China clones six high-yield dairy goats in livestock breeding breakthrough

(ECNS) - Chinese researchers have cloned six high-yield dairy goats for the first time, marking a breakthrough that could help accelerate livestock breeding and improve domestic dairy production, according to Northwest A&F University.

The six cloned goats were born on Monday at an experimental facility in Shaanxi Province and remained in good condition after several days of observation, the university said.

The project was carried out by researchers from Northwest A&F University and partner institutions using genome selection and somatic cell cloning technologies. The donor animals were top-producing Saanen dairy goats capable of yielding more than 8 kilograms of milk per day.

Wang Xiaolong, head of the research team, said the cloned goats include four males and two females. He added that the donor goat produced more than 2,800 kilograms of milk annually, with higher-than-average milk fat and protein content.

China's dairy goat industry has long faced shortages of high-quality breeding stock, while relatively slow breeding cycles have limited expansion and productivity gainers.

Du Lixin, head of the sheep industry branch of the China Animal Agriculture Association, said the breakthrough could shorten breeding cycles significantly compared with conventional methods, which can take eight to 10 years to develop improved herds.

Researchers said cloning technology could help rapidly expand elite livestock genetics and strengthen China's domestic breeding capabilities.

(By Zhang Jiahao)