September 24, 2002

Dairying’s investment in biotechnology is beginning to pay off, with the launch today of BoviQuest, the New Zealand dairy industry’s biotechnology joint venture.

BoviQuest is a joint venture between Fonterra subsidiary ViaLactia Biosciences (NZ) Ltd. and Livestock Improvement.

Denis Jury, BoviQuest’s Product and Business Development Manager, said the joint venture will provide farmers with the ability to harness the recent and ongoing progress in genomics science to enhance the production and composition of milk, and address animal health issues such as mastitis – the ultimate aim being the ability to customise milk sourced from easy-care cows.

“This is being done through multiple projects. One project, known as the Friesian Jersey Crossbred Trial, brings the best of the two most popular dairy breeds together in a herd of elite crossbred animals. Research on these animals is generating a huge amount of data relating to such things as health, fertility, milk composition and other traits not routinely recorded in the national herd.”

“BoviQuest is also involved in gene discovery. Once we’ve clearly determined the benefits these discoveries offer farmers, we’ll advertise and select suitable organisations to commercialise the testing for these genes so these benefits can be passed on to farmers.”

BoviQuest has already identified two genes which affect the production of milkfat, protein and milk volumes. Tests have been developed to check for the presence of these genes, a process which will allow farmers to select for these characteristics in their breeding decisions. Denis Jury said a licence was in the process of being granted for the first of the two gene discoveries and said the New Zealand licence holder would be announcing its commercialisation within coming weeks. International licencees are currently being sought.