The Belgian Blue breed has become an international symbol of genetic excellence in beef production. Originating from Belgium, it is renowned for its “double muscling,” caused by a natural mutation in the myostatin gene that dramatically enhances muscle growth. The result is exceptional carcass yield — up to 80%, compared to 60–65% in conventional breeds — and lean, tender, low-fat meat that meets modern consumer preferences.

While the world celebrates this genetic wonder, Pakistan’s livestock sector continues to struggle with low meat yields, poor carcass quality, and outdated breeding systems. The national average carcass yield remains only 45–50%, despite Pakistan having one of the largest livestock populations in Asia. This gap reflects not the lack of animals, but the lack of scientific breeding policy and genetic direction.

Across the border, India transformed its livestock sector through genetic planning, institutional consistency, and coordinated national programs. Under initiatives like the National Dairy Plan and Rashtriya Gokul Mission, India scientifically improved local breeds and introduced controlled crossbreeding with European lines such as Holstein Friesian, Jersey, and Simmental. As a result, India today ranks as the world’s largest milk producer and a major exporter of buffalo meat — all while maintaining genetic adaptability to its tropical environment.

Interestingly, India never adopted the Belgian Blue breed on any commercial scale. A few experimental introductions and semen imports were tested, but results proved unsustainable due to poor heat tolerance, difficult calving, and high management costs. Instead, Indian scientists learned from the genetic principles behind the Belgian Blue — disciplined selection, feed efficiency, and performance recording — and applied them intelligently within their own ecological and policy framework.

Pakistan, unfortunately, has often chosen the opposite route. Instead of building long-term breeding programs, policymakers have repeatedly imported foreign breeds without assessing adaptability or establishing genetic recording systems. Projects that begin with enthusiasm often collapse once funding ends, leaving no scientific legacy. The obsession with “imported genetics” has diverted attention from improving indigenous breeds like Sahiwal, Cholistani, Dhanni, and Red Sindhi, which could yield excellent results if scientifically managed.

What Pakistan needs is not the Belgian Blue itself, but the Belgian Blue approach — a national framework based on genetic data, scientific breeding, and research continuity. The creation of a National Livestock Genetic Improvement Authority, working under the Ministry of National Food Security & Research in coordination with provincial livestock departments and veterinary universities, could lay the foundation for sustainable progress.

To move forward, Pakistan’s livestock policymakers must first accept that genetic improvement is a scientific process, not an administrative task. They should formulate a National Livestock Breeding and Genetics Policy that defines breed-wise objectives, breeding goals, and genetic resource conservation strategies for both dairy and beef production. This policy should be supported by legislation ensuring data collection, performance recording, and traceability across the country.

A centralized Livestock Genetic Resource Authority should be established to coordinate among provincial livestock departments, universities, and research institutes to standardize artificial insemination services, semen evaluation, and genetic indexing systems. Pakistan must also invest in genomic laboratories and digital herd recording systems. Without data, no scientific selection or breed evaluation is possible. A national database of animal pedigrees, milk yield, carcass performance, and disease resistance should be created to identify elite animals and guide breeding programs based on evidence rather than estimation.

The government should further incentivize private sector breeding farms and semen production units through tax relief and technical collaboration, following successful Indian and Brazilian models. Public-private partnerships can ensure scalability, sustainability, and transparency in breeding services. Indigenous breeds must be genetically upgraded rather than replaced. Controlled crossbreeding using high-performing exotic bulls such as Simmental, Limousin, or Angus, under scientific supervision, can enhance carcass yield without compromising adaptability. The focus should be on producing a “Pakistani Beef Composite Breed” — an outcome of selective crossbreeding backed by genetic evaluation.

Finally, livestock breeding must be integrated with climate resilience, feed resource management, and rural income generation. Every animal should be treated as an economic unit within a sustainable production ecosystem. Livestock should not remain a welfare sector but evolve into a competitive agri-business driven by data, science, and accountability.

If these policy directions are implemented, Pakistan can transform its vast livestock population into a high-yielding genetic asset. The Belgian Blue will then serve not as a foreign ideal, but as a scientific inspiration — reminding us that genetic progress is a product of policy discipline, institutional continuity, and national commitment.

Dr. Alamdar Hussain Malik
Advisor (Veterinary Sciences), University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Swat
Former Financial Adviser, Finance Division, Government of Pakistan