The founder effect and genetic disease of cattle

Abstract

Extract

The derivation of large populations of beef cattle from a smallgenetic pool has been a feature of the cattle industry in this country from the earliest days of settlement. In recent years the importation of small numbers of exotic beef cattle and the rapiddissemination of this genetic material, aided by artificial breeding techniques, has further emphasised the need to make a close study of the possible sequelae of this phenomenon in the context of genetic disease and the “founder effect”. Care should be taken not to give disproportionate emphasis to negative effects of some cattle breeding practices because these can sometimes be outweighed by the positive benefits that may accrue from the very same practices. However, it is proposed to show how, with forethought and organisation, the genetic disadvantages that have accompanied our attempts to improve beef production could have been minimised. The beef industry is a national resource and although we are reluctant to stifle entrepreneurs in breeding or export, to whom much may be owed, it should be our aim to control, or prevent, the deleterious genetic legacy which can sometimes follow from their activities.