Sexed semen sales double to 63.5% of all dairy semen sales
© Tim Scrivener Sales of sexed dairy semen have doubled over the past two years, according to a recent AHDB survey of breeding companies.
In the 12 months to March 2021, sales of sexed semen made up 63.5% of all dairy semen sales, up from 31.9% in 2019.
The increase reflects a sharp upwards trend since 2017, when sales of sexed semen accounted for 17.9%.
Commenting on the rise, Marco Winters, AHDB head of animal genetics, said: “Improvements in reliability and costs have given farmers more confidence to use sexed semen over conventional in recent years.”
Beef semen sales
Mr Winters added that more cows were being served for beef to produce more saleable animals since fewer cows were needed as replacements.
Sales of beef semen to the dairy herd made up 45.3% of total semen sales, compared with 33.3% in 2017.
Policies to end bull calf euthanasia have undoubtedly had an impact.
Milk processor Arla announced its “every calf has a value campaign” in 2019. The rules, which came into effect on 1 January 2021, state that no healthy calf will be slaughtered or euthanised on Arla farms within the first eight weeks of life.
See also: Are Arla farmers ready for the new rules on calves?
Since then, the AHDB and NFU have launched their national dairy calf strategy, which aims to eliminate calf euthanasia by 2023 and increase the number of male calves entering the beef supply chain.
Paul Flanagan, AHDB dairy strategy director, said: “The uplift in the use of sexed dairy and beef semen reflects the efforts made in recent years and further demonstrates the industry’s resolve to address challenges around bull calves.”
Why use sexed semen?
Mr Winters said sexed semen was a great option for farmers looking to breed replacements from their best females and lift their overall herd performance.
He encouraged farmers to use AHDB’s herd genetic report to help make more informed breeding decisions by identifying which animals to breed to dairy and which to beef.