Over 100 participate in Ludhiana varsity brainstorming session with focus on livestock breed improvement
Session organised by Directorate of Extension Education, Ludhiana vet varsity
The Directorate of Extension Education, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, on Sunday organised a brainstorming session on the role of animal judging in breed improvement. At least 100 participants attended the session.
The session brought together field veterinary officers, scientists, farmers and research scholars to develop a standardised framework for livestock judging. Livestock judging is a process of evaluating, selecting, placing and learning the various species.
JPS Gill, Vice-Chancellor, appreciated the initiative and emphasised that judging should primarily contribute to germplasm and breed improvement. He suggested organising judging competitions for students and young faculty members, and developing a comprehensive policy document.
PS Walia, Director, Animal Husbandry Department, Punjab, said animal judging is not merely about appearance and requires sound technical knowledge to justify selection decisions.
RS Grewal, Director of Extension Education, highlighted the need for a structured judging policy. He said bridging gaps in existing evaluation practices and revising the buffalo scorecard according to current standards were essential.
Harveen Kaur, Joint Director, Animal Husbandry Department, highlighted field-level challenges and noted that progressive farmers are becoming increasingly aware of breed improvement and maintaining proper records.
In the technical sessions, Ravdeep Singh apprised the audience of the history and importance of dairy animal judging. Puneet Malhotra focused on breed characteristics and judging parameters of murrah and nili ravi. Ravikant Gupta elaborated on evaluation criteria for Holstein Friesian and Jersey cattle. An open discussion and interaction session was also held with the audience.
Parminder Singh, Additional Director of Extension Education, said the veterinary university will formulate a formal policy paper and standardised guidelines based on the session’s outcomes.
