Breeding for Better Health:
Challenges and Achievements
Siobhán Ring
Animal Health Awareness Day – 28th November 2019
AgTech – it’s in our DNA
Setting the Scene
• Animal breeding and ICBF
• Achievements
• Growing central database – farmers, vets, AHI, DAFM
• Progress to-date
• HealthyGenes Project – genetic evaluations for resistance to bTB & Liver Fluke
• Challenges
• Data – quantity, quality & frequency
• Utilising your opportunity to breed for better health
• Using the breeding values
• Recording health & disease – what would encourage you to record?
“Genetics creates the potential, management realizes the potential, disease destroys the potential”
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
The ICBF Database• Aim to maximize profit/sustainability for dairy and beef farmers
through genetics/genomics & data integration
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
How Genetic Evaluations Work
Herd E
Herd D
Herd F
Herds D, E, F: Only pedigree knownHerds A, B, C: Health & Pedigree known
Herd B
Herd A
Herd C
Genetic merit generated for all animals
AgTech – it’s in our DNA
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
-8
-7
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
370
375
380
385
390
395
400
Gen
etic M
erit
Calvin
g in
terval (d
ays)
Year of calving
Breeding and Fertility
AgTech – it’s in our DNA
On-farm
Genetic
Donagh Berry, Teagasc
• Low heritability
• Many ‘non-genetic’ influences
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
-8
-7
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
370
375
380
385
390
395
400
Ge
ne
tic
Me
rit
Ca
lvin
g i
nte
rva
l (d
)
Year of calving
EBI
Donagh Berry, Teagasc
33%-50% improvements in fertility due to
genetics
Despite the Odds
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
Today’s Cows are Genetically Healthier
3 Times Faster Improvement in Health Traits After Inclusion in EBI (Dairy Breeding Goal)
-9
-8
-7
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Healt
h S
ub
-In
dex (
€)
Calving Year
+€0.68 improvement/cow/year
Health SI has 4% explicit emphasis in EBI• SCC• Mastitis • Lameness
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
Expected Herd Prevalence
Health SI Lameness Mastitis
-€10 17% 20%
-€5 15% 18%
€0 13% 16%
€5 11% 13%
€10 8% 11%
€15 6% 9%
€20 4% 7%
Do They Have Less Disease?█ Lameness█ Mastitis
Higher Health Sub-Index = Less Lameness, Mastitis & SCC
(%)
(€)
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
-0.50
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
Gen
eti
c M
eri
t
Co
w s
urv
ival
(%)
Year of calving
On-farm Survival EBV Survival (%)
Today’s Cows are Living Longer
Cows surviving an extra 174 days on-farm through a combination of health & fertility improvements
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
HealthyGenes Project• 11,000 cows in 68 herds• Assessed for a range of health and disease traits & hoof trimmed
Considerable exploitable genetic variation in all traits
investigated!
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
Resistance to TB & Liver Fluke
Damage & live fluke
Liver FlukeTB
SICTT, lesion, & confirmed lab TB
AgTech – it’s in our DNA
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
Factors Influencing TB & Liver Fluke Infection
AgTech – it’s in our DNA
Resid
ual In
fection
Incorrect animal identification
Stage of infection
Animal genetics
Exposure to pathogenStocking density
Animal movements
Cattle-cattle
transmission
Testing procedure
Weather
Immune response pathways
Wild
life
rese
rvo
irs Test accuracy
Grazing behaviour
Wildlife-cattle
pathways
Host genetics
Interaction with wildlife
Contiguous herds
Attraction to parasite
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
Resistance to TB & Liver Fluke
• Jan’19 breeding values for resistance to TB & Liver Fluke launched
• Available for dairy and beef cattle
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
Data Limiting Genetic Progress in Health
Lameness899,599
bTB1,101,550
Liver Fluke354,380
Calving Difficulty16,072,823
Calving Interval8,032,234
Carcass Weight8,456,818
Mastitis934,890
Gestation5,212,889
Milking Speed7,947,308
Milking Temperment713,460
Stillbirths21,437,312
Milk Yield35,888,755
Survival9,656,319
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
He
rita
bili
ty
Low heritability traits suffer from slow genetic progress where data is limiting
Evaluation Nov’19
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
TB Liver fluke Mastitis Lameness
Pre
vale
nce
26% reduction
17% reduction
58% reduction
44% reduction
█ Worst genetic merit
█ Best genetic merit
Despite fewer records and low heritability, genetic merit still able to differentiate the best and worst animals
AgTech – it’s in our DNA
Identifying the Health Status of Your Herd
When choosing bulls for breeding
aim for higher Health SI than herd average
and higher overall index
(EBI)
AgTech – it’s in our DNA
❶ Log on to www.icbf.com
❷ Search animal (tag/aicode)
❸ View genetic merit (PTA)
• Lower PTA values = healthier animals
Using the Breeding Values –(Selecting Males/Females for Mating)
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA
• www.icbf.com
• HerdPlus App
• Complete Paper Health Surveys – due in December
• Text “LAME Jumbo” or “Mast Jumbo” to 089 457 7663
Recording Health and Disease Events
AgTech – it’s in our DNA
Conclusions• Breeding is a sustainable way of reducing disease, complementary
to current management practices
• The lack of availability of records is a major challenge to achieving
faster improvements
• Record events on www.icbf.com or text “LAME Jumbo” or “Mast
Jumbo” to 089 457 7663
• Use breeding values/genetic merit available for
– Higher € value is better
– Lower PTA values for SCC, Mastitis, Lameness and mortality = less disease
• Increasing importance of health & welfare will resonate in future
breeding goal iterations (beef & dairy)
– Scour, Pneumonia, Johnes, IBR, mortality in later life etc.
– Herd health reports
AgTech – it’s in our DNAAgTech – it’s in our DNA