Fei-fei – the crossbred calf of a NRF bull and a Chinese Holstein cow is the symbol of friendship and cooperation between China and Norway.
Naming ceremony of Holstein x NRF calf in China
On March 30th, a naming ceremony for the Chinese Holstein x NRF descendant was performed in Shanghai Yinan Farm.
The ceremony was hosted by Shanghai Dairy Association and Agricultural Committee of Jinshan District in Shanghai and supported by Cows Management Station of Jinshan District, Geno and AI Association office in China.
Fei-fei
The calf was given the name «Fei-fei» by Meilin Sheng, the wife of Huiting Song, President of Kunshan Xiangyang Dairy.
Other honored guests at the naming ceremony were:
Head of Shanghai Yinan Farm, Secretary General of Shanghai Dairy Association, Representatives of Agricultural Committee of Jinshan District, President of Kunshan Xiangyan Dairy, Consul General, The Director of Husbandry Office of Shanghai Municipal Agricultural Commission, The Director Division of Foreign Affairs of Shanghai Municipal Agricultural Commission.
The calf was given the name «Fei-fei».
A symbol of friendship
The ceremony was directed by the Secretary General of Shanghai Dairy Association. He gave a high evaluation of the Norwegian dairy breeding system. He said: «Norway is in the west of Euroasia and Shanghai is in the oriental of Euroasia, the crossbred calf of a NRF bull and a Chinese Holstein cow is the symbol of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.»
A crossbreeding experiment
In February 2009 the application of importing Norwegian Red (NRF) semen from Norway to China was approved by the Agricultural Minister of Cina. China then became the 25th country in the world importing NRF semen. The first shipment from Geno to China contained 2000 doses of NRF semen. These doses were used in a dairy crossing experiment between Holstein and Norwegian Red, in well known farms in the areas of Mongolia and Shanghai. The crossbred calves have been born since February 2010.