The ability of scientists to improve health and disease management of cattle and enhance the nutritional value of beef and dairy products has received a major boost with the release this week of the most complete sequence of the cow genome ever assembled.

“This is very valuable information,” Dr Ross Tellam says. “We could potentially achieve as much improvement in cattle breeding and production in 50 years as we have over the last 8000 years of traditional farming.”

Cattle geneticists will use the bovine genome as a template to highlight genetic variation within and between cattle breeds, and between cattle and other mammal species.

“We can use this data to identify those genes that are involved in important functions like lactation, reproduction, muscling, growth rate and disease resistance,” Dr Brian Dalrymple says.

I wonder how much guidance will come from considerations of public health and nutrition — and how much from agri-business and Walt Disney?

[Thanks to SN for reminding me of this illustration]