4 July 2019
The Agriculture & Natural Resources Division (ANRD) has recently imported over 100 straws of goat semen to be made available to goat breeders across the Island.
Senior Veterinary Officer, Joe Hollins, explains:
“We have imported over 100 straws of semen from six world class Boer goats and one Anglo Nubian. The Boer goat is primarily a meat breed, the Anglo Nubian more dual purpose – meat and milk.
“One of the principles of livestock breeding on an Island is to prevent inbreeding with resultant reduction of productivity and quality. Artificial Insemination (AI) provides world class genetics from proven billies, is relatively good value, and is safe from a biosecurity point of view – it is sourced with special certification proving that it has been collected after stringent testing of the billies, and then treated, so that we do not introduce any disease.”
The process of procuring the goat semen has been extremely difficult and ANRD has been trying for nine months to get the semen on-Island.
Joe concluded:
“We would not have overcome the major problems we were having getting the goat semen onto the Island if it hadn’t have been for the amazing cooperation of multiple parties – the two semen companies, Farmgene and AB Europe, who arranged to amalgamate the order into one flask and do last minute certification, Richard James International in Bristol who organised the freighting, Kuehne Nagel the agents for the MoD, Kitty George who received the flask on Ascension and did a rush transfer to the MV Helena, the Captain and crew of the MV Helena who stood at anchor for an extra two days to pick up the shipment and who have had to endure endless jokes about their cargo, and Solomon & Company (St Helena) Plc and AW Shipping Ltd for holding back the ship two days to match the flight.
“It has been a heart-warming example of what can be achieved with positive attitudes along a complicated chain in what has been a complex operation. We would like to thank all for their outstanding professionalism.”
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SHG
4 July 2019