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Impact: Economic / animal health and welfare / environment: Improved profitability and sustainability of the UK dairy industry.
Significance: The use of the Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI) increased the profitability of the dairy sector by an estimated £634M in 2008-2013 and reduced the greenhouse gas emissions from the sector by an estimated 8.4%.
Beneficiaries: Dairy producers, breeding companies, general public/environment, dairy cattle welfare and health.
Attribution: Drs Wall, Mrode (SRUC), and Brotherstone (UoE), Profs. Coffey, Simm, Stott, Veerkamp, Oldham (SRUC), and Woolliams (UoE/Roslin)
Reach: UK dairy industry. Tools developed, such as the routine recording of body condition score, and using these data in national genetic evaluations, have been widely adopted internationally, including in major dairy genetics exporting countries such as the USA, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
In the UK, one in seven dairy calves dies annually during rearing. Herd profitability is reduced further by calfhood disease and suboptimal growth rates, delaying age at first calving and reducing milk output. Professor Claire Wathes's longstanding scientific interests in dairy cattle reproduction and development have led to a broader farming industry appreciation of this issue, and to new approaches that address the economic loss and welfare issue it represents. Her results are now incorporated into professional and practical advice from DairyCo (industry levy board); Defra; farm veterinarians; commercial feed companies; opinion leaders in dairy farming; and the specialist farming media.
Since 2011, an estimated 3 million UK milk consumers have benefitted each year from research conducted at the University of Reading, which has helped reduce saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in milk and milk products. The research, which was carried out between 2004 and 2013, manipulated dairy cows' diets to produce milk with reduced saturated fat and increased unsaturated fat content. Leading UK retailer, Marks and Spencer (M&S), used this research to support its suppliers in providing a new diet regime for their dairy cows, launching a new low saturated fat M&S milk in October 2011. The launch of this healthier milk product has led to (i) improved diets and reduced associated health risks (heart disease, obesity and cancer) for M&S customers (ii) reduced use of non-sustainable palm oil in cow diets (iii) reduced harmful greenhouse gas emissions (iv) increased sales for M&S and enhanced reputation in terms of quality and corporate social responsibility (v) increased payment contracts for milk producers and (vi) new techniques to measure fatty acids in milk for the dairy industry.
The University of Nottingham (UoN) has been at the forefront of research into intramammary infections during the non-lactating (dry) period in dairy herds. This research, disseminated through presentations to key stakeholders and veterinary textbooks, has changed clinical and farmer practices as evidenced by international disease/welfare reports, national control programmes and increased use of non-antibiotic teat sealants. The work has culminated in the launch of a novel software tool that uses the research findings to provide a farm-specific decision aid, which benefits the business activities of dairy farmers and improves animal health and welfare.
Impact on productivity, the economy and the environment: UK dairy farmers can select the best animals for breeding using analysis of a wide range of traits, leading to improved productivity, greater efficiency and reduced environmental impact, because of UoE research creating a UK Test Day Model (TDM) and an overall Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI)
Beneficiaries: The principal beneficiary is the dairy industry, specifically dairy farmers who are able to generate higher profits. This has benefits for UK consumers and the economy by keeping milk prices lower. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions associated with more efficient dairy farming practices has global benefits.
Significance and Reach: The genetic evaluation system enabled by the PLI and TDM has resulted in a financial benefit to the UK dairy industry of an estimated £440M over the period 2008-2013.
Attribution: The quantitative genetic research was led by Dr Sue Brotherstone and Professor Bill Hill of the School of Biological Sciences, UoE, with colleagues at Roslin Institute (UoE; UoA6) and SRUC (also returned with UoE in UoA6) as described below.
Impact: Economic: Genomic selection has revolutionised, and is now standard practice, in the major dairy cattle, pig and chicken breeding programmes, worldwide and provides multiple quantifiable benefits to breeders, producers, consumers and animals.
Significance: Increased food production world-wide
Beneficiaries: Breeding companies, primary producers, consumers, livestock.
Attribution: Work led by Haley and Woolliams (Roslin Institute now part of UoE).
Reach: Methodologies applied worldwide in livestock improvement, and more recently applied in human genetics and plant breeding.
Dairy-cow herds in the UK and overseas, together with the dairy farming industry, are benefiting from strategic animal-husbandry changes and lameness-control programmes underpinned by research undertaken at the University of Bristol since 1997. The dissemination by the UK Dairy Levy Board of national Standardised Lameness Scores (the DairyCo Mobility Scoring system, launched in 2008) and of Husbandry Advisory Tools (the DairyCo Healthy Feet Programme, launched in 2011) was a direct result of Bristol's work. It has led to the widespread adoption of lameness scoring as a farm-management tool, the inclusion of lameness assessment within certification schemes and a nationwide network of trained `mobility mentors'. Where implemented, this advisory support has resulted in a significant drop in lameness prevalence, thereby improving welfare and reducing the economic losses associated with treating and culling lame cows. Successful engagement with industry groups throughout the research process has ensured that scientific outputs have been rapidly implemented within the farming community. This approach has been adopted internationally with the scoring system being used by Europe's largest dairy company and a modified version is also being promoted by the New Zealand dairy industry.
The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for their pain-relieving properties in cattle medicine has lagged behind that of other species (e.g. companion animals) where analgesic use is now routine. University of Nottingham (UoN) research exploring the attitudes of vets and farmers to the use of NSAIDs in cattle, and subsequent marketing by Boehringer Ingelheim, a multinational pharmaceutical company, has led to a substantial increase in analgesic use. UoN research increased sales for Boehringer Ingelheim and almost doubled the UK market value of NSAIDs for use in cattle. With administration of up to 2 million additional doses per year, the research had clear benefits for animal welfare.
The University of Nottingham (UoN) led research that resulted in the design, evaluation and national implementation of a new approach to mastitis control on British dairy farms; the `DairyCo Mastitis Control Plan'. The programme, which commenced in 2009, was implemented on farms holding 10-15% of all British dairy cows. The uptake of the scheme is continually increasing and has generated savings to the British dairy industry to the order of £5-10M per annum.
Research at the University of Nottingham (UoN) has had influence on development of health policy in the UK and internationally. It is recognised that the risk of diseases related to obesity and insulin resistance, is partly determined by the nutritional environment experienced during early life. Against a background of scepticism researchers at the UoN have generated data that has been critical in demonstrating the biological plausibility of such associations. This has influenced expert panels and non-governmental organisations in framing their current recommendations for nutrition in pregnancy and infancy, which benefit women and children worldwide.