Sheep hit the fast lane
Powerful new technology to transform the Australian sheep flock will come from the new Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Sheep Industry Innovation, announced recently by the Minister for Education Science and Training, Julie Bishop.
Five thousand ewes in ‘information flocks' across Australia and 20,000 genes in special arrays are the launch-pad for what researchers say will be the biggest and fastest leap in sheep value and quality since the breeding of an Australian-type Merino by the Peppin brothers in the 1860s.
The new CRC team will comb the national sheep flock to find the right genes and identify breeding values for:
- easy-care sheep with high lamb survival rates and good welfare characteristics;
- a wool fleece designer-bred for luxurious wearer comfort;
- pure white wool for textile end-use versatility; and
- meat with the healthiness, nutrition, flavour, aroma and tenderness demanded by today's discerning consumer.
Ian Sinclair, chair of the existing Australian Sheep Industry CRC, hails the new CRC as a vital advance for the industry. "It's clear the first Sheep CRC has made its mark, and that potential gains and national importance of the new CRC have been recognised by the Commonwealth Government's Cooperative Research Centres program."
Professor John Gibson, director of the Institute for Genetics and Bioinformatics based at the University of New England (UNE), coordinated the application with major research groups and peak industry bodies, including AWI, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC), the Sheepmeat Council of Australia and WoolProducers.
"The main feature of the new Sheep CRC will be a concerted effort to transform the rate at which new technology is adopted by the industry," Professor Gibson says. "We will ensure that there is a genuine customer focus and an understanding of market needs in defining the research."
An ambitious nationwide program of genetic screening will combine data from a comprehensive set of measured characteristics with extensive genotype analysis, to yield revolutionary DNA-based breeding values for accelerated genetic gain. The program will link with Sheep Genetics Australia and the SheepGenomics program, both partnerships between AWI and MLA. Work will start with a multi-site breeding program in February 2007, for which 100 industry sires have already been selected.
The CRC, to be located at UNE in Armidale, NSW, has 20 partners including the peak industry bodies, all state departments of primary industries, three sheep industry consulting companies, feed and technology companies and two universities.
AWI and MLA have each committed $10 million to the CRC over the next seven years, which means a cash budget of more than $55 million when combined with the Australian Government's investment of $35.5 million. With the in-kind allocation of research staff, and the value of the commitment to transforming the sheep industry, it means more than $100 million over the next seven years.
More information: www.sheepcrc.org.au
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