| 2018-11-23 |    |
New Zealand Sexed Semen Available for Spring 2019
Sexed semen from a premier selection of elite bulls will be available for UK dairy farmers for the first time from LIC this spring.
Demand is expected to be high, as the best bulls will be on offer, and many producers have been waiting to be able to take advantage of this opportunity.
Mark Ryder LIC Europe general manager
The aim is to have eight bulls sexed, and at the moment LIC (Livestock Improvement Corporation) can confirm five that will be on offer:
-
Maire IG Gauntlet-ET (62 113086). A pedigree A2A2 bull who produces milky daughters with great temperament, type and capacity unrivalled by other Holstein bulls, a rare find when combined with great fertility and will meet UK farmer’s needs well regardless of input system type. He has already proved very popular with the conventional straws that were introduced last year;
-
Bells CM Conrad (312057). A Jersey sire, also A2A2 producing large capacious daughters with exceptional production and fertility. He will be partnered by the UK and NZ favourite Okura LT Integrity (311013)
-
Glen Koru Epic (514018) a KiwiCross™ another A2A2 sire, strong right across the board and improving each time his daughters are analysed, currently top 5 in New Zealand. He will be accompanied by Arkarns Beaut-ET (511026). This bull has sired more daughters than any other bull in New Zealand over the past three years and is in high demand here. Supplies of conventional semen have sold out in the UK for the past two years.
“It’s a fact that some bulls sex better than others,” explains Mark Ryder LIC Europe general manager. “We’ve taken our time to select bulls that have been proven to sex well and perform within a grass-based farming system. These are our top bulls.”
New Zealand trials have shown that the 4M straw (four million cells) is the most effective, and Mark explains that as you get about a third of the number of straws as a result of the sexing process, and with the welfare of the bull paramount throughout the process, this has often been why top bulls have not been sexed in the past.
“We will start collecting in New Zealand in January. The straws will then go into quarantine and storage while various tests are carried out, and then we can ship. Our aim is to have supplies here at the start of March.”
“Fertility has been the biggest challenge facing the UK dairy industry in the past 10 years and many farmers have made improvements in this area,” says Mark. “No-one will want to throw away the gains made, so sexed semen will not be for everyone, especially when farmers need to keep to a very tight block calving system. It’s a case of not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
Mark says it needs to be used wisely, maybe as part of a herd improvement programme, such as on maiden heifers, the most fertile, and the most likely to get into calf, or on a cow that calved early and displayed a strong heat prior to mating.
A definite driver is the need for farmers to continually demonstrate the highest level of animal welfare management on farm to satisfy the high standards demanded by the consumer.
“But these drivers have got to be very strong if you’re going to take a hit on your block calving system.”
Latest research figures from New Zealand show that pregnancy rates on average with sexed semen are lower – but Mark says to remember this was the average. Within that there were some very good, and some very bad, figures. “It’s all about selecting the right heifers or cows, and management around them, but there are still no guarantees” he points out.
“As the technology improves, so will the conception rates,” he adds. “This may not be a solution for all, but it’s a huge step in the right direction and will certainly help to address the bobby calf issue, which is a growing challenge across the world.”
