Breeding purpose

Fleckvieh cows are robust and adaptable and therefore support efficient dairy farming. They therefore perfectly meet modern requirements regarding animal welfare and climate impact. The Fleckvieh breed is dual-purpose and offers a unique combination of fertility, udder health, metabolic stability and resilience. Fleckvieh cattle can produce milk and meat of the highest quality with purebred female and male animals. This makes Fleckvieh scientifically proven to be the breed of the future for economy and ecology.

The current breeding objective is made up of 38% milk, 18% meat and 44% fitness.

The Facts

 

• A major turnaround in global cattle breeding!

More than 70 years ago, Austrian farmers began to breed Fleckvieh cattle consistently, countering the trend towards uniformity at the time. The result? An excellent dairy breed that has retained its outstanding fitness and meat characteristics.

• Maximum resource efficiency

The economic advantages of dual-purpose cattle are also reflected in the utilisation of increasingly scarce resources: Valuable fodder is not used for a single purpose, and methane emissions per kilogram of food produced are significantly reduced.  

• Optimal fertility – strong resilience

Fleckvieh cattle offer high basic fertility and excellent metabolic stability thanks to its outstanding genetics. Being a very robust breed, Fleckvieh also scores a high resistance to mastitis. Moreover, Fleckvieh are highly resilient, i.e. they adapt well to changing environmental conditions in terms of housing or grazing environment and feed supply – even under extreme conditions.

• Universal usability

Notwithstanding its advantages as a dual-purpose breed, Fleckvieh genetics are also beneficial in pure suckler cow herds. Fleckvieh cattle are also used increasingly for crossbreeding all over the world, due to their superior fitness properties.

• Breeding objective according to farm management and science

The breeding objective is based on farm management and scientific principles. The breed has never been subjected to one-sided selection and has therefore been able to achieve its present dual-purpose profile.

• Polled genetics on the rise

The intensive use of genomics also enables targeted selection for genetic traits such as naturally polled cattle. Genetically polled animals deliver increasingly impressive results in all traits defined in the breeding objective.

Efficient breeding programme brings progress  

The excellent success of Fleckvieh genetics is based on a highly professional breeding programme. This includes national performance and quality controls, which comprise the recording of parameters on animal and hoof health, metabolic stability, feed efficiency and environmental impacts. This comprehensive data forms the basis for a genetic evaluation that is carried out jointly by Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic.  

Genetic Selection

• Breeding using state-of-the-art technologies

Genomic selection unlocks vast, previously inaccessible potential for developing various functional traits due to the existing broad genetic variance and low inbreeding. Thanks to strict restocking rules, only the very best bulls are used for insemination. Fleckvieh breeding uses the single-step method – the best and globally recognised genetic evaluation method.

• From Austria around the world!

Austria is not only a country of origin for Fleckvieh breeding, but also the most successful export country for Fleckvieh breeding cattle, relative to its cattle population. Fleckvieh semen and embryos from Austria are sold to almost all parts of the world and ensure the continuous growth of the Fleckvieh breed in the global cattle population.

Fleckvieh is the most important dual-purpose breed in the world and is widespread on all continents. The core area of the breed is in Central Europe - Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

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