Chinese scientists at the Northwest A&F University are revolutionizing the dairy industry with their successful cloning of three cows from the highly productive Holstein Friesian breed. These ‘super cows’ are capable of producing an impressive 18 tons of milk per year, and over 100 tons in their lifetime.
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The first cloned calf weighs 56.7 kilograms, measuring 76 centimeters tall and 113 centimeters long at birth, bearing the exact shape and skin pattern of its cloned target. The team, led by Jin Yaping, plans to build a herd of over 1,000 of these ‘super cows’ as a foundation to tackle China’s reliance on overseas dairy.
China currently has 6.6 million Holstein Friesian cattle imported over the years, but only five in 10,000 of these cattle are highly productive. Breeding can be difficult as they are scattered throughout the country. With the constantly improving demand for dairy products as the middle class grows, the cloning of ‘super cows’ provides a solution to China’s reliance on overseas dairy.
While some countries have banned the sale of Holstein Friesian cattle to China, the cloning of these ‘super cows’ presents a promising solution to China’s increasing need for highly productive dairy cattle. The success of the cloning project at the Northwest A&F University marks a significant step forward in the dairy industry and in China’s efforts to become self-sufficient in dairy production.