Monitoring and improving efficiency of healthy dairy products, farms and supply chains

This project centres on exploring the potential to extract key new information from the spectral analysis gained through the mid Infra Red testing of individual cow milk samples. The scope exists to use the spectral data gained from such testing to estimate the quantity of a range of fatty acids in milk. Such information is valuable in terms of assessing cow health, fertility and nutrition status and also can be used to estimate the methane emissions of the cow.

This project will focus on determining the potential to establish a number of new cow performance measures that will allow the dairy industry to optimise herd performance and maximise the lifetime yield of the herd. This in turn will not only boost the economic sustainability of dairying but also lessen the environmental impact of the sector.

Another aspect of the project will be to assess the heritability of certain fatty acid traits. It is anticipated that heritability will be shown to be a key determinant of certain fatty acid types. If this can be demonstrated through the project, breeding programmes can be developed that take these traits into account such that the genetic pool within the dairy herd is strengthened in the right areas, delivering improved cow health and potentially improving the healthiness of dairy products for human consumption.