Whereas

Whereas the CDN website is an indispensable tool for many breeders in Canada,

Whereas this site presents the required information in a concise manner,

Whereas that on its website Holstein Canada has changed the destination of the CDN link to the Lactanet genetic evaluation summary page,

Whereas that breeders should have the choice of quickly consulting either of the sites by clicking on the link of their choice, and

Whereas that speed and convenience of consultation are important to breeders.

Therefore

Therefore, it is requested from Lactanet and Holstein Canada that the link between the Holstein Canada site and the CDN genetic evaluation summary page be restored and that modifications be made to the Lactanet portal to improve ease of consultation, simplicity and clarity.

Note:
Lactanet recently conducted an extensive survey to better understand the user experiences and areas of the Genetics section of the Lactanet website needing improvement. Regardless of how Holstein Canada wishes to address this request, Lactanet will be fully transitioning away from the former CDN website, when appropriate to do so.

Whereas

Whereas we see a lot of stiffness symptoms in our cows from good Holstein sires,

Whereas the considerable financial losses caused by the premature culling of these cows,

Whereas that in cows more slightly affected, production decreases, which is a negative impact on their well being and the profitability of our business,

Whereas that rearing costs are constantly on the rise,

Whereas that this syndrome has been known for more than 60 years (Canadian Journal of Comparative Medicine – June 1956 – J G Lafortune – Une affection spasmodique des bovins),

Whereas that inbreeding is on the rise and that a genetic cause is conceivable,

Whereas that breeders have voluntarily contributed to this study, and

Whereas that Lactanet should have completed the data collection phase begun in 2021 aimed at understanding the prevalence of this syndrome and developing new tools and strategies to reduce the expression of this syndrome, which is too costly for breeders.

Therefore

Therefore it is requested that Lactanet, Holstein Canada and the Dairy Farmers of Canada publish a progress report.

Note:
The information collected from Canadian dairy farmers is currently the topic of a graduate student’s project at the University of Guelph to determine if the development of a national genetic evaluation system is warranted. Depending on the outcome of the research, a national system for the collection of Crampy data may be developed and implemented.