LIC’s Variant Discovery Team is giving farmers new options for selecting healthier, higher-performance dairy animals and raising the bar in genetics research.
LIC’s Variant Discovery Team has discovered over 20 genetic variants which cause disease or impact fertility, milk yield, or growth and developmental traits in dairy animals. Finding one variant is a significant achievement, so team’s work sets new standards in this field.
LIC Variant Discovery Team
Value in variants
Hill Labs Primary Industry Award – Winner
LIC’s Variant Discovery Team is giving farmers new options for selecting healthier, higher-performance dairy animals and raising the bar in genetics research.
LIC’s Variant Discovery Team has discovered over 20 genetic variants which cause disease or impact fertility, milk yield, or growth and developmental traits in dairy animals. Finding one variant is a significant achievement, so team’s work sets new standards in this field. Two of the team’s research papers have been recognised as ‘Landmark Articles’ by a publication recognised internationally as the ultimate source of information for animal breeders and researchers. LIC’s status as NZ’s largest genetics company has enabled widespread implementation of the team’s discoveries. At time of writing, over 1.5 million cows and calves have been screened for the largest effect variants they have identified.
LIC’s Variant Discovery Team is a 2023 finalist in the Hill Labs Primary Industry Award.