15 August 2024 From Farm to Future: Queensland Paves the Way for More Resilient Beef Industry

Queensland's beef and dairy industry is poised for significant advancements thanks to a collaborative project between Nbryo Pty Ltd, a Queensland livestock company, and Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics. The project is proudly supported by Advance Queensland’s Industry Research Projects through funding of more than $600,000 to develop a novel technology for selecting high-quality embryos.

Queensland’s Burgeoning Industry

Queensland’s agriculture industry is known globally for its high production and quality standards. As a vital contributor to the Queensland economy, the agriculture industry exported 58% of the State’s agricultural output, or more than $8.54 billion worth of agriculture and food products in 2020-21.

However, Queensland beef and dairy farmers are facing significant pressure to address production, environmental, social and animal welfare issues whilst managing climate impacts and diminishing natural resources.

Revolutionising Embryo Selection

Nbryo is developing a suite of technologies focused on embryo development, selection and multiplication, quality control and quality assurance, embryo preservation and implantation, and analytics. Focusing on a non-invasive and rapid method for identifying viable embryos with desired traits. This innovative technology has the potential to revolutionise the cattle industry by enabling producers to select embryos with greater precision and efficiency.

Potential benefits include:

• Enhanced Productivity: By selecting embryos with superior genetic characteristics, breeders can elevate the overall quality of their herds.
• Improved Herd Health: The ability to select embryos free from disease can contribute to improved overall herd health.
• Reduced Expenses: Selecting the most suitable embryos from the outset allows breeders to avoid the financial burden of raising animals that do not meet their production targets.

The Nbryo Technology

While in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer have been established practices in embryo development for decades, the high costs have limited its application primarily to high-value seed stock producers. The Nbryo technology aims to reduce the cost of embryo-based breeding by at least tenfold.

The development of this novel embryo selection technology has the potential to make a substantial contribution to the sustainability and profitability of Queensland's beef and dairy industry.