Just before the end of 2022, three special cows were born in China. Researchers are already calling them “super cows”: they were cloned from cells from conventional cattle and are said to produce 18 tons of milk per year, or 100 tons of milk throughout their lives. That’s about twice as much as cows normally produce.
According to a report by the US broadcaster CNN, which refers to Chinese state media, the research team took genetic material from Holstein cattle, which are used particularly often in milk production. Of the 120 clones, three cows were eventually born. This is just the beginning: China has big plans.
“We plan to build up a herd of more than a thousand super cows in two to three years,” the head of the project told state media. The birth of the first “super cows” was a “breakthrough” that opens up the possibility for China to obtain the best cows “in an economically viable way”. The first cloned specimen weighed more than 56 kilograms and was more than 1.10 meters long.
According to the researcher, the cloned cows should make China less dependent on milk imports and possible supply chain problems. This would also make the country more autonomous compared to the West: Currently, up to 70 percent of dairy cows in China are still imported. Only five out of 10,000 cows in China can produce 100 tons of milk in their lifetime. However, this is often only recognized late in the individual specimens, so that breeding does not run optimally, the study leader described China’s problems with milk production.
Those: CNN
Watch the video: Even as a little boy, Joar Berge spent most of his time on farms and loved to be out and about with cows. Later, however, years of partying follow. One day on the Côte d’Azur, Joar realizes that it’s no longer the party life that drives him – but the desire to have his own cow. His new life as a cow fluencer begins.
