as the situation in France and mainland Europe changes the risk will change in the UK.