Flying the Flag in the west
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Find Us in Asia
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Global threat to pork industr
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Certification updates
[03 Aug 07]
JSR brings the pig world to Yorkshire
[07 Jul 07]
Harper Adams College and JSR team up for new research
[07 Jul 07]
EBLEX beefs up eating quality
[07 Jul 07]
Meat Industry Figures
[02 Jul 07]
Into Africa
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One million pounds we didn't have a year ago!
[27 Mar 07]
What's happening to British calf numbers and price
[25 Mar 07]
Sauvignon Reigns in France
[24 Mar 07]
Nine Hereford bulls go to France
[24 Mar 07]
Herefords return to Germany and France
[27 Feb 07]
"British Livestock" a new magazine
[23 Feb 07]
Export boost for Aberdeen-Angus
[11 Feb 07]
Sexed Limousin Semen - a world first!
[11 Feb 07]
Animal welfare in transport: new EU rules enter into force
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Opportunities in the genetics of cattle health and beef production
[4 Jan 07]
Charolais genetics exported down under
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British Charolais makes breed debut in Romania
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Counting sheep - UK/USA
[08 Oct 06]
Boom Time for British Breeding Pig Exports
[06 Oct 06]
New Pig Centre Links Farm to Lab
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Encouraging signs from UK Pig Census
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New semen sexing technology
[06 Sept 06]
WeideFestival - First steps back into Europe
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Expointer And 100 Years of Devons in Brazil
[10 August 06]
First British Charolais & Limousin semen exported to Mexico
[10 August 06]
JSR plays a major role in Polish pig expansion
[7 August 06]
Limousins are first British cattle into Poland
[7 August 06]
Aberdeen-Angus export breakthroughs
[29 June 06]
Gene markers boost performance
[21 June 06]
Tiger economy in sheep's clothing
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Strong Start for English Beef Exports
[6 June 06]
Facts at your fingertips!
[22 May 06]
Beefing up exports to Switzerland
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Tally-ho! Sensible eco-friendly tallow decision
[27 Apr 06]
Danish breeding pig exports up 15% in 2004/05
[24 Apr 06]
There's animal welfare UK style or other styles
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BSE: UK beef embargo to be lifted.
[08 Mar 06]
UK venture targets pigs in the east
[27 Feb 06]
Cogent Sexed Semen - A globally proven product
[21 Feb 06]
Meat imports drop in UK as production soars
[09 Feb 06]
Nice, if you can get it!
[17 Jan 06]
Newdawn for the British pig industry
[13 Jan 06]
SWALEX Success as Cumbrian sheep arrive in Estonia
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British Global Genetic Giants to merge
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Cattle exports going well for European countries
[29 Oct 05]
Birth Data Highlight Beef Herd Changes
[8 July 05]
Semen Exports’ £7 million boom
[3 July 05]
Britbreed joins forces with CBS Technologies under the umbrella of Innovis™
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Sympa and Goldies Terence arrive in Oz, and more Opera [6 June 05]
Firsts for British rare breeds pigs
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Genus reopens Brazil’s door to cattle semen exports
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National UK Dairy database launched for performance & welfare improvement
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Red faces? No, yet more sheep breeding developments in Britain!
[18 Apr 05]
British Pig Association Active in Asia [15 Apr 05]
UK now a moderate risk BSE area [22 Mar 05]
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Onwards in Black and White
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Livestock Links Forged with distant Nagaland
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New UK dairy genetics testing programme for "Grazing Kings"
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Beef and lamb sales in Britain soar
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Nice Limousin calves Downunder!
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Fourth proven Montbeliarde joins Genus stud
[13 Dec 04]
Dream team for Charollais sires
[24 Nov 04]
Bull prices follow performance, yet again!
[2 Nov 04]
Click on any of the news stories above for further information
Limousin has become the first beef breed in the world to take advantage of sexed semen technology. In partnership with leading AI company Cogent Breeding Limited, Northern Ireland Limousin breeders, Raymond & Stephen Crawford have had sexed semen collected from their two Limousin bulls, Sauvignon and Vigot. This new technology has already met with significant interest in developing export markets.
The Crawford Brothers run the Rathkeeland & Newlittlemount herds in Northern Ireland and their two bulls have been housed and collected at Cogent’s 'five-star' facility near Chester since the autumn of 2006, making them the first Limousin bulls in the world to have sexed semen made available.
Sauvignon is a five year old senior bull and was a prolific show ring winner in 2006 and Vigot is an exciting young bull whose has also made a good start in the showring.
Cogent has been at the forefront of sexed semen technology since 1998 and are the industry leaders. The technology takes advantage of a small difference in DNA content between male and female sperm, to ensure that the semen, once sexed, has on average over 90% female sperm in every straw. Cogent were the first company in the world to commercially offer sexed semen in 2000 within the dairy industry and since then they have continued to be the pioneers world-wide with the launch of sexed semen from top Limousin sires being the next logical step.
Sexed semen has other potential breeding selection advantages including:
•
Breeding replacements from the best females to speed up genetic progress
•
Biosecurity – breeding one's own replacements cuts down disease
risks
•
Selection options - female calves for first-time calvers
Ania,
from Top Farms, Poland, with Limousin bull, Vigot
The export potential for this new technology appears considerable with new EU countries and others looking to establish a beef breeding population in the quickest and most effective ways possible. With this in mind, Raymond Crawford spent a lot of 2006 developing potential export markets for his stock, and in particular the semen from Sauvignