The University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute and animal breeding company Hendrix Genetics have established a research agreement to improve the sustainability of animal production.
 
Researchers will focus on driving innovations that lead to greater disease resistance in farmed animals and better selective breeding programmes. Their goal is to reduce losses and improve welfare in the fish farming and livestock industries.
 
The two are already collaborating on an aquaculture project on salmon, focusing on resistance to viral disease and sea lice in collaboration with other Universities in Scotland.
 
The new collaborative work will expand the focus of work from aquaculture into agriculture, focusing on pig, turkey and chicken breeding.
 
Commenting on the alliance on Tuesday, Dr Johan van Arendonk, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer at Hendrix Genetics said “This partnership with Roslin – a world leading research institute - offers a unique opportunity to improve our breeding programs through applied research projects using the latest genomic technology.”
 
Professor Bruce Whitelaw, Deputy Director and Head of the Division of Developmental Biology at The Roslin Institute, added, “We are excited about building on our long-term relationship with Landcatch through establishing this strategic partnership. Working with Hendrix Genetics across a number of commercial species offers exciting opportunities for the science that Roslin pioneers.”