Dunedin biotechnology company AbacusBio has started the second year of a joint initiative with a Brazilian company to help improve sheep farming in the South American country.
AbacusBio and Aries have jointly formed a sheep genetic improvement programme in Brazil, OviGol, a genetic evaluation database which combined a quantitative genetics engine to calculate breeding values and selection indexes specifically for the Brazilian environment.
AbacusBio consultant Dr Peter Amer said the Brazilian sheep industry was small at just 16 million sheep.
However, sheepmeat demand was growing and about 30% of that demand was satisfied by imports, mainly from Uruguay.
For Brazil to fill that void, its sheep industry needed a genetic evaluation system to improve productivity, Dr Amer said.
Brazilian farming conditions differed from New Zealand's, with lambs fed indoors from 5 months.
Stock were exposed to common diseases of parasitic worms and facial eczema and Dr Amer said OviGol emphasised selection for disease resistance, growth, meat yield and reproduction.
New Zealand sheep genes were imported to Brazil by ram semen.
Genetic evaluation was new in Brazil and sheep breeders would take time to adjust to buying stock on genetic merit instead of through shows.
However, progress was being made.
Many of Brazil's leading sheep breeders were involved in the first year of the OviGol programme and others wanted to join this year, which would build critical mass and make the animal evaluation process more efficient.