TH to pioneer in IVF technology for dairy cows in Vietnam

TH Group imported 24 batches of HF dairy cows from New Zealand and the US to Vietnam in the past. If the IVF project is successful, TH will master the technology to produce purebred HF dairy cows with the same quality and milk yield as the leading breeds in the US, supplying TH dairy farms and other dairy farms in the country.

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, during a recent visit to the factories and farms of TH Group, affirmed that she was impressed by the socio-economic development of Nghia Dan district - a formerly impoverished district in Nghe An province. According to the Vice President, this drastic change is the result of great contributions from businesses, especially the TH Group - under the leadership of Labor Hero Thai Huong, a determined businesswoman with admirable projects and works.

Ms. Thai Huong along with a team of associates at TH Group including long-serving international experts have achieved remarkable feats for TH Group as well as the livestock and agricultural sector in Vietnam. TH is an elite business not only in Nghe An province but also in the country and reaching out to the world.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Kim Giao, Chairman of the Vietnam Large Cattle Breeding Association, former Director of the Department of Livestock Production - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the issue of dairy cow breeds used to be an obstacle for the industry. Before TH Group stepped in to invest in dairy farming, Vietnam imported dairy cows mainly from Cuba, New Zealand, and Australia;  many F1 and F2 hybrid dairy cows were not purebred, so the quality of milk production was low causing losses for farmers

With the aim of improving the quality of dairy cows and increasing milk yield, Vietnam imported 199 Holstein Friesian (HF) purebred dairy cows and 184 Jersey dairy cows from the US in 2001. This was the first time that Vietnam imported dairy cows from the US. Monitoring the offsprings of this herd shows that the milk yield is always 30% higher than that of other cows. However, the average milk yield is only 5,000 to 6,000 liters/head every 305-day cyle.

Upon construction of the first farm in 2009, TH took the lead in importing HF purebred high yielding dairy cows from New Zealand and later from the US, both of which has developed dairy farming. With solutions to improve productivity, quality of dairy cows and international standard breeding, herd management processes, TH's purebred HF herd has achieved a milk yield of 9,000 liters/head/cycle. This yield is continually improved and enhanced through quality improvements of breeding cows.

A TH Group representative said that from late 2015 to early 2016, the Group signed a contract with US Sexing Technologies Group to import frozen embryos and transfer in vitro fertilization technology. Thanks to this cooperation, many generations of dairy cows born on the farm have given outstanding milk production. With the aim rapidly increase the performance of the cows while maintaining the precious genetic resources as well as the excellent fresh milk, TH Group decided to choose ABS - a world leader in dairy cow's breeding stock and genetics - to implement and transferr IVF technology to dairy farms since 2019.

However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak in two consecutive years, the IVF technology transfer process encountered many difficulties including: Training classes had to be conducted online; expert consultation for facilities construction (laboratory, equipment, etc.) was done remotely. This has cost extra time and effort in the selection and transportation of dairy cows to the embyro manufacturing site. The most notable obstacle is inviting the team of experts to Vietnam because flights were cancelled.

By March 2022, TH Group had welcomed ABS experts to Vietnam and deploy this special technology transfer.

During its development journey, TH is proud to be the first dairy farm in Vietnam to import frozen embryos and apply advanced breeding technologies from late 2015 to early 2016. TH Group is now a pioneer, a national leader in accessing and implementing IVF technology with a large investment, and a team of experienced experts around the world.

Dr. Hoang Kim Giao said that the IVF embryo technology - applied in developed countries many years prior - will help TH and the dairy industry in the country achieve the dream of complete independency in cow breeds. 

In Vietnam, the implementation of in vitro fertilization for cattles has been carried out by several units including Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Vietnam National University of Agriculture and the University of Ho Chi Minh City. However, these facilities have only conducted research on different types of cattle. On the other hand, exclusive application to dairy cows in practice has only been achieved by TH Group - a business that converges on favorable factors such as: a cluster of modern and high-tech livestock farms; a herd of nearly 70,000 dairy cows including cows with good genetic potential; modern and synchronous high-tech equipment; vast fields of raw materials, etc.

Labor Hero Thai Huong - Founder of the Group always advocates the application of high technology in all stages of the milk production chain with the determination to help Vietnamese milk take off.

“As soon as I share about in vitro fertilization for dairy cows, Ms. Thai Huong was very excited and confirmed that TH Group would be determined to apply this technology. And, I believe TH Group will be successful” - Mr. Giao shared.

According to Mr. Giao, IVF technology will accelerate the genetic progress, producing a generation of dairy cows with outstanding yield and high quality fresh milk. The carefully selected embryonic cows using the software provided by ABS company also ensure the best characteristics, outstanding milk yield and quality with high protein content.

“The application of IVF technology is meaningful to TH Group as well as the Vietnamese dairy industry. This technology will help accelerate breeding process so the Group can be proactive in the production of dairy cows at only half or two-thirds the cost of imported dairy cows; This technology will also reduce import costs; reduce diseases in imported cattles; ensure the quality of breeding dairy cows", emphasized Mr. Giao.

In addition to productivity, dairy cows born from IVF embryos are also able to adapt to Vietnam's hot and humid living climate. TH's quality dairy herd also contributes to the enhancement of Vietnam's dairy industry thanks to higher milk yield, better milk quality, and a good breed of dairy cows for dairy farmers nationwide.

