Stability is again the theme amongst the breeds other than Holstein, where lower numbers tested inevitably generate less change across the Jersey, Friesian and Ayrshire Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI) rankings, published by AHDB Dairy.
Jersey
River Valley Cece Chrome retains his No 1 position within the Jersey breed, continuing to offer the highest production amongst the £PLI leaders, with a Predicted Transmitting Ability of 841kg milk and a combined fat plus protein of an impressive 64.6kg. Also offering a Type Merit of 2.2, his PLI is £546.
Retaining his second place is Danish VJ Raastrup Hihl Gislev (PLI £471), whose vastly different breeding pattern includes higher quality milk, a breed-leading Somatic Cell Count Index (SCC -22) and a favourable score for HealthyCow (£102).
A new bull enters the running at No 3 in the shape of VJ Ravninggaard Huus Hamlet. His high health credentials are rolled into a HealthyCow index of £168 and a PLI of £459.
Moving up to No 4 is VJ Hagenbjerggaard Hian Hitman (PLI £425) which is now one of the highest ranking HealthyCow bulls of the breed, at £169.
Rounding off the Jersey top five is VJ Aarre Lappe Lari (PLI £412), whose favourable index for Maintenance (-15) helps earn him one of the highest EnviroCow scores of the breed, at +2.6.
Ayrshire
Amongst the reds and Ayrshires, VR Vilano retains his No 1 position, with a PLI of £468. He offers good PTAs for production and daughter fertility (FI + 11.2), and a favourable EnviroCow of 2.8
Second ranking VR Gobel remains unchanged in his position, offering long daughter lifespans (+116 days) and a PLI of £467.
A shuffle in the rankings sees VR Vimpula move up to third position, transmitting the highest milk production of the breed, (PTA milk, 799kg), with an EnviroCow of 3.2 and a PLI of £456.
VR Alatalon Flame Feton drops slightly to No 4 (PLI £430), but takes the top spot for Fertility Index at +15.2.
Moving up to No 5 is VR Fabu, another daughter fertility improver (FI +13.3) – the highest bull on the ranking for HealthyCow (£238) and offering a PLI of £406.
Friesian
Carrickshock GTW remains unchanged as the top Friesian bull, at PLI £396, also maintaining his position with the second highest milk PTA at 546kg, and the highest fat (23.2kg) and protein (22.4kg).
Inch Persistent moves back up to the No 2 position, notable for his desirable Lifespan Index (+128 days). His PLI is £366.
Remaining at No 3 is Catlane Caleb, retaining excellent daughter credentials for fertility (FI +11.2), a top score for maintenance, EnviroCow of 2.2 and a PLI of £348.
Moving up to four is Manorpark Google, whose solid production PTA (481kg milk, 21.3kg fat and 15.8kg protein) help earn him a PLI of £316.
With a PLI of £307, Catlane Cromwell completes the Friesian top five, earning the best HealthyCow amongst the front-runners, at £209.
Other breeds
Other dairy breed indexes are published online (https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/dairy-breeding-and-genetics), where the Montbéliarde, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Shorthorn and Fleckvieh are all represented.
Marco Winters, head of animal genetics for AHDB added: “It’s important to note that £PLIs and their components cannot be compared across breeds. If that type of across-breed comparison is required, it can be done by using the Spring-Calving Index (£SCI) or Autumn-Calving Index (£ACI), depending on your production system.”
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