Scientists breed skim milk-producing cow

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, May 27 (UPI) -- Scientists in New Zealand have successfully bred a cow that produces skim milk and the firm behind the process said herds of the animals are on the horizon.

Officials at the biotech firm, ViaLactia, said the new breeding program would allow them to gain a significant foothold in the world's food industry by marketing to health-conscious consumers, The Times of London said Sunday.

ViaLactia's chief scientist, Russell Snell, said the cow's milk is significantly healthier in three ways.

"She produces a normal level of protein in her milk but substantially less fat, and the fat she does produce has much more unsaturated fat," Snell said. "She also produces milk with very high levels of omega3 oils."

The firm found the cow in 2001, but Snell said true success came when the company learned the animal could pass the trait onto its offspring.

"You have to generate daughters and then they have to carry a calf and deliver milk," Snell told the newspaper. "The eureka moment was when we found her daughters produced milk like their mother."