Functional Traits Working Group

The page shows introductory information about the Functional Traits Working Group, its composition and documents produced by the WG

Chairperson

Christa Egger-Danner ZuchtData EDV-Dienstleistungen GmbH, Austria

Members

Andrew John Bradley Quality Milk Management Services, United Kingdom
Luiz Brito Purdue University, USA
B. Cole Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding, USA
Nicolas Gengler University of Liège – Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Belgium
Marie Haskell Scotland’s Rural College, UK
Bjorg Heringstad Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Science, Norway
Jennie Pryce Victorian Department of Primary Industries, Australia
Melissa Stephen DairyNZ and Massey University, New Zealand
Kathrin F. Stock VIT, Germany
Elsa Vasseur McGill, Canada

• 

The Members of the Functional Traits Working Group in 2013
at Aarhus with Ole Klejs Hansen .

Terms of Reference of the Working Group

The last version of the Terms of Reference of the Functional Traits Workng Group are available here

Webinars and Workshops

• The files presented at the workshop on “Using sensor data for animal health and welfare improvement along the dairy value chain: merits and requirement” held in Toledo in May 2023 are available here
• The files presented at the webinar on “Recording and evaluation of BCS and its relationship with health and welfare”. 31 May 2022 are available here
• The video of the ICAR/IDF webinar on “Recording and evaluation of Body Condition Score and its relationship with health and welfare” held during the ICAR Annual Conference in Montreal on 31 May 2022 is available here
• The video of the ICAR/IDF webinar on “Harmonisation on animal-Based indicators to promote welfare in dairy cows” held on 26 April 2021 will be soon available here
• The video of the ICAR/IDF webinar held on February 2021 “Frameworks for animal welfare assessment” is available here
• The video of the ICAR/IDF webinar held in June 2020 on “Animal-based indicators to promote welfare in dairy cows” is available here

Documents

• ICAR Guideline on Lameness in Dairy Cattle
• ICAR Guidelines on Calving traits in dairy cattle
• ICAR Guidelines on female fertility in cattle
• ICAR Claw Health Atlas (2nd edition)
  • Appendix 1: Digital Dermatitis Stages (M-stages)
  • Appendix 2: Digital Dermatitis-Associated Claw Horn Lesions
• Guidelines on Functional Traits, including a new section on claw health
• Invited review: Genetics and claw health: Opportunities to enhance claw health by genetic selection
• The ICAR Claw Health Atlas is available here while the page containing the many translations of the Atlas into different languages and the posters is available here
• Files presented at the Udder Health Meeting, Edinburgh, June 2017
• EuroTier – Claw health dialogue between science and practice
• Review paper on metabolic disorder
• Female fertility guidelines
• Scientific manuscript published on “Animal” (12 Nov. 2014). “Invited review: overview of new traits and phenotyping strategies in dairy cattle with a focus on functional traits (C. Egger-Danner, J. B. Cole, J. E. Pryce, N. Gengler, B. Heringstad, A. Bradley and K. F. Stock)
• Files presented in Berlin (May 2014) at the meeting of the Functional Traits Session
• ICAR Technical Series: Health Data Conference in Aarhus 2013
• Health guidelines and health key

Activities

The objective of the working group is to write a portfolio of recommendation sheets on recording, evaluation and genetic improvement for functional traits in dairy cattle.
Recent priorities of work are:

• Collaboration between ICAR and IDF on harmonisation of animal-based welfare indicators
• Presently, the FT WG is focussed in the development of an on-line survey to collect animal based welfare parameters
• Guideline for claw health have been published in the ICAR Guidelines (Section 8)
• General health – Guidelines approved 2012
• Health workshop – Organised in Aarhus 2013
• Udder health – Guidelines in process of updating
• Female fertility – Guidelines approved at the 39th ICAR Biennial Session (Berlin, May 2014)
• Calving ease and stillbirth +
• Feet and legs problems – publication of ICAR Claw Health Atlas June 2015
• Workability ++
• Survival ++
• Metabolic stress +++