Chinese researchers have cloned six high-yield dairy goats for the first time, with the animals born on Monday at an experimental facility in Shaanxi Province and remaining in good condition.
The cloned goats were produced by a research team from Northwest A&F University and partner institutions. They used genome selection and somatic cell cloning technologies, drawing from top-producing Saanen dairy goats that yield more than 8 kilograms of milk per day.
Wang Xiaolong, head of the research team, said the six cloned goats include four males and two females. The donor goat produced more than 2,800 kilograms of milk annually, with higher-than-average milk fat and protein content.
Du Lixin, head of the sheep industry branch of the China Animal Agriculture Association, noted that the breakthrough could shorten breeding cycles significantly compared with conventional methods, which can take eight to 10 years to develop improved herds.
Shaanxi Province is home to 40 percent of China's dairy goats and processes 80 percent of the country's goat milk products. The project aims to help address shortages of high-quality breeding stock.