The National Breeding Objective (NBO) describes the collective breeding priorities for Australian dairy herds. Its purpose is to enable farmers to breed herds that meet the future needs of the Australian dairy industry.

The NBO must evolve over time in response to the changing needs of dairy businesses, new knowledge and breeding technologies. As the NBO evolves, so do the indices. DataGene has a policy to review every five years the NBO and the index formulated to meet this objective.

The purpose of the 2024/25 NBO review is:

• To ensure the NBO which is aimed at driving on-farm profit, still remains relevant.
• To maintain an index (or indexes) based on strong scientific principles which are in line with farmer preferences and meet the agreed NBO.