Holstein Breeders Challenge USDA Control of Genomic Testing
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 07/17/2009 - 11:59am.
Steve Taylor
New England Correspondent
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — So far, a little-noticed struggle between a small group of breeders of elite Holstein dairy cattle on one side and a combination of the USDA and the nation’s seven largest artificial insemination studs on the other has USDA and the AI organizations holding the upper hand.
But the breeders are battling on, having just won a vote of support at the Holstein Association of America’s annual meeting in California and getting some interest from a few Congress people in Washington.
At issue is an agreement that essentially keeps genomic testing of Holstein bulls within the exclusive preserve of USDA and the seven major AI studs.
But a number of Holstein breeders — nobody knows just how many right now — want to be able to tap genomic testing technology currently controlled by USDA and the studs so they can determine for themselves the potential value of young sires they’ve produced on their farms for entry into the lucrative bull semen business.
These breeders convinced delegates at the annual Holstein convention to adopt a resolution to “support termination of the contract between seven AI organizations and USDA that prevents genomic testing of bulls by others not included in the agreement.”
From all appearances, however, neither USDA nor the studs are in any hurry to ditch the exclusivity arrangement and allow genomic testing services to become available to all comers.
This contract issue traces back about 15 years to when bovine genomic testing was first appearing on the horizon. The major bull studs had large banks of stored semen, access to which would help accelerate the development of the emerging science of unlocking the dairy animal genome. So in exchange for access by the research community to these inventories of genetic material, the seven AI studs were given exclusive rights by USDA to test their bulls under the emerging scientific protocols.
USDA’s motive at the time was to accelerate genomic research and give the United States a lead over the rest of the world in this field, which held significant promise for advancing dairy productivity.
It was a “quietly done deal,” in the words of one Holstein breed insider. But few in the dairy industry expected the science to develop so fast and to become as important in the development of dairy cattle genetics as it has, just in the past two years especially.
It is now possible for a genomic test on a young Holstein bull to yield as much about his ability to transmit desirable production traits in his future daughters as can be gleaned from analysis of 15 of his offspring producing in actual herd settings, the traditional “proof” standard for evaluating young sires that have been entered into stud service by an AI organization.
Within a few years, or perhaps months, it will be possible to prove a bull the day he is born. A genomic testing regime may also unlock valuable traits in animals where dairy scientists haven’t bothered to search until now, such as in grade animals with no pedigrees.
With such a dramatic change in the basis for evaluating AI bulls taking place, some farmers feel they’ve been cut out of the ability to have their own bulls tested, and are at a severe disadvantage when they wish to sell a bull to a stud. They feel the “other team controls the ball,” again quoting a knowledgeable insider.
The resolution passed at the Holstein meeting calls for immediate termination of the exclusivity arrangement, but USDA essentially says the contract is in place and can’t be broken without the consent of the seven participating AI studs. And for now, the studs aren’t in a hurry to change the way things are.
Steve Taylor
New England Correspondent
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — So far, a little-noticed struggle between a small group of breeders of elite Holstein dairy cattle on one side and a combination of the USDA and the nation’s seven largest artificial insemination studs on the other has USDA and the AI organizations holding the upper hand.
But the breeders are battling on, having just won a vote of support at the Holstein Association of America’s annual meeting in California and getting some interest from a few Congress people in Washington.
At issue is an agreement that essentially keeps genomic testing of Holstein bulls within the exclusive preserve of USDA and the seven major AI studs.
But a number of Holstein breeders — nobody knows just how many right now — want to be able to tap genomic testing technology currently controlled by USDA and the studs so they can determine for themselves the potential value of young sires they’ve produced on their farms for entry into the lucrative bull semen business.
These breeders convinced delegates at the annual Holstein convention to adopt a resolution to “support termination of the contract between seven AI organizations and USDA that prevents genomic testing of bulls by others not included in the agreement.”
From all appearances, however, neither USDA nor the studs are in any hurry to ditch the exclusivity arrangement and allow genomic testing services to become available to all comers.
This contract issue traces back about 15 years to when bovine genomic testing was first appearing on the horizon. The major bull studs had large banks of stored semen, access to which would help accelerate the development of the emerging science of unlocking the dairy animal genome. So in exchange for access by the research community to these inventories of genetic material, the seven AI studs were given exclusive rights by USDA to test their bulls under the emerging scientific protocols.
USDA’s motive at the time was to accelerate genomic research and give the United States a lead over the rest of the world in this field, which held significant promise for advancing dairy productivity.
It was a “quietly done deal,” in the words of one Holstein breed insider. But few in the dairy industry expected the science to develop so fast and to become as important in the development of dairy cattle genetics as it has, just in the past two years especially.
It is now possible for a genomic test on a young Holstein bull to yield as much about his ability to transmit desirable production traits in his future daughters as can be gleaned from analysis of 15 of his offspring producing in actual herd settings, the traditional “proof” standard for evaluating young sires that have been entered into stud service by an AI organization.
Within a few years, or perhaps months, it will be possible to prove a bull the day he is born. A genomic testing regime may also unlock valuable traits in animals where dairy scientists haven’t bothered to search until now, such as in grade animals with no pedigrees.
With such a dramatic change in the basis for evaluating AI bulls taking place, some farmers feel they’ve been cut out of the ability to have their own bulls tested, and are at a severe disadvantage when they wish to sell a bull to a stud. They feel the “other team controls the ball,” again quoting a knowledgeable insider.
The resolution passed at the Holstein meeting calls for immediate termination of the exclusivity arrangement, but USDA essentially says the contract is in place and can’t be broken without the consent of the seven participating AI studs. And for now, the studs aren’t in a hurry to change the way things are.
