Review of BREEDPLAN Commercialisation Licence

Summary

BREEDPLAN software is used for genetic evaluation of beef cattle in Australia as well as many overseas countries. The current licensing arrangements have been in place since 2001 and are reviewed in this report in the context of the software’s application in Australian and overseas herds. BREEDPLAN is generally well-regarded and it has a competitive edge over alternative products and rates of genetic improvement have increased since its introduction. During consultations held over a number of years, the main concerns expressed by stakeholders have been related to:
• The overall rate of genetic progress in the industry, which is sub-optimal
• Cost associated with utilising BREEDPLAN
• Lack of clear priorities or processes for influencing R&D
• Time to get from research to implementation
In addition there are two other factors that warrant consideration:
• Disruption due to genomics
• An increasing gap between lead users and the rest
Most of these issues relate to the R,D&E pipeline and extend well beyond the form of the BREEDPLAN licensing agreement, which could nevertheless have some bearing on them. Some areas are identified where improvements could be sought around user costs, stakeholder engagement and catering for technical developments.
Five alternative commercialisation models are described and each is assessed according to a number of criteria, including the above considerations. It is strongly recommended that wider industry consultation be conducted to help inform the debate over whether changes (if any) should be implemented.