Gene for meatiest lamb chops

Published August 6, 2002

SYDNEY: Australian scientists have begun work on a A$15 million (US$8.1 million) project to track down the gene that produces the meatiest lamb chops.

The sheep genomics project, which will study what sheep genes do and identify gene markers for desired characteristics, will also have the potential to identify parasite-resistant sheep, better disease tests and controls and deliver meatier lambs.

Funded by A$3 million a year in producer levies and matching federal government money, the five-year project is expected to produce the first full map of the sheep genome.

“The potential return to industry from basic research in this area of functional genomics is enormous,” Meat & Livestock Australia’s southern production research manager Hutton Oddy said in a statement.

The project will search for genes that determine muscle traits, meat quality and resistance to parasites and disease. It will also work on reproductive technologies to improve lamb survival and weaning percentages, Oddy said.

Intestinal parasites alone cost the Australian sheep industry more than A$300 million a year in chemical treatments and lost production. This was predicted to grow to A$1 billion by 2010, he said.

“The savings from the ability to identify sheep with parasite-resistant genes alone is huge,” he said.

The project will bring together scientists from different fields, including geneticists, cell biologists, animal physiologists, veterinarians and others.

It would also draw on research already underway in sheep functional genomics in New Zealand, the United States and the European Union, MLA said.—Reuters

Opinion

The Dar story continues

The Dar story continues

One wonders what the rationale was for the foreign minister — a highly demanding, full-time job — being assigned various other political responsibilities.

Editorial

Wheat protests
Updated 01 May, 2024

Wheat protests

The government should withdraw from the wheat trade gradually, replacing the existing market support mechanism with an effective new one over the next several years.
Polio drive
01 May, 2024

Polio drive

THE year’s fourth polio drive has kicked off across Pakistan, with the aim to immunise more than 24m children ...
Workers’ struggle
Updated 01 May, 2024

Workers’ struggle

Yet the struggle to secure a living wage — and decent working conditions — for the toiling masses must continue.
All this talk
Updated 30 Apr, 2024

All this talk

The other parties are equally legitimate stakeholders in the country’s political future, and it must give them due consideration.
Monetary policy
30 Apr, 2024

Monetary policy

ALIGNING its decision with the trend in developed economies, the State Bank has acted wisely by holding its key...
Meaningless appointment
30 Apr, 2024

Meaningless appointment

THE PML-N’s policy of ‘family first’ has once again triggered criticism. The party’s latest move in this...