Some aspects of ASEAN / Australian dairy breed development : introduction.

Abstract

Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. Vol. 16 SOME ASPECTS OF ASEAN/AUSTRALIAN DAIRY BREED DEVELOPMENT INTRODUCTION G.I. ALEXANDER* The development of the Australian Friesian Sahiwal (AFS) breed of dairy cattle presents an example of how a project originally designed to benefit Queensland dairyfarmers can be extended to assist in the development of a dairy industry in Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. The original aim of the AFS project was to develop a tick resistant, heat tolerant breed of dairy cattle for use in Queensland. Such a breed would take on particular significance if current methods of tick control became inoperative or uneconomical. In the first paper presented here, the principal aim of the dairy development programme in Sabah, Malaysia, was to diversify the activities and improve the income of the small farmer and to provide an additional and relatively cheap source of protein in the diet of the people in the country. Some of the problems associated with the development of a dairy industry in Sabah are discussed. The second paper outlines the development of the AFS breed to date and discusses the reasons why more rapid gains can be expected in the future particularly resulting from the use of multiple ovulation and embryo transfer. The third paper discusses some of the results obtained with embryo transfer so far and indicates some of the areas in which more work will be required in the future. The final paper examines the ways in which new genetic material can be included in an existing population and looks at the advantages and disadvantages of the various options available. * Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane, Queensland 4000 Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. Vol. 16