The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has received another accolade for innovative world-first R&D through reference in the prestigious Journal of Animal Science.
DPI Group Director, Livestock Systems, Dougal Gordon said NSW DPI research has featured on the front cover of the Journal of Animal Science, following two papers on the genetic parameters for methane traits in beef cattle that were published earlier this year.
“NSW DPI has world-class scientists who strive to deliver improvements in livestock industry productivity through innovation,” Mr Gordon said.
“With methane accounting for 80 per cent of global livestock greenhouse gas emissions, determining the heritability of methane versus production traits in beef cattle is an important step forward.
“The findings from this research will pave the way for the development of tools to allow beef producers to breed highly productive, low methane emitting cattle.
“To work out the genetic and genomic heritability of methane traits in cattle, the project measured methane emissions together with key production traits in over 1,000 cattle.”
The research was supported by funding from the Commonwealth government and Meat and Livestock Australia and was conducted at both the NSW DPI Beef Industry Centre based in Armidale and the NSW DPI Trangie Agricultural Research Centre. It also involved collaborators from the University of New England and the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources Victoria.
The recognition in the November edition follows publication in the parent professional association of the journal, the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) on the same NSW DPI research earlier in the year.
