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

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