£1.1m funding to develop genetic solutions for chronic infectious disease in sheep

A collaborative research team has been awarded a £1.1million grant to tackle the devastating impact of Maedi-visna (MV), a chronic infectious disease affecting sheep and goats. This ground-breaking project seeks to develop genetic resistance to MV, potentially transforming sheep farming and enhancing animal welfare worldwide. The three-year award involves project partners from the Moredun Research Institute and the University of Nottingham.

Samuel Boon, AHDB said “AHDB are delighted to be involved in this project. Maedi Visna is an important disease in the UK which causes significant losses on commercial farms. It is interesting and encouraging to find a naturally occurring source of genetic variation that appears to have a significant impact on resistance/susceptibility. This work brings the genomic opportunity for ram producers that are engaged in genotyping their breeding stock firmly into focus”

For the full press release click here

Posted by Laura Eyles on 26 Jun 2024

News, Articles, Press release, Sheep

About the author

Laura Eyles

Laura has joined the Signet team as a breeding specialist, she comes from an agricultural background having grown up on a sheep farm in Cornwall, where they keep commercial ewes and run a small flock of pedigree Charollais sheep.

Laura has a strong interest in animal breeding and genetics having studied Animal Science (BSc Hons) at Harper Adams University. During her time at Harper, she spent an industrial placement in Cumbria working for a sheep breeding company and some of our clients may recognise her from this role. Since graduating she has worked for a large cattle breeding company before joining us at Signet to lead on a number of Signet’s sheep breeding projects.