Breeding for parasite resistance in dairy cows

Gastrointestinal parasites can play havoc in the digestive tract of ruminants, causing a lack of appetite, diarrhoea and poor growth leading to economic losses for the farm. Selective breeding for parasite resistance in combination with other integrated control methods is considered an alternative means of parasite control. Gastrointestinal parasites affect ruminants’ health, welfare and production and the quality of food resources. Despite all the traditional disease-controlling systems, p