Miratorg expands the program of genomic evaluation of dairy cattle

On March 19, 2024, representatives of the administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Ryazan Region, as well as specialists from various livestock organizations in the region, visited the Miratorg genetic laboratory in the Domodedovo urban district.

The meeting was dedicated to introducing the guests to the laboratory and employees of the Miratorg Genomic Selection Center: a tour and a meeting were held, the results of which were agreements on the start of the implementation of the program for genomic evaluation of dairy cattle in the Ryazan Region. Having inspected the laboratory's production facilities, specialists from livestock farms in the Ryazan Region noted the importance of genetic analysis for breeding work and increasing the productivity of livestock enterprises.

Thus, in cooperation with Miratorg, the program of genomic evaluation of dairy cattle productivity is expanding, growing with farms in different regions of RUSSIA. Genomic selection programs play an important role in the country's food security, so they have been actively developed due to support from the state. Thus, in the Moscow region, up to 80% of farmers' costs for participation in the program are subsidized by the state, and about 8 thousand animals from 10 breeding farms have already been examined within the framework of the program.

Another successful example of the implementation of the genomic selection project is the cooperation of the Center with the Voronezh State Agrarian University named after Emperor Peter I. As part of the interaction with the Voronezh State Agrarian University, the Miratorg Genomic Selection Center examined four thousand heads of dairy cattle for genetically determined diseases and trained a number of specialists and teachers of the university. The successful implementation of these programs will allow the formation of a unified approach to solving the problem of genomic selection, which can be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture throughout Russia.

"Miratorg Agroholding is actively conducting scientific work in order not to depend on foreign genetic material of cattle, pigs and sheep. Genomic selection is a breeding method based on the study of the animal's DNA sequence. The laboratory of the Miratorg Genomic Selection Center is capable of conducting up to 400 thousand studies of farm animal DNA per year and is among the top 10 global genetic veterinary laboratories in terms of productivity. The Center is recognized as an achievement of Russia and the Moscow Region. Genomic selection opens up great potential for predicting the breeding value of animals, since immediately after birth it is possible to identify livestock with traits important for animal husbandry, including fertility, disease resistance, rate of muscle gain, consumer qualities of MEAT, quality and MILK yield of dairy products, etc. To achieve this, it is necessary to correctly select pairs for crossing," the press service of Miratorg Agroholding commented.