During recent decades dairy cattle breeding has produced ever larger and more productive dairy cows. They are often not suitable for organic and low input farms. Most organic farms practise artificial insemination (AI); therefore they often lack the right genetics on the male side. With the project "Bio-KB-Stiere", Bio Suisse and FiBL, together with Swissgenetics, the breeding organisations, and active organic breeders, will complement the existing range of AI-bulls with good organic bulls. A stakeholder group of around 40 people defined and published the criteria: Bull calves are chosen from well-managed organic farms in Switzerland with predominantly grazing in summer, with very little use of concentrates and antibiotics. They are descending from longevity-lines which are not tall and show very good functional traits. 4000 straws from 2x 8 bulls will be produced. The aim is to sell 300 straws per bull and year. With these bulls organic dairy cattle breeding will go a step forward towards healthy, long-living, roughage eating, grazing animals not using any arable land (except grass from crop rotation areas), closing nutrient cycles and reducing emissions.
Project lead
