BEEF producers could improve the health and welfare of cattle in their herds and reduce their reliance on antibiotics to treat disease by simply having the right tools to select immune competence traits in their cattle, researchers suggest.
The Immune Competence Project, led by CSIRO and co-funded by Meat and Livestock Australia, will look at 1500 steers and heifers each year from the NSW DPI Southern Multi Breed herd over a two-year period.
Researchers will measure immune-specific traits that are expected to relate to an animal’s ability to respond to specific health challenges faced…
