Progeny Testing Methods in Europe

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Abstract
A common feature of the Europeans'''' methods for progeny testing of dairy bulls is the attempts made to eliminate the effect of environmental differences between progeny groups. In Denmark, special testing stations are inaugurated for this purpose, but this method is rather expensive. When the progeny test is based on field records, the average yield of the herd, or that of the stable-mates is used as a basis of comparison. In Sweden, the average 1st lactation yield of the daughters is expressed in percent of the corresponding average for all 1st calvers in herds on the same production level as the daughters'' herds. After regression towards the mean, in cases of small samples of daughters, this relative figure is used for comparison between progeny groups. In Great Britain, the 1st lactation records of the daughters of the bull are compared to those of their stable-mates of the same age, the difference within each herd is weighted according to the number of the daughters and stable-mates, the total difference is regressed for small numbers of comparison, and the bull''s relative breeding value is expressed in percent of the breed average.

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