Green cows? Pull the udder one!

We reported yesterday on recent research carried out by scientists in Australia on genetically modified sheep capable of producing more milk than their non-GM sisters. Today the link between genetic modification and milking continues as researchers in New Zealand publish their vision for the future of dairy farming. Can we expect to see specially bred cows that naturally produce low-fat milk? Designer milk that boosts the immune system? - and yes, even "green" cows?

All are among the changes predicted for the future of the milk and dairy industry over the next 50 years. In a special report commemorating the 50th anniversary of peer-reviewed publication the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry​​, Lawrence K. Creamer, of the Fonterra Research Centre in New Zealand, and his associates outlined their vision, to be published in the 4 December print issue of the journal.

If the consumer today remains wary of all foods genetically modified, one wonders how they will react to the future described by Creamer and colleagues.

According to the report advances in biotechnology have made 'designer milk' a reality and we will soon be witnessing them on the shelves. Organic milks are already available at supermarkets, but a new breed of designer milks are on the drawing board that will boost immunity, improve lactose utilisation and relieve diarrhoea.

In addition, recent moves in biotechnology mean that scientists have now identified a gene for milk-fat synthesis that may one day allow researchers to selectively breed cows that naturally produce low-fat milk. This bids the question, if consumers barely accept a GM tomato, how will low-fat cows fare?

The scientists write that developments are moving closer to reality as researchers identify genetic markers in cows for diseases or desirable traits that will enable scientists to improve the efficiency of milk production and select for milk with specific traits. They do however predict in the article that consumer resistance to such products will remain a barrier well into the future.

And what of 'green cows'? According to Creamer, researchers are trying to develop green cows. No, not fields of brightly coloured green cows, but environmentally cleaner cows. Cattle, via belching, produce a significant amount of methane as a result of digestion. Methane (from cows and other sources) is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, second only to carbon dioxide, which many scientists think contributes to global warming.

Researchers believe that they can alter cattle digestion, either by removing the micro-organisms that produce methane from their stomachs or by creating micro-organisms that can produce metabolic products other than methane. The end result: green cows.

Competition from non-dairy materials will increase, driven by consumer demand, the scientists continue. Already, supermarkets have been flooded with alternative soy products, from soybean milk to soy-based ice cream. These products offer options for those that are allergic to milk or concerned about dairy safety. In the pipeline: useful milk proteins produced not from cows, but from recombinant organisms, such as yeasts. Still, experts predict that milk will continue to be a viable nutrition source in the future.

And finally to one of the hottest topics in the food industry today - food safety. According to Creamer, an increased emphasis on food safety will underlie new developments in dairy farming. Diseases such as mad cow and foot and mouth disease are being fought with government regulatory programmes and rigorous farm management, as well as advances in biotechnology, the scientists conclude.

An honest, some may say bleak, vision of the future of the dairy industry? Watch this space.