Full-time GM for gene scheme
16 June 2000
MEDIA RELEASE
Farm
media and daily media farm editors
IMMEDIATE
Full-time
GM for gene scheme
[about 435 words]
Sheep Improvement Limited (SIL), the new national sheep genetic database, is looking for its first full-time general manager.
Shareholders Meat New Zealand and WoolPro will advertise the position shortly, with the aim of having the position filled well before the start of the next ram selling season.
WoolPro research manager Ken Geenty is the current general manager. He was appointed on a part-time basis two years ago, with a mandate to steer the venture through its research and development phase.
Now that SIL
is a commercial reality, board chairman Lochie MacGillivray
says a full-time general manager is essential to exploit the
business opportunities.
“Ken has done an excellent job
getting the venture up and running and winning the
commitment of flock recording bureaus. He can take
considerable pride in what he has achieved,” he
said.
“Also, in light of recent changes in science
funding policies, he is needed full-time in his technology
development and transfer role at WoolPro.”
MacGillivray
said sheep farmers had created a very valuable asset through
their investment in SIL.
“The challenge now is to build
the business and extract its full potential for the benefit
of the sheep industry,” he commented.
SIL has been
designed to help farmers greatly increase the rate of
genetic gain in their flocks. It was launched late last year
as the world’s largest sheep recording scheme and genetic
database.
More …
GM 2
By the end of May,
according to Mr MacGillivray, it had processed records for
more than 400 ram breeder flocks and 160,000 animals
nationwide. Some 40 million breeding values had been
generated in the process.
“Indexes for new disease traits
are being developed as well. One for facial eczema tolerance
is expected soon, followed by an index for InnerVision CT
scans of ram lean-muscling,” he said.
“Traits for other
diseases such as footrot resistance are also in the
pipeline.”
The SIL website, at
www.sheepimprovement.co.nz, received a face-lift in April
and by October, the start of the ram selling season, it will
host home pages for participating ram breeders.
Mr MacGillivray said commercial farmers should be thinking now of using SIL reports and information as the basis for making ram purchases next season.
“If you want to make genetic progress you must be able to objectively compare the breeding values of the rams on offer. You also need to know the breeder’s flock is making genetic progress.
“SIL reports enable you to do this. Without them, you might as well be buying a pig in a poke.”
[ends]
For more
information, please contact
Lochie MacGillivray, Tel 06
874 6681
Note to subeditors
Photos of Ken Geenty and
Lochie MacGillivray are available by e-mail. Please contact:
Trevor Walton or Greer Schick, Tel 04 473
9243