Technology to Produce Premium Milk in Hungary

Dairy company Bóly Plc., a member of the Bonafarm group, and the Kaposvár Campus of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE) jointly developed technology to breed cattle producing only premium quality A2 milk, the company said.

The project was financed from a HUF 775 million grant from the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH).

A2 milk is easier to digest, according to some international research, and could therefore play an increasingly important role in nutrition, the statement pointed out.

During the project, experts examined the genetic stock of more than 3,500 cows in recent years in order to find high-yielding producers that only produce A2 milk.

Using these valuable individuals, they produced embryos that met their objectives through targeted mating and laboratory fertilization. This has established a gene bank that contributes to the genetic development of Bóly Plc.'s dairy farm in line with its objectives, while also serving as a gene reserve, they pointed out.

MATE's experts have developed an experimental system that allows for the genetic pre-selection of embryos. This method will accelerate the expansion of the A2 milk-producing herd in the future and contribute to the development of a healthy, high-genetic-value, long-term sustainable population.

The milk production and composition of animals with the desired genetic traits, created using state-of-the-art breeding technology, were examined under farm conditions at the company's dairy farm as part of the project.

The resulting breeding animals, reproductive materials and raw milk could help the company increase sales and profitability in future, according to Bóly Plc., which has a headcount of 600 workers. It had net sales revenue of HUF 28.6 billion last year.