Webinar: How genomic selection is changing the fight against heat stress in dairy

GLOBAL – Breedi, a European genomic selection company, in partnership with Eurofins Genomics, will host a free 90-minute global webinar on Thursday, May 21, 2026, focusing on how genomic selection is transforming the dairy industry’s response to heat stress.

The event brings together leading international researchers to examine how genetics and advanced breeding tools can improve heat tolerance in dairy cattle, a growing concern as climate change increases production losses worldwide. 

Heat stress remains one of the most significant biological constraints on dairy productivity globally, with studies showing milk yield losses of 25%-53% during heat events, even in systems equipped with cooling technologies. 

The issue is particularly pressing in hot and humid regions, including parts of Africa and the Middle East, where climate conditions are placing additional strain on dairy production systems and feed efficiency.

The webinar will explore how genomic breeding values for heat tolerance are developed and validated, and how they can be integrated into commercial breeding programmes.

It will also examine what data are required to build effective models and how producers can begin applying heat-resilience selection tools in practical herd management strategies.

Webinar details and what will be discussed

The 90-minute live session will include presentations, a panel discussion and audience Q&A, with all registered participants receiving a recording within 24 hours.

 Key focus areas include:

• How genomic breeding values for heat tolerance are developed, validated, and applied across different dairy systems

• What data is required for heat tolerance evaluations and how genomic models work in practice

• Genetic correlations between heat tolerance, milk yield, and fertility, and how these traits can be balanced in breeding programmes

• The role of the SLICK gene compared to genomic selection approaches in improving thermotolerance

Featured speakers

Speaking at the event, Prof. Ben Hayes of the University of Queensland will present research on genomic prediction systems for heat tolerance in dairy cattle.

His work includes the development of national genetic evaluations and validation studies conducted in controlled climate environments, forming part of the scientific foundation for thermotolerance breeding tools used internationally.

He will be joined by Prof. Francisco Peñagaricano of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose research focuses on gene mapping, multi-omics integration, and genomic prediction for traits linked to efficiency and resilience, including methane emissions and heat-stress adaptation in dairy cattle.

The organisers say the aim is to translate advanced genetics research into practical tools for producers operating in increasingly hot climates.

Breedi B.V., which provides full-cycle genomic evaluation services, is actively developing heat-tolerance evaluations for high-temperature production environments.

Its partner, Eurofins Genomics, provides high-throughput genotyping services that support large-scale livestock breeding programmes worldwide.

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