DNA beef plan ‘no threat’

By Luke Cranswick, 17 April, 2011

A project of taking African breed cattle DNA and fusing it with Australian cattle, will not threaten the local beef market, but strengthen it, according to proponents.

“It will help it because it adds more genetic diversity, and produces hybrid vigour,” said the main behind the project, Stewart Cranswick.

He says the main drive behind this project is to introduce a new breed and sell it into existing beef farms so they can introduce the positive genetics into their herd like hardiness for other types of climate, good meat conversion ratios.

Mr Cranswick said there was some recorded success, already.

“We currently have 330 cows and 140 bulls,” he said.

“The aim was to get them to cross breed which at thing point in time they currently are so that is successful, the result is the next stage we hope will succeed.  

 “In summary the Bonsmara DNA has all the toughness of a tropical breed but can produce beef and can cross well with all types.”

He said there were some difficulties faced when conducting the project, like avoiding certain diseases like foot and mouth disease.

 “Because of the diseases in Africa, they can only be introduced as embryos which are so very fragile, another is that we only had a 30% survival rate due to some of the cattle not accept the embryo,” said Mr Cranswick.

By transporting them as embryos they are too small to carry diseases so the chance of them passing on any diseases it almost non-existent. 

The project involves Bonsmara cattle embryos being transported from South Africa and implanting them inside the cows.

 The cattle were first bred by a man named John Bons some 70 years ago, the Bonsmara cattle are currently being farmed in Louis Trichardt, South Africa, by Gavin Bristow.

Both Mr Bristow and Mr Cranswick say they have received no ethical objection from members of the public on the matter and say the transporting of the embryos is done in a humane way.

“The cows are injected with hormones to make them super ovulate. Other than these injections,  their lives go on as normal,” said Mr Bristow.