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Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies
It is a collaborative venture between 19 partner organizations from Australia, New Zealand, Korea and the USA, with associate partners from Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic, France and South Africa.
It focuses on four beef industry priority issues (high quality beef, feed efficiency, adaptation and cattle welfare and improved reproductive performance) to capture unique opportunities for Australia through world-class gene discovery and gene expression research and accelerated adoption of beef industry technologies to improve profitability, productivity, animal welfare and responsible resource use of Australian beef businesses.
The Centre commenced operations as a third-term CRC in July 2005. Research outcomes are aimed at providing Australia with the ability to consistently produce beef products of exacting specifications to meet the needs of domestic consumers and those of the 110 countries to which we export, thereby ensuring Australia’s position as World’s Number 1 Beef Trader.
The new Beef CRC is targeting an additional 1.5% p.a. increase in gross revenue of the Australian beef industry, estimated at $179 million per annum from 2012, with total expected benefits of the new CRC research being more than $2 billion over 25 years.
It is using emerging genetic technologies to:
- improve the capacity to deliver high quality beef to Australia’s 110 global markets using cattle of known genetic merit for exacting specifications, without compromising animal welfare or the environment;
- enhance beef yield and herd reproductive efficiency, improve efficiency of resource use, reduce production costs, minimise methane emissions and avoid chemical and antibiotic residues through precise application of knowledge about the genes controlling these attributes in cattle, their rumen microorganisms and in parasites that affect cattle productivity; and
- ensure Australia is the number one supplier of beef to meet the growing demand by neighbouring Asian countries to 2020.
Planned CRC Research Outcomes
The Australian beef industry identified four high priority beef industry issues with best potential to capture the new opportunities. These priorities are now the targets for each of the Beef CRC’ s scientific programs, which plan to achieve the outcomes identified below.
Program 1 – High Quality Beef for Global Consumers
- From 2012, 10% of Australian beef sires will be evaluated for multiple DNA tests that account for 50% of the genetic differences in carcase yield, marbling and beef tenderness, increasing annual gross revenues in the Australian beef industry by $43 million for improved beef quality and a further $15.5 million for increased retail beef yield.
- By 2012, the compliance rate for cattle achieving market specifications will be increased by 20% with concomitant improvements in profitability due to improved operational, environmental and production efficiencies and increased throughput across the supply chain.
- By 2012, palatability prediction models, customised for international markets, will be developed and used by at least two of our key trading partners.
Program 2 – Feed Efficiency, Maternal Productivity and Responsible Resource Use
From 2012, feed costs for the national beef herd will be reduced by $15.5 million per annum without impacting on cattle weight gain, through genetic improvement of feed efficiency in seedstock cattle. - From 2012, breeding herd efficiency (kg calf / MJ energy per cow and calf unit) will be improved on average by 0.5% per annum in at least 50% of specialist beef enterprises in temperate Australia.
- By 2012, c ommercial products and management strategies developed by the CRC will be used by 50% of feedlots and 20% of grazing enterprises to decrease methane emissions from beef cattle by 20% and increase dietary energy captured for production by 5–10%.
Program 3 – Adaptation and Cattle Welfare
- From 2012, the combined effects of reduced parasite control costs and improved productivity from use of optimally adapted cattle and improvements in animal welfare will increase the gross annual revenue of the Australian beef industry by $43 million.
Program 4 – Female Reproductive Performance
- Every year from 2012 an improvement of $46.5 million will be achieved in the gross annual revenue of the Australian beef industry due to improved reproductive performance of the beef breeding herd with no impact on breeder herd mortalities due to younger age of joining and with cows rearing their calves to normal weaning age of 6-9 months .
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