Benchmarking gains momentum
With a national database processing genetic information on more than a million Merinos using a single language to express breeding values, Sheep Genetics Australia is keen to help improve access to this breeding tool
By Dr Gio Braidotti
In 2005, the support tools needed for measurement-based selective breeding of Merinos were brought together into a single database with a national scope that uses a single language to express breeding values. Operating as a joint program of AWI and Meat and Livestock Australia, the Sheep Genetics Australia (SGA) service aims to complement the skills of ram breeders and sheep classers, especially for traits not readily assessed visually, such as staple strength or internal parasite characteristics.
Despite uptake among breeders meeting expectations, SGA manager Richard Apps is keen to make it easier for growers to gain experience with the service. “The drought has seen the industry in survival mode for a number of years now, which may have created a hurdle to uptake,” he says. In response, Mr Apps is promoting a new program called ‘Try Before You Buy’.
“It provides the opportunity for breeders to trial MERINOSELECT, the SGA service dedicated to Merinos, by participating in a one-off non-commercial analysis free of charge,” Mr Apps says. “SGA staff will then visit the breeder – anywhere in Australia – and take them through the results.”
By converting objective measurements into breeding values, SGA can assist breeders to capture more value from objective measurement when making selection decisions. Because they are expressed using a single standard called ASBVs (Australian Sheep Breeding Values), the data can also help growers compare the genetic potential of rams and ewes and their progeny for a range of traits, across flocks, independent of environment.
Breeding values are typically expressed as the difference between an individual animal’s performance and the average performance of the flock in which the animal was run. For ram breeders and commercial wool producers, ASBVs are provided through MERINOSELECT.
SGA encompasses the following core trait groups: wool, growth, carcase, reproduction and internal parasite resistance.
The service has successfully drawn in data from previous genetic-evaluation services such as Merino Benchmark, CSIRO Select Breeding Services, Merino Genetic Services, Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association (AMSEA) Central Test Sire Evaluation databases and other independent providers.
“Technically, that was the main challenge – constructing a single, national system for Merinos that maximises the data’s value to industry,” Mr Apps says. “The service is also expected to evolve and is designed to incorporate new technologies as they arrive, including gene markers, new traits and electronic identification.”
A not-for-profit service, it works on the principle that delivery of genetic information that benefits individual producers should be paid for by the users. Industry has settled on an annual subscription per flock ($300) plus a fee for every animal entered into the database ($1.50).
An animal achieves a billable status when it has data entered into the MERINOSELECT database with a fleece weight or fibre diameter record. For owners of large-scale or multiple flocks, there is a maximum fee of $2500 per business.
More information: Sam Gill, MERINOSELECT project officer, 02 6773 2948; www.sheepgenetics.org.au
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