Australia Implements New National Breeding Objective for Dairy Genetics

In December 2025, Australia enacted major changes to its National Breeding Objective (NBO), impacting dairy genetic evaluations. The updated system includes an enhanced genetic evaluation framework that aligns breeding value bases with contemporary production systems and economics.

A significant outcome of these updates is the general decrease in Animal Breeding Values (ABVs) across numerous traits. This reduction is largely due to the base update, which now benchmarks cows born in 2020, providing a more accurate foundation for future genetic selection.

Despite the decrease in ABVs, the Balanced Performance Index (BPI), Health Weighted Index (HWI), and Sustainability Index (SI) have increased. This growth is attributed to updated economic weightings, including adjustments in milk price valuations affecting fat and protein values.

Breed-specific impacts are evident, with Holsteins and Jerseys experiencing higher overall type and mammary ABVs. However, the fertility ABV for Holsteins saw a decline due to improvements in the broader population, and Jerseys showed a significant drop in milk litres ABV.

Additional enhancements include optimum expression markers for type traits and a new model for Survival ABV, which aim to balance production, health, fertility, and sustainability, supporting net farm profit and resilience.