Munster Bovine and Progressive Genetics, in association with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), recently launched Genocells, a ground-breaking technology that allows dairy farmers to determine individual somatic cell counts (SCC) using a single bulk tank milk sample.

This service is now available exclusively from Munster Bovine and Progressive Genetics to Irish dairy farmers who are milk recording and whose herds are 100% genotyped.

Conor O'Brien, a dairy farmer from Loughrea, Go. Galway was one of 85 herds involved in a Genocells pilot trial.

According to Conor: “Genocells is very simple, very straightforward, simply take a sample from the bulk tank, agitate it and post it away and the information that you get back is invaluable.”

It was in fact this level of information that impressed Conor the most and he is very keen to incorporate Genocells into his testing schedule to give him that additional security blanket of more information points throughout the year.

”Genocells is another tool available to me when it comes to Selective Dry Cow Therapy at the back end of the year," the Co. Galway farmer said.

Genocells works by extracting the DNA from the somatic cells in the milk and comparing the genotype of this extracted DNA to the recorded genotype of the cows contributing milk to the bulk tank.

As somatic cells are the only milk components that contain DNA, the percentage of DNA that each cow contributes to the overall DNA volume in the bulk tank is equivalent to the percentage of somatic cells that each cow contributes to bulk tank SCC.

This is known as percentage cellular responsibility.

Individual SCCs are then calculated using the percentage cellular responsibility, the percentage of the milk volume that the cow contributed to the tank (calculated using milk recording yields), and the bulk tank SCC result.

Genocells' SCC results are reported using bands (0-5;51-199;200-249;250-499;500-999;1000+).

Munster Bovine, Progressive Genetics and ICBF undertook a comprehensive pilot study in July/August of 2024 where 85 herds submitted three samples each over a number of weeks to validate the following;

Accuracy of Genocells: The test consistently identified the highest SCC cows with an accuracy rate ranging from 90-98%, confirming the reliability of Genocells in detecting high SCC contributors. 
Administrative Process: The administrative procedures involved in managing Genocells testing were streamlined, ensuring ease of use for participating farmers. 
Logistical Turnaround Time: The time from farm sample collection to receiving results was consistently within 7 days, ensuring a quick and efficient service. 
Reporting Results: Results were made available through the ICBF HerdPlus app and website, providing farmers with a clear indication of the top 10 cows contributing to the bulk tank SCC. 

At the conclusion of the trial, a survey was conducted to gather participants’ feedback on the Genocells programme. The results were overwhelmingly positive: 

93% of respondents saw value in using Genocells alongside their existing milk recording practices. 
97% of respondents would recommend Genocells to other farmers. 

Genocells will provide more points of information over and above the four milk recordings to manage herds with high or fluctuating cell counts;
Genocells is also suitable for low cell count herds that experience spikes in cell count throughout the milking season, as it is a simple and convenient way of identifying high SCC cows relatively quickly;
Genocells can also provide more points of information about individual cows before dry off to make better decisions regarding dry cow therapy and cow retention.​

All cows contributing milk to the bulk tank must be genotyped. If a non-genotyped cow contributes milk to the bulk tank, this will affect the accuracy of the results for other cows;
The herd must be a member of ICBF HerdPlus;
The herd owner must download the ICBF HerdPlus app. There is no cost associated with this;
The herd must be signed up to do four milk recordings in the year and the first milk recording must be completed before a Genocells test can take place, as yield is essential to calculate individual SCCs from the percentage cellular responsibility.

Genocells is now  available to Munster Bovine and Progressive Genetics milk recording customers.