Genomics can benefit sheep industry
THE exciting prospects offered by genomic technology are more achievable for sheep farmers when they are able to pool resources. It’s not as straightforward as in the dairy industry, but combining the latest genomic technology with the “farmer’s eye” can still bring huge benefits in terms of efficiency and the bottom line.
Dr Sotirios Karvountzis of Mendip Vets says the basic principles are obvious. Farmers have always known that heritable characteristics govern any breeding policy – whether that is aiming for more lean meat, less wool or better milk yields.
Sotirios is excited by the constantly evolving opportunities geonomics presents. But he warns that while the science is precise, its application needs to be far more nuanced. It’s important to select the desired genes for a given environment and outcome.
And he says there is a good way to sum up the use of new technology and the more traditional approach when discussing EBVs (estimated breeding values) and gEBV (genomic estimated breeding values). It’s the old saying, “The apple never falls far from the tree.”
He explains: “All mammals, all creatures – anything that has got DNA in it – when they are born, not all the offspring are equal to each other. Not all hit the deck running, others go slower, others go backwards.
“Humans are the exception, with the ability to put mind over matter, but in the rest of the animal kingdom they are not equal to each other.
“So, to take one example, the ability to grow relatively quickly to reach a certain age at a certain weight – that is a well-defined characteristic, it’s what we call heritable, therefore it’s predictable. There are certain lines of cattle, sheep, pigs, that are able to put on more weight quicker than others.
“These animals are hitting the deck running. Others don’t. This process is repeatable. The difference is down both to genes and to the environment (the phenotype)”
The technology is available to select the most appropriate lines with the characteristics likely to achieve the desired outcome. Genomic testing can look at up to 90,000 genes, adding to the understanding of breeding stock for various attributes.
It is appropriate for sheep and goat producers as well as for suckler and dairy farmers, but the sheer volume of data available to the dairy industry makes it particularly useful.