Brazilian genetics advances in Latin America with genomic evaluation

In September, Embrapa Dairy Cattle sent the first genomic evaluation of dairy Gir herds to Mexico, marking an important step in the internationalization of Brazilian bovine genetics. This technology had previously been sent to Bolivia in May of this year, and the expectation is to expand the service to 11 other Latin American countries by 2025. Among the next countries to receive the evaluations are Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The initiative is part of the National Dairy Gir Improvement Program (PNMGL), developed by Embrapa in partnership with the Brazilian Association of Dairy Gir Breeders (ABCGIL). According to Embrapa researcher Marcos Vinícius G. B. Silva, the export of this genetics places Brazil in a prominent position as a reference in cattle improvement for regions with tropical climates, consolidating the economic importance of bovine genetics for the country. The ...