Status as of: 2019-04-01

Form GE

DESCRIPTION OF NATIONAL GENETIC EVALUATION SYSTEMS

Country (or countries)	ITALY	
Main trait group1
NOTE! Only one trait group per form!	
FEMALE FERTILITY	
Breed(s)	HOLSTEIN	
Trait definition(s) and unit(s) of measurement2
Attach an appendix if needed	Reproductive traits: heifer non-return rate at 56 days (T1: HCO, %), heifer age at first insemination (AFI, months), heifer interval first to last insemination (hIFL, days), cow days to first service (T2: DTFS, days), cows non-return rate at 56 days (T3: NRR56, %), cow interval first to last insemination (T4: IFL, days), cow days open (T5: T2+T4, DO, days); 
Production traits: 305 days milk production (MY); 
Type traits: body condition score (BCS)	
Method of measuring and collecting data	Data on Holstein reproductive traits of first calving cows were extracted from the national database stored at the Italian Holstein Breeders Association (ANAFI) and matched to pedigree, lactation and linear evaluations to be able to calculate the traits of interest	
Time period for data inclusion	Cows which first calved since January 1990 + 3 generation pedigree information	
Age groups (e.g. parities) included	First parity cows	
Other criteria (data edits) for inclusion of records	All cows must have a valid lactation	
Criteria for extension of records (if applicable)	No	
Sire categories	All	
Environmental effects3, pre-adjustments 	No	
Method (model) of genetic evaluation3	Multi-trait animal model, separately for cows and heifer traits	
Environmental effects3 in the genetic evaluation model	Fixed effects:
Herd-year-round of classification (BCS)
Age at calving x stage of lactation (BCS)
Year of calving (BCS)
Herd-year-season of calving (IFL, DTFS, NRR56, MY)
Month of calving (IFL, DTFS)
Age at calving x year of calving (IFL, DTFS, NRR56)
Month of insemination (NRR56)
Herd-year of birth (AFI)
Month of birth (AFI)
Herd-year-season of birth (HCO, hIFL)
Year of insemination x month of insemination (HCO, hIFL)
Random effect:
Animal	
Adjustment for heterogeneous variance in evaluation model	No	
Use of genetic groups and relationships	Phantom parent group are defined separately according to five origins (US, Canada, European, Italian, Italian unknown) according to birth year.	
Blending of foreign/Interbull information in evaluation	No	
Genetic parameters in the evaluation	See appendix	
System validation	Itb methods 2, 3, 4.	
Expression of genetic evaluations
If standardised (e.g. RBV), give standardisation formula in the appendix	See appendix	
Definition of genetic reference base
Next base change	Rolling genetic base: cows born between 2011-2013

April 2020	
Calculation of reliability	Jamrozik, J., L.R. Schaeffer, and G.B. Jansen. 2000. Approximate accuracies of prediction from random regression models. Livestock Prod. Sci. 66:85-92.	
Criteria for official publication of evaluations	50 % reliability	
Number of evaluations / publications per year	3	
Use in total merit index4	10% emphasis on PFT	
Anticipated changes in the near future	None	
Key reference on methodology applied	S. Biffani, F. Canavesi and A.B. Samoré. 2004. Genetic evaluation of fertility using direct and correlated traits in Italian Holstein –Pilot Study. Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production, Book of abstracts n° 10, 69.
S. Biffani, M. Marusi, F. Biscarini and F. Canavesi. 2005. Developing a genetic evaluation for fertility using angularity and milk yield as correlated traits. Interbull bulletin 33: 63-66.
G. Visentin, M. Marusi, R. Finocchiaro, J.B.C.H.M. van Kaam and G. Civati. 2018. Changes on female fertility aggregate index in Italian Holstein dairy cattle. Book of Abstract of the 69th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science, p: 270. 	
Key organisation: name, address, phone, fax, e-mail, web site	ANAFI -Via Bergamo, 29226100 CREMONA ITALY Phone: +39-0372-4741 Fax: +39-0372-474203 e-mail: ricercasvil@anafi.it website: www.anafi.it       	
1) Either: Production (e.g. milk, fat, protein), Conformation, Health (e.g. mastitis resistance, milk somatic cell, resistance to diseases other than mastitis), Longevity, Calving (e.g. stillbirth, calving ease), Female fertility (e.g. non-return rate, interval between reproductive events, number of AI’s, heat strength), Workability (e.g. milking speed, temperament), Beef production, Efficiency (e.g. body weight, energy balance, body conditioning score), or Other traits.
2) Indicate frequencies per category if the trait is categorical and specify transformation of data if practiced.
3) Use abbreviations for most common effects (see document with list of abbreviations at http://www-interbull.slu.se/service_documentation/General/list_of_abbreviations.rtf) and indicate random (R) or fixed (F).
4) Please give economic weights and indicate how they are expressed (preferably in genetic standard deviation units).

Form GE	Appendix GE

Parameters used in genetic evaluation

Country (or countries):	ITALY	
Main trait group:	FEMALE FERTILITY	
Breed (repeat as necessary):	HOLSTEIN	

Trait	Definition	ITBa	h2b	genetic
varianceb	official proof
standardisation formulac	
Heifer age at first insemination			0.071	0.2242	EBV – (-0.09)	
Heifer interval first to last insemination			0.015	30.571	EBV – (-0.28)	
Maiden heifer’s ability to conceive	Heifer non-return rate at 56 days (T1)	X	0.013	0.0021	EBV – (0.00)	
Lactating cow’s
ability to start cycling	Interval from calving to first service (T2)	X	0.076	89.575	EBV – (2.57)	
Lactating cow’s ability to conceive 1	Non-return rate at 56 days (T3)	X	0.013	0.003	EBV – (-0.01)	
Lactating cow’s ability to conceive 2	Interval first to last insemination (T4)	X	0.042	280.8217	EBV – (7.48)	
Lactating cow’s interval calving-conception	Days open (T5)	X	0.062	498.9927	T2 + T4	
a	Indicate, with X, traits that are submitted to Interbull for international genetic evaluations.
b	If repeated records are treated as separate traits, provide heritability estimates and genetic variances separately for each trait, as well as for all traits pooled, i.e. for the trait submitted to Interbull.
c	Expressed as follows:
StandEval=((eval-a)/b)*c+d where a=mean of the base adjustment, b=standard deviation of the base, c=standard deviation of expression (include sign if scale is reversed), and d=base of expression.

Form GE	Appendix FF

Parameters for national genetic evaluations for female fertility traits as provided to Interbull

Country (or countries):	ITALY	
Main trait group:	Female fertility	
Breed(s):	HOLSTEIN	

Trait Name	h2	Genetic
Variance	Official Proof
Standardisation Formulaa	
Maiden heifer’s ability to conceive (non-return rate at 56 days)	0.013	0.0021	EBV – (0.00)	
Lactating cow’s
ability to start cycling (days to first service)	0.076	89.575	EBV – (2.57)	
Lactating cow’s ability to conceive 1 (non-return rate at 56 days)	0.013	0.003	EBV – (-0.01)	
Lactating cow’s ability to conceive 2 (interval first to last insemination)	0.042	280.8217	EBV – (7.48)	
Lactating cow’s interval calving-conception (days open)	0.062	498.9927	T2 + T4	
a	Expressed as follows:
StandEval=((eval-a)/b)*c+d where a=mean of the base adjustment, b=standard deviation of the base, c=standard deviation of expression (include sign if scale is reversed), and d=base of expression.

Genetic and residual covariances for countries with national multiple trait evaluations. Genetic covariances on upper diagonals, residual covariances on lower diagonals.
Trait name	Trait 1: 	Trait 2: 	Trait 3:	Trait 4:	Trait 5:	
Trait 1: Maiden heifer’s ability to conceive	-	-	-	-	-	
Trait 2: Lactating cow’s
ability to start cycling	-	-	-0.01	64.298	-	
Trait 3: Lactating cow’s ability to conceive 1	-	0.141	-	-0.20	-	
Trait 4: Lactating cow’s ability to conceive 2	-	13.124	-7.845	-	-	
Trait 5: Lactating cow’s interval calving-conception	-	-	-	-	-