Despite the fact that the Ideal Alpaca Community are already publishing EPD's for alpacas in North America the ARI have just established a committee to investigate EPD's. Which by my estimate puts them about 5 years behind the IAC - which as any alpaca breeder knows is five breeding cycles and that is a huge genetic improvement that can be gained (or lost by waiting).
Here is what the ARI board had to say to its members:
Estimated Progeny Differences (EPDs) are being discussed more frequently within the alpaca community these days. EPD programs are used in many, if not most, of the world's livestock industries to assist breeders with improving their herds. The basis of every EPD program is a focus on measurable traits and the recording of selected measurements for related animals. Once enough measurements have been gathered, statistical analysis is used to create predictions that allow breeders to determine which animals are more successfully producing the desired traits.
As announced in February following input from members for our strategic plan, ARI has been investigating the possible implementation of such a program. It was important that we first determine the resources necessary to accomplish such a task. Now, we move on to determining the specific interest in this service and what needs to be included. In order to accomplish this, the ARI Board is pleased to announce the establishment of an ad hoc EPD (Estimated Progeny Difference) Development Committee to evaluate and develop a plan for an EPD program for ARI member use.
The ARI EPD Development Committee has a mission to:
• Create a Member Survey to establish member needs and interest in an EPD system
• Educate members regarding the purpose, usefulness and methods of an EPD system
• Outline a potential EPD program for alpacas
• Provide the ARI Board with a recommendation on moving forward and an implementation plan
The committee members are Dr. Wayne Jarvis, Dr. Dick Walker, Mr. David Barboza, and from the ARI Board Ms. Deb Hill, Mr. Wayne Robinson and Dr. Shauna Brummet who will chair the committee. The committee will draw on the advice of key scientific and livestock industry experts as needed to assist in the evaluation and development of an EPD system for alpacas.
Using this advice in conjunction with the comments from the membership, the committee will make a recommendation to the Board.
We look forward to engaging the ARI Membership in this very important industry development.
Sincerely,
ARI Board of Directors
Bruce Beatty, Shauna Brummet, Donna Christley, Lucy Farrar,
Deb Hill, Jim King, and Wayne Robinson
To my mind this is a bit like asking people if they want antibiotics - its a no brainer of course breeders want an EPD programme to improve the quality of their alpaca stock. The question is given that the IAC system is up and running and is free to join When will the ARI system be ready? And how much will it cost?
Time will tell. Meanwhile
you can visit the EPD Library to learn about EPD programmes in other industries and alpaca EPD programmes in Australia and Canada.
