Ovita LoinMax Ram Breeding
Ovita (NZ) Ltd is a research & development consortium formed three years ago by Wool Equities Ltd, Meat NZ, and AgResearch to develop on-and off-farm opportunities from sheep genome research.
Landcorp and AgResearch have in the past done considerable research on the natural trait observed in some Polled Dorset sheep of having a larger loin eye muscle. Ovita has picked up the research and run with it. Essentially they have developed a predictive DNA test that locates specific sections of DNA that are very close to the gene that confers the increased loin muscle size, and so identifies sheep carrying the gene.
For the past 12 months they have been working with key Poll Dorset and composite breeders to validate the test, using it on 5000 animals. They are now confident that the test is accurate, and they have not identified any association between the trait itself and some other trait that might affect adversely affect stock, so that if breeders select for the larger loin trait they will not be inadvertently breeding in lower fertility etc.
The LoinMax test identifies carriers of the gene. If a ram has the requisite gene from both dam and sire (ie. carries both copies of the gene) it is designated LoinMax Gold, and so will pass on the 10% increase in loin size to its offspring. The test will now allow breeders to increase the frequency of the gene in their stud flocks and to produce LoinMax gold rams to meet demand from prime lamb production farmers.
The gene effect puts 10% on whatever is there, so the better the ewe you are putting the ram across the better the muscling of the progeny. Breeders can keep increasing the loin yield generation after generation, so it is a way to accelerate genetic improvement.
A conservative estimate based on modelling and work with meat companies puts the value of the extra return to both farmer and processor somewhere between $1.46 and $2.91 for a 16 kg carcass.
There must be physical limits to the size of muscle can reach and limits imposed by the body's natural control of the muscle to factor to bone ratios. However, during the validation Ovita was unable to pick any significant losses anywhere else in carcass, so at this stage they have found no negative associations with the LoinMax genes, no difference in the quality or production efficiency, lambing rate etc.
Ovita is now working with breeding partners to certify double copy carriers as LoinMax gold rams, so that commercial farmers buy a ram with a certificate from Catapult (the Ovita business unit commercialising the DNA tests) they can be sure that its progeny will express the LoinMax effect.
Currently there are no yield grading schemes in place for lamb. However, a number of meat companies have indicated that they are developing or very close to altering their payment systems to become yield based, and under that scenario the farmer will get paid directly for the specific cuts of meat. Since the loin is the most valuable cut, farmers should benefit directly.
It is believed that the gene originally came from the Horned Dorset breed, which was used in the development of the Poll Dorset breed. Working with 16 key Dorset breeders, Ovita has found that the frequency of the gene is about 10% in unselected stud flocks and significantly less in commercial flocks where its effect has been diluted. It has also been found in some composite animals that have Poll Dorset in their background, but not in other breeds.
It is likely that breeders focussing on other breeds, say, Romney, will introduce the gene into their flocks and then cross back to their original breed and retain the gene.
LoinMax is a world first in terms of a test for increase in muscle yield in sheep, and it will allow rapid acceleration of genetic gain. With ultrasound or other means a breeder might take five years to make the same progress that they can now make in one generation, so it really is a leap forward. However, Ovita points out that it is a single trait, and there are a lot of other traits that are equally or more important, such as fertility, muscling in other parts of the carcass, etc, and they are working on some of those.
Mike Tait, Ovitas Business Development Manager,
Tony Arthur, Marketing Manager, 03 4775920
Landcorp and AgResearch have in the past done considerable research on the natural trait observed in some Polled Dorset sheep of having a larger loin eye muscle. Ovita has picked up the research and run with it. Essentially they have developed a predictive DNA test that locates specific sections of DNA that are very close to the gene that confers the increased loin muscle size, and so identifies sheep carrying the gene.
For the past 12 months they have been working with key Poll Dorset and composite breeders to validate the test, using it on 5000 animals. They are now confident that the test is accurate, and they have not identified any association between the trait itself and some other trait that might affect adversely affect stock, so that if breeders select for the larger loin trait they will not be inadvertently breeding in lower fertility etc.
The LoinMax test identifies carriers of the gene. If a ram has the requisite gene from both dam and sire (ie. carries both copies of the gene) it is designated LoinMax Gold, and so will pass on the 10% increase in loin size to its offspring. The test will now allow breeders to increase the frequency of the gene in their stud flocks and to produce LoinMax gold rams to meet demand from prime lamb production farmers.
The gene effect puts 10% on whatever is there, so the better the ewe you are putting the ram across the better the muscling of the progeny. Breeders can keep increasing the loin yield generation after generation, so it is a way to accelerate genetic improvement.
A conservative estimate based on modelling and work with meat companies puts the value of the extra return to both farmer and processor somewhere between $1.46 and $2.91 for a 16 kg carcass.
There must be physical limits to the size of muscle can reach and limits imposed by the body's natural control of the muscle to factor to bone ratios. However, during the validation Ovita was unable to pick any significant losses anywhere else in carcass, so at this stage they have found no negative associations with the LoinMax genes, no difference in the quality or production efficiency, lambing rate etc.
Ovita is now working with breeding partners to certify double copy carriers as LoinMax gold rams, so that commercial farmers buy a ram with a certificate from Catapult (the Ovita business unit commercialising the DNA tests) they can be sure that its progeny will express the LoinMax effect.
Currently there are no yield grading schemes in place for lamb. However, a number of meat companies have indicated that they are developing or very close to altering their payment systems to become yield based, and under that scenario the farmer will get paid directly for the specific cuts of meat. Since the loin is the most valuable cut, farmers should benefit directly.
It is believed that the gene originally came from the Horned Dorset breed, which was used in the development of the Poll Dorset breed. Working with 16 key Dorset breeders, Ovita has found that the frequency of the gene is about 10% in unselected stud flocks and significantly less in commercial flocks where its effect has been diluted. It has also been found in some composite animals that have Poll Dorset in their background, but not in other breeds.
It is likely that breeders focussing on other breeds, say, Romney, will introduce the gene into their flocks and then cross back to their original breed and retain the gene.
LoinMax is a world first in terms of a test for increase in muscle yield in sheep, and it will allow rapid acceleration of genetic gain. With ultrasound or other means a breeder might take five years to make the same progress that they can now make in one generation, so it really is a leap forward. However, Ovita points out that it is a single trait, and there are a lot of other traits that are equally or more important, such as fertility, muscling in other parts of the carcass, etc, and they are working on some of those.
Mike Tait, Ovitas Business Development Manager,
Tony Arthur, Marketing Manager, 03 4775920