• Chinese scientists clone "super cows" capable of producing 1.7 times more milk

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    Chinese scientists clone "super cows" capable of producing 1.7 times more milk

    The first cloned calves were born by cesarean section on December 30, as they were relatively large in size...


    Digital Desk: China has cloned three 'super cows' that are able to produce a higher amount of milk. This could be a turning point for the Chinese dairy sector. According to the state-run Ningxia Daily, the scientists at the Northwest University of Agricultural and Forestry Science and Technology were breeding three calves that were born in the Ningxia region in the weeks leading up to the Lunar New Year on January 23.


    The first cloned calves were born by cesarean section on December 30, as they were relatively large in size, weighing 56.7 kilos (120 pounds),  an official in the city of Wulin in Ningxia told the state-run Technology Daily. Scientists have so far cloned 120 embryos from the ear cells of highly productive cows. These embryos have been placed in surrogate cows.


    These super cows' were cloned from extremely prolific Holstein Friesian cows that originated in the Netherlands. These cows can produce 18 tonnes of milk per year or 100 tonnes of milk over the course of their lives. According to the US Department of Agriculture, 100 tonnes of milk in a cow's lifetime is 1.7 times the amount of milk produced by an average cow in the United States in 2021.