“Based on its existing dairy herd, TH Group only selects the best dairy cows from 3.5 to 10% of the total herd to perform IVF. The yield and quality of varieties will be improved gradually over the years. TH Group provides frozen embryos and breeders for its farms as well as domestic dairy farms, and even exports them to other countries”, said Mr. Giao.

Discussing about TH Group's IVF project, Mr. Vijay Kumar Pandey - Chairman of TH Milk Food Joint Stock Company (THMF) said that this project aims to bring IVF technology to Vietnam, transfer and capacity training for experts and technicians from TH.

The Chairman of THMF affirmed that with the current implementation progress, TH Group is expected to produce 5,000 to 6,000 embryos per year in the first phase. When TH masters the technology and becomes an expert in the field at a later stage, this business will produce embryos for other dairy projects.

Taking us to on a trip around the technical areas of Farm 1 and 2 - fully equiped with modern machines, endoscopic room, Mr. Gilad Efrat, Technical Director of THMF said: “IVF technology aims to select best cows in the herd, with high genetic potential, to develop female calves embryos. As a result, the generation of dairy calves will be of top quality in the selected herd, and the breeding process will continue"

According to Mr. Gilad Efrat, IVF technology is unlike other technology such as AI in that it performs insemination on all cows. IVF technology requires a very high level of detail and if the technician lacks expertise, the process will never be successful.

“So we have selected the best employees. Through training sessions and guidance from ABS's IVF experts, we determined what issues to focus on to achieve success. At TH, everything needs to be perfect and excellent. We have had a team of technicians experienced in embryo transfer and now with this new IVF technology transfer, I believe our team will perform competently and master this technology”, shared Mr. Gilad Efrat.

The THMF Technical Director also emphasized that, with the IVF project, TH Group expects the quality of dairy cows to improve by selecting eggs from the best cows in the herd. Genetically speaking, it's a significant step towards success. The success of the project will be beneficial to the dairy industry in Vietnam. Improving genetics through the IVF project at TH also means improving the quality of cow herd in Vietnam.

To understand the process of IVF technology transfer as well as the feasibility and effectiveness of the project - a historic milestone for the TH Group as well as the dairy industry, our reporter had an interview with Mr. Rodrigo Mendes Untura, IVF team leader from ABS Company (TH's partner).

Could you please introduce a little bit about ABS Company, who will be transferring IVF technology to TH Group?

Mr. Rodrigo Mendes Untura:  Our company specializes in embryo technology. We have been in operation for 22 years; and we are continuing to expand and develop the market. We are currently present in 23 countries around the world. Our laboratories in the US, Brazil and Latin American countries, South America, etc. have been successful. This time, we want to share these successes with TH Group.

So, is this ABS's first cooperation on IVF technology transfer with a Vietnamese partner?

 Mr. Rodrigo Mendes Untura: That's right! This is our first time collaborating on a project in Vietnam and we are very excited. To serve this project, two months before the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, I visited Vietnam to discuss with TH Group on the technology transfer, but due to pandemic, the project was delayed. This time, we return to work on specific tasks.

How do you feel about TH Group in the time you are working together?

Mr. Rodrigo Mendes Untura:  TH Group has dairy cows with high genetic potential. TH has a lot of high-tech equipment, which is very convenient for the implementation of IVF technology including a modern laboratory that is not available anywhere in the world. All work processes are currently going very smoothly.

In terms of workforce, how do you rate TH's staff who are involved in the implementation of this IVF project?

Mr. Rodrigo Mendes Untura: Human resources are a fundamental factor in project development. TH Group has a team of good and experienced experts, so it has greatly facilitated the development of the project.

In your opinion, how will this IVF technology help TH in particular and the dairy industry in general in increasing the quality of clean fresh dairy products?

Mr. Rodrigo Mendes Untura: IVF technology has important implications in the livestock industry, especially in terms of genetic improvement compared to conventional fertilization methods. We can select eggs from the best cows, select the best bull sperm, which can greatly amplify the genetic potential.

When operating a dairy farm, it is common to import high-yielding cows from other countries. With this IVF technology, TH Group can be autonomous in laboratory, embryo production, dairy cow breeding to improve genetic potential. As a result, production costs will be cheaper, technology is advanced, advantages are numerous; the technical team will be more professional, continuously learning and improving technology. This is really beneficial for TH in particular and Vietnam in general.

So how long do you think it will take TH Group to fully master this IVF technology?

Mr. Rodrigo Mendes Untura:  Fully mastering this technology requires time, namely training in the laboratory requires at least 1 year; 1.5 to 2 years for OPU (eggs suction); 1 year for embryo transfer. This staff needs to be completely focused. I commend the technicians of TH Group, they can learn very quickly from the first days of work.

As the project's expert team leader, what are your expectations for this project?

Mr. Rodrigo Mendes Untura: We have high expectations for this project, because TH Group is always promoting and supporting us. We are really happy to accompany the first Vietnamese partner in implementing this project.

Thank you!

TH dairy farm cluster in Nghia Dan (Nghe An) has just set a record of "World's largest cluster of concentrated dairy farms applying high technology with an enclosed production process on a large scale" (certified by WorldKings). On this farm cluster, TH Group pioneered the application of advanced techniques in dairy farming such as genetic selection to produce A2 milk; perform sex-segregated embryo transfer techniques; convert cows and pastures following international standards on organic farming; and TH Group is currently pioneering IVF embryo production in dairy cows in Vietnam, with the goal of producing precious genetic resources, bringing excellent fresh milk lines with high protein content, in service of public health.