UK dairy genomic evaluations pass one million milestone as crossbred genomics move into delivery
Monday, 23 February 2026
UK dairy genomic evaluations have reached a major milestone, with more than one million genotypes now included in our national evaluation programme.
The achievement demonstrates how genomics has become a core part of dairy breeding in the UK. Growing uptake across the industry is giving farmers greater confidence in genomic information to support faster and more accurate breeding decisions.
Funded largely through the dairy levy, our genomic evaluation programme provides an independent, industry-wide service for UK dairy farmers.
Ongoing investment in data, systems and collaboration ensures access to reliable genomic information that supports sustainable genetic progress across herds of all sizes and breeding systems.
Alongside this milestone, we also marked the availability of genomic evaluations for crossbred females, widening access to genomic information for herds using crossbreeding as part of their breeding strategy.
Initially, genomic evaluations for crossbred females are available for a targeted set of key traits:
Production
Lifespan
Somatic cell count (SCC)
Fertility index
Maintenance
These traits have been prioritised for their direct relevance to herd health, efficiency and farm profitability.
This year, the service will be expanded to include a wider range of traits, with plans also in place to extend genomic evaluations to crossbred males.
This phased approach is designed to maintain robustness and reliability while allowing farmers and industry partners to build confidence in the data.
Marco Winters, AHDB Head of Animal Genetics, said:
"Reaching one million genotypes shows how firmly genomics is now embedded in UK dairy breeding. The scale of the reference population strengthens the reliability of evaluations and supports more confident breeding decisions on farm.
"The introduction of genomic evaluations for crossbred females recognises the growing demand of genomic insight by crossbreeding UK dairy systems. A phased and measured approach ensures the information provided is robust, relevant and fit for practical use."
Crossbred genomic results are being released on a monthly basis initially. Further updates will be shared as the service develops.
Find out more about UK genomic evaluations and crossbred genomics