Danish native cattle breeds standing outside curious of the camera.

Project period: 2016-2017

Previous studies on the breeds Holstein, Jersey and Swedish Red have shown significant breed differences in milk characteristics. However, milk from the native Nordic breeds has never been systematically characterised.

Characterisation of functional and physical, e.g. with respect to suitability for cheese production or health promoting properties would be useful in ensuring a sustainable use of these breeds. NordMilk is a project where a network of research groups from the Nordic countries was established, with the aim of generating and coordinating activities on characterising milk from native dairy cattle breeds. NordGen acted as a secretariat for the network. The network was funded by the Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ) in 2016-2017.