Why is ICBF studying deformed calves?

Find out how farmers can benefit from scientific research into calves with defective genes.

Caitríona Murphy

1 February 2017

A genetic mutation in one single Holstein bull cost the US dairy industry $420m but he also contributed $30bn by giving his daughters superior milk production genes.

ICBF is studying genetic defects in calves in order to find the causative mutation for the defects in their genes. When the gene mutation can be identified, ICBF will be able to identify carriers of the defect and this will help in making breeding decisions. Eventually farmers should be able to test for specific genetic diseases.

ICBF is studying genetic defects in calves in order to find the causative mutation for the defects in their genes.

When the gene mutation can be identified, ICBF will be able to identify carriers of the defect and this will help in making breeding decisions. Eventually farmers should be able to test for specific genetic diseases.

“The US dairy industry loses $11m every year in carrier-to-carrier mating. That’s based on 9m breeding cattle and only 15 known lethal or unwanted diseases,” explained McClure. “In Ireland we have 6.7m cattle and 160 known lethal or unwanted diseases but we don’t know yet how much money is being lost.

“You can’t fix something you don’t know about so that’s why we are asking farmers, vets and anyone who can help to tell us about defective animals.”

In 2014, an Irish farmer reported cattle with progressive ataxia, a disease that causes lack of coordination in cattle when stressed. Animals appear normal until around 18 to 24 months of age, when their coordination gets worse until the animals cannot rise and die.

Genetic test

French scientists found the mutation responsible for progressive ataxia and work is under way to develop a genetic test for the disease. A similar process is under way to identify the mutation responsible for atresia (waterbelly) so that within a short time farmers can breed animals without worrying if their calf will be afflicted.

The ICBF is particularly interested in hearing from farmers who have animals with atresia (waterbelly), cleft nostril, cleft palate, dwarfism, photosensitisation, schistosoma reflexus (a birth defect resulting in the malformation of the entire body), ventricular septal (heart) defect and wry neck.

To report an unusual calf or older animal, go to icbf.com or email health@icbf.com.

Celebrity mutant: Pawnee Farm Arlinda Chief

The Hostein bull Pawnee Farm Arlinda Chief had perhaps the most famous genetic mutation in the world.

Born in the US in 1962, Chief was a pivotal sire in the national and international dairy breeding world. With 16,000 daughters, 500,000 granddaughters and 2m great granddaughters, he contributed about 14% of the current DNA in the global Holstein population. In 2016, scientists discovered that Chief was responsible for massive fertility problems in the dairy herd and had cost the dairy industry a whopping $420m.

The reason? Chief passed on a genetic mutation that causes spontaneous abortions during pregnancy, HH1.

He is believed to be responsible for an estimated half million spontaneous abortions. It’s not all bad news for Chief, though.

The same scientists estimated that the genes he passed on for increased milk output in his daughters, granddaughters and great granddaughters led to a massive $30bn increase in milk production over 35 years.

Deformed calves under the spotlight

Jenny, the calf with no eyes