One BW, one reliable metric
Major dairy sector players are leading the way in developing a single, independent Breeding Worth (BW) aligned with the National Breeding Objective and incorporating genomic information.
Inside Dairy
1 min read
Genetic gain has long driven productivity on New Zealand dairy farms, contributing around half of all improvements. But in 2023, the Industry Working Group (IWG) formed to evaluate the current state of genetic improvement in the New Zealand dairy sector, found the rate of genetic gain in the national herd was lagging behind other advanced dairy sectors, and recommended changes to strengthen the genetic evaluation system.
For farmers, one of the biggest frustrations has been inconsistent assessments of animals’ genetic merit between companies, making it harder to compare sires and creating uncertainty in breeding decisions. These discrepancies mean farmers may not be capturing the full value of genetic gain.
In response, DairyNZ, NZ Animal Evaluation, Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) and CRV are working through the Future Focused Animal Evaluation (FFAE) work programme. They have formed a governance group, chaired by West Coast dairy farmer Rebecca Keoghan, to guide improvements for farmers and the sector.
A major project of the work programme is OneBW, which brings genomic and non-genomic evaluations together into a single, trusted BW index. This will be independently verified to provide farmers confidence in its accuracy and published by all parties.
“Farmers make breeding decisions every year that have a lasting impact on their herds and businesses,” NZ Animal Evaluation general manager Andrew Fear explains.
“With OneBW, the goal is to give them a single, trusted index that’s clear, consistent, and built for New Zealand’s system. That consistency is important for farmer confidence and for capturing the full value of genetic gain.”
The need for consistency is something the wider sector also values, says LIC chief scientist Richard Spelman.
“Genomics has been around for nearly 20 years. We’ve spent years refining how to make it work, and now we’ve reached an outcome that allows breeding companies to continue investing in their programmes while giving farmers a single, independent index to guide their breeding decisions.”
CRV managing director James Smallwood explains that while technical challenges remain, OneBW is an important step toward a consistent, trusted BW that farmers can rely on. “It will help them make more informed breeding decisions and support progress in genetic gain across New Zealand herds.”
Find updates about the FFAE Governance Group’s work at dairynz.co.nz/ffae
This article was originally published in Inside Dairy November-January 2026.
