China claims it has successfully cloned 3 ‘super cows’

In a massive development that has taken cloning to newer highs, Chinese scientists have successfully cloned 3 “super cows”. This goes a long way in helping China reduce its dependence on imported breeds, as reported by CNN.

The three calves which were bred by scientists from the Northwest University of Agricultural and Forestry Science and Technology were born in Ningxia region, just weeks before the Lunar New Year.

The calves were cloned from the highly productive Holstein Friesian breed, whose roots can be traced to the Netherlands. These animals can produce 18 tons of milk per year.

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The first of the cloned calves was born on December 30 by cesarean section due to its relatively large size and weight of 56.7 kilograms (120 pounds), an official in the city of Wulin in Ningxia told the state-run Technology Daily.

As per a Global Times report, as much as 70 per cent of China’s dairy cows are imported from overseas.

“We plan to take two to three years to build up a herd comprising of over 1,000 super cows, as a solid foundation to tackle China’s reliance on overseas dairy cows and the issue of the risk of being ‘choked’ [by supply chain disruptions],” Jin Yaping, the project’s lead head was quoted by the newspaper.