RBST Semen Collection Appeal 2008/09 Sheep and Goat Semen ...

RBST
Semen Collection
Appeal 2008/09
Sheep and Goat Semen
Collection Information
Pack
Claire Barber, 28 June 2007

The Appeal
Although the Trust had for many years collected, stored and distributed rare breed cattle
semen, the need to expand the archive to include other species of rare breeds became urgent as
a result of the 2001 Foot and Mouth epidemic.
In 2002 the Rare Breeds Survival Trust applied successfully to the Tubney Charitable Trust for
funding to establish a National Rare Breeds Semen Bank. Storage of ram and male goat semen
will allow conservation breeding to take place and enable breeds to be re-established, should it
be necessary in the future. Thus the conservation of our sheep and goat breeds will be
optimised, both in the medium and the longer term, complementing the breeding programmes
of rare breed owners ‘on the ground’.
Aims of the Project
The aim of the project is to collect a minimum of 70 straws from 25 rams/male goats from
each of the 30 sheep and goat breeds that are recognised by the Trust. Selection will be carried
out by the RBST in conjunction with owners and Breed Societies on the basis of pedigree,
using both electronic and paper flock book records, to ensure that rams for collection are not
closely related. This breed analysis will ensure that the 25 males collected represent the broad
genetic diversity exhibited by the current live population.
Semen Usage
The semen collected will be divided as follows:
55% is to go into a permanent National Archive stored by the RBST
30% is to be stored for use in Conservation Breeding Programmes
15% will be available to the owner, free of charge
Semen in the National Archive will remain in store in perpetuity. This means that, in future, if
a breed were to be threatened and overcome by a catastrophe the semen could be used to avert
disaster. The allocation destined for Conservation Breeding purposes is available to
owners/breed societies (on application to the Trust). Any lambs or kids born as a result of this
insemination would belong to the owner of the ewe but the RBST would retain the right to
collect semen from any male born, or at a future date ova or embryos from females
(technology and costs permitting).
If an owner would like to make further collections over and above the proposed collection
period, all costs after this time and any further health tests must be met in full by the owner.
Innovis Ltd and the RBST would need to be notified of any intention to do this prior to semen
collection beginning.
The Costs
Ram and male goat owners are asked to volunteer their animals for semen collection so that, in
partnership with the RBST, the aims of the project are fulfilled for the benefit of the breed.
There will be no monetary payment to the owner for the semen collected, however, 15% of the
semen collected will be stored for sole use of the breeder, free of charge.
The RBST will contribute to fuel costs (35p/ mile up to a maximum of £125) if you take the
ram/male goat into the collection centre. Alternatively, if the collection of a ram is to be made
for both the NSP and the RBST then the Ark Consortium (see below) will transport the ram to
the collection centre. The RBST will cover all residency costs for the duration of the RBST
project as well as the cost of semen collection and storage costs.
Claire Barber, 28 June 2007

What happens next
Stage One
Fill in the Donor Form∗,
and pass onto your Breed
Society
Breed Society sends the
details to Dawn
Teverson / Claire Barber
at the RBST
Dawn or Claire will make
sure the genetics of the
ram/male goat have not
already been collected for
the project
Stage Two
Claire will contact you,
the Owner with the result
of their checks
If the ram/male goat is
suitable for collection,
Claire will contact
Innovis Ltd and pass on
the ram details
Innovis Ltd contacts you,
the Owner and a mutually
convenient date is
arranged for the ram(s)
arrival at the centre
Stage Three
Ram/male goat arrives
at the centre
Semen is collected and
stored**
Ram/male goat returns home
Stage Four
Innovis Ltd will
inform Claire of the
number of straws
collected
Claire agrees the 3-way
allocation of straws
Claire contacts you, the
Owner to inform you of
your straw allocation
Stage Five
You write to Claire
with your mileage
claim.
Claire agrees the amount
to be reimbursed
Claire sends you the
appropriate amount
∗ Individual owners may also volunteer their animals directly to the RBST.
** A proportion of rams will fail to produce viable semen.
Claire Barber, 28 June 2007

MV / Non-MV accreditation
MV accredited (Member of the MV Sheep Health Scheme) animals will enter the dedicated
accredited buildings. This ensures they keep their status and do not compromise the flock’s
status on return home. Innovis Ltd will require a copy of the S&GHS blood test report
detailing the individual animal’s blood test. A test must be done within 12 months of entering
the centre. If this has not been completed (a member of the S&GHS the requirement is for a
biannual test only) the owner will need to ensure that his own vet tests the ram and passes the
negative result form to the owner and then onto Innovis Ltd prior to entry to the centre.
Non Accredited Sheep will enter Innovis Ltd into a different shed. The semen will be
processed and stored separately, and only used by non-accredited animals. There is no
requirement to blood test.
Movement of animals
Current legislation is changing all the time. If you need an information pack please contact
DEFRA Publications on 08459 556000, e-mail defra@iforcegroup.com
The RBST and Innovis Ltd would like to emphasise that it is your responsibility to make sure
your animals meet government rules and regulations prior to arrival at the centre.
Interaction with the National Scrapie Plan (NSP-GB) & Northern Ireland Scrapie Plan
(NISP) Ram Semen Archive
The NSP are no longer collecting rams for their archive, as of the end of March 2008. However
RBST will still be continuing to collect semen from the RBST watchlist breeds for the
foreseeable future. Unfortunately, this means that rams will need to be transported to the
collection centres by the owners. Please see the costs section of this information pack, which
details how much RBST can reimburse owners for mileage. If transport is a particular issue,
please contact Claire Barber to discuss further on Tel: 024 7669 8762.
Fact Sheets
Innovis Ltd have produced a fact-sheet, with recommendations on ram/male goat preparation
that we hope you will find interesting and informative (Appendix B). It will help to optimise
the numbers of successful collections if you follow some, or all, of these recommendations.
And finally…….
The RBST’s Regeneration projects were established to protect breeds in the event of disasters
such as FMD, but also to provide an essential resource for breeders and farmers in the
changing UK agricultural and rural climate. The ram semen collection project is a partnership
between ram/male goat owners, breed societies and the Trust working together for the
conservation of our livestock breeds.
Thank you
Claire Barber, 28 June 2007

APPENDIX A
Ram/Male Goat Semen
Collection Form
Donor
Form
Claire Barber, 28 June 2007

RBST ReGENEration Project
Ram/Male Goat Semen Collection Information
Sections in Bold need to be completed
Date:_________________________
If you wish to discuss semen collection, please contact Claire Barber Tel: 024 7669 8762
Breed
Ram’s name
Registration No.
Permanent Ear Tag No.
Ram’s Date of Birth*
*Rams should be older than 9 months
and upto 6 years old
Owner – Name & Contact Details
Address
Tel:
Mobile:
Fax:
e-mail:
MV accredited / non-accredited
CAE accredited / non-accredited
Dates Available for entry into
collection centre (please circle
appropriate dates)*
Before Sept 2008
Sept – Nov 2008
Nov – Jan 2009
Jan – March 2009
Next Season 2009 – 2010*
Time period ram is covering ewes
at home
Other Details eg, horned/polled,
number of horns, colour etc
PLEASE ATTACH A COPY OF RAM/MALE GOAT PEDIGREE DETAILS TO THIS FORM
(BACK TO 3 GENERATIONS IF KNOWN)
Claire Barber, 28 June 2007