Short communication: impact of genomic evaluation on the local cattle Alpine breed of Italy: future directions

Genomic selection has improved genetic evaluations in many breeds and species, but its application in local breeds remains underexplored. However, preserving the competitiveness for local breeds is essential, as they have co-evolved with their surrounding environments and play a fundamental role not only in supporting rural economies but also in preserving the environment and local cultural heritage. This study evaluated the impact of transitioning from single breed pedigree-based to single breed genomic evaluations for milk production in three Alpine dual-purpose cattle breeds: Alpine Grey (APG), Aosta Red Pied (ARP) and Rendena (RND). APG and ARP had over one million test-day records each, while RND contributed approximately 300,000 records. The analysis included over 7000 genotyped animals in ARP and more than 3500 in both APG and RND. When using the genomic model, time-stratified cross-validation demonstrated improved prediction accuracy, along with modest improvements in bias and dispersion. Additionally, genomic models provided higher individual prediction accuracy, particularly in young animals. These results may be especially beneficial for dual-purpose selection schemes in these breeds, where young (unproven) bulls enter performance testing. Overall, the findings support the feasibility and potential benefits of implementing genomic evaluations in these autochthonous breeds.Highlights Genomic evaluations can be successfully implemented in local Alpine cattle breeds. Single-step genomic models improved prediction accuracy, particularly in young animals (selection candidates). Accuracy gains were observed even in non-genotyped individuals.