Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System

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Data for the Norwegian Red breeding value calculation is collected by the Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System, run by the national dairy co-operative, TINE.

The Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System is run by the national dairy co-operative owned by Norwegian dairy farmers, TINE. It is certified by ICARs Certificate of Quality (International Committee for Animal Recording).

Figures show that more than 90% of all dairy cows in Norway participate in the Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System.

A long history of data collection

The Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording system has a long history. The data collection started already in 1898, with an organized collection of milk yield data by local farmers in Grimstad, Norway.

Today data is collected from almost all dairy farmers in Norway, and from a whole range of sources.

  • Veterinarians: Register treatments, inseminations, embryo transfer, and pregnancy checks
  • AI technicians: Register inseminations and pregnancy checks
  • Advisors: Register conformation traits on heifers/cows
  • Claw trimmer: Register Claw health data
  • Farmers: Register calving information, milk yield records, culling information, etc.
  • Laboratories: Milk quality and content
  • Slaughterhouses: Carcass data

Data is recorded on an individual animal basis and follows the animal if it is sold to another farm. 

Around 40 % of Norwegian dairy farmers (including 61% of cows) milk by automatic milking system, AMS (milking robot). Some of the AMS data is also transferred directly into the recording system.

High-quality data gives high-quality breeding values and genetic progress

Data from almost all Norwegian Red cows in Norway, and historical data from the Norwegian Red population, gives us a solid database to calculate quality breeding values for the Norwegian Red breed.