RUSSIAN DELEGATION CHECKS OUT AUSSIE GENES A large delegation representing agricultural interests in Russia recently visited Genetics Australia Co-operative, Australia’s largest dairy genetics company. The delegation was part of a visit organised by the International Livestock Resources and Information Centre (ILRIC), based at Armidale NSW. Managing director of ILRIC, Mr. Gill Stassen, accompanied the delegation. The chairman of Genetics Australia, Colin Gardner, and the deputy chair, Jens Karnoe, welcomed the delegation to Genetics Australia’s facility at Bacchus Marsh. The delegation included Mr. Kharon Amerkhanov – deputy director of the Veterinary and Livestock Department of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Oleg Demkin – Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Kalmykia and Ms Olga Osadchaya – director of the Federal Agricultural Institute for Livestock. “We presented the delegation with an overview of Genetics Australia and the Australian dairy industry, and had a wide-ranging discussion about how we could assist Russia to increase its own livestock production via our proven high-class dairy cattle genetics”, Mr. Gardner said.
20 — JerseyJournal June/July 2007
Similar harsh conditions
“Australian dairy cows that have been proven under the Australian Breeding Value (ABV) system have a confirmed ability to withstand fairly harsh environmental conditions, very similar to those that exist in Russia, in which the majority of the dairy herd is pasture-based similar to ours,” he said. “We are very interested in assisting the Russian Government to improve the quality of their dairy cattle genetic foundation, and will be working closely with ILRIC to achieve this.” ILRIC is committed to developing exports for Australian genetics in both the beef and dairy industries, and has wide-ranging support from a large number of breed societies, industry and the commercial sector. It has around 20 major industry groups, breeders, processors and suppliers involved in the business, which is a not-for-profit organisation based at the University of New England.
Taking Australian genes to the world
“Australia does not really have much of a presence in the global genetics industry; other countries such as Canada predominate. Yet Australia has some of the best beef and dairy genetic stocks in the world, bred in particular for some fairly harsh environmental conditions,” Mr. Stassen said. “Our objective is to take Australian genetics to the world, and we are very pleased to be working closely with such an outstanding company as Genetics Australia,” he said.