In an address to more than 70 conference visitors to Agresearch’s Inver-may campus near Mosgiel, animal genomics scientist John McEwan exp-lained the progress to date and potential of recent advances in DNA sequencing tools for sheep breeders.

Sheep and beef farms accounted for an estimated 81 per cent of New Zealand’s pastoral land area and that dominance was not likely to change much in future, Mr McEwan said.

Figures from the Meat and Wool Board’s Economic Service over the past 15 years compared productivity of the different farming sectors.

The beef industry had increased carcase weights by 7 to 8 per cent and the dairy industry had increased production per cow by 25 per cent.

“But just compare that to the huge increase in productivity the sheep industry has done,” Mr McEwan said.

Lambing percentages had increased by 17-18 per cent, average lamb weights by about 17 per cent and kilograms of lambs per ewe had increased by 72 per cent during the same period, he said.

“The point I’m trying to make here is that the sheep industry should hold its head up high, because we’ve made massive gains in productivity.”

A large proportion of those gains had come from genetic improvement, much of that through programmes like Sheep Improvement Ltd, a performance recording and genetic evaluation service for Kiwi sheep farmers.

Based on figures from Invermay’s Coopworth research flock, Mr McEwan said over a 10-year period, the genetic improvement in sheep was worth $1.40 a head annually.

For an average flock of 2500 ewes, that added genetic value translated into an annual increase in productivity of about $35,000 per farm, or $378 million annually to the sheep industry.

“The sheep industry, and you guys as breeders, have been doing a damn good job,” Mr McEwan said.

“When your dairy farming neighbour starts waxing on how good their industry is, let’s just point out you are doing a lot better job than they are as far as genetic improvement of the industry goes.”

Mr McEwan said the sheep breeding industry alone stood to make vital genetic gains worth many millions of dollars annually to New Zealand from recent advances in technology.

He outlined the rapid progress in technology since the DNA sequencing of the sheep genome was completed at Otago University in 2007.

Whole genome selection was a major scientific advance for the industry and he expected products from this technology would become available within a year, “probably within the next six to nine months”.

“Now is the time to think about how you’re going to use it,” Mr McEwan told Texel breeders. “It’s as accurate as progeny testing an animal, but it can be done at birth.”

DNA sequencing technology only became available for cattle in October/November 2007, but it was implemented by the New Zealand dairy industry within a year, where it was estimated to offer a 50 to 70 per cent increase in genetic gain.

Although it was still too early to predict the potential for sheep breeders, Mr McEwan said it “appears to be very similar to what people have got with dairy cattle.”

After their Invermay visit, Texel breeders visited eight studs in the south during their three-day annual breeders conference, based in Gore.

robtipa@clear.net.nz