Page 45 - Green knowledge 2025

Photo: Morten Günther
Prevents inbreeding in rare cattle breeds
It is now easier to avoid inbreeding in rare Norwegian cattle breeds. NIBIO has developed
a web-based tool that allows farmers to check the level of inbreeding between their own
cows and one or more breeding bulls.
Previously, individual livestock owners could not
carry out such simulations themselves. Farmers had
to submit a request to NIBIO, which performed the
calculations manually – a time-consuming process.
“Farmers can now simulate matings themselves,”
says Anna Caroline Holene, senior adviser at the
Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre.
The dominant cattle breed in Norway is Norwegian
Red (NRF). Before this breed became almost synony-
mous with cattle production, there were many local
and smaller cattle breeds. However, they produced
less than NRF.
way’s rare cattle breeds. Today, none of the conser-
vation-worthy breeds are critically endangered.
The greatest threat to a small breed is a rapid
increase in inbreeding. With the information in
Kuregisteret, it is possible to monitor both popula-
tion size and inbreeding trends in the herds.
Kuregisteret is also used as a breeding tool, enabling
simulations of matings between cows and potential
breeding bulls, whether farm bulls or artificial
insemination sires.
By the late 1980s, these breeds had become so rare
that they were close to extinction. A comprehensive
conservation effort was launched, and in 1989 the
pedigree registry Kuregisteret was established. This
forms the foundation of conservation work for Nor-
“A simulated mating shows the inbreeding level in
the expected offspring, and the producer receives
advice on whether it is a suitable or unsuitable com-
bination. Combined with a focus on using many dif-
ferent bulls in breeding, this makes it possible to
minimise inbreeding in these small populations,”
Holene concludes.
Purpose: Contact: Prevent inbreeding among rare Norwegian cattle breeds.
Senior Adviser Anna Caroline Holene, Division of Survey and Statistics.
Email: anna.holene@nibio.no | Phone: +47 948 27 598.
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