The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) have been “lobbying very hard” to get a sexing lab in this country.
That’s according to deputy president – Lorcan McCabe – who spoke at the association’s annual general meeting (AGM) today, November 29.
However, he noted that sexed semen doesn’t work for everyone.
He said: “Sexed semen might work on my farm, but it won’t work on your farm; it is not there yet.”
The ICMSA’s president Pat McCormack added that the big challenge with sexed semen is to get the conception rate that is comparable to traditional semen.
Continuing, he said: “We are certainly not asleep at the wheel, obviously we will lobby Government that we need to have our laboratory here in this country.
“To draw the semen, export it to the UK and for it to be brought back can reduce conception rates.
So, we would be far better off as an island nation if we had our own laboratory here.
“Certainly as an association we have lobbied Government that there needs to be funding pulled towards it because it is all part of the social licence and the viability of the progeny.”
McCabe went on to say that it is a tool, but it is “not going to be the end all and be all”. However, he stated that “it will get better”.
“As the president said, we have been lobbying hard to get a lab in this country because of the transport issues and we will continue on that,” McCabe concluded.