The massive improvement in food production, as a result of effective genetic selection
combined with advancements in farming practices, has been one of the greatest …

Context A high level of acceptance and use of breeding indices by farmers and breeding
companies that target a National breeding objective is an effective strategy to achieve high …

Welfare and other aspects of sustainability are becoming increasingly important in consumer-
purchasing decisions. This chapter introduces a number of key welfare issues affecting the …

Untitled Page 1 Page 2 Understanding the behaviour and improving the welfare of dairy
cattle Page 3 It is widely recognised that agriculture is a significant contributor to global …

In recent years, cattle have gained importance in many areas of research such as molecular
biology, genetic engineering, biotechnology and clinical research, and their increased use is …

Context The national breeding objective in New Zealand (NZ) was designed with the
intention to breed dairy cows that efficiently convert feed into profit. The breeding worth …

The high prevalence of lameness in dairy cattle is a critical issue for the industry. Despite
having a low heritability, considerable genetic variability is associated with the risk of …

Sole haemorrhage (SH), sole ulcers (SU), and white line lesions (WL), collectively referred
to as claw horn lesions (CHL), are important causes of lameness in dairy cattle. This thesis …

243 from a milk production (ie, output) focus to have a large proportion of genetic gain
emanating from traits associated with the cost of production, in particular animal health traits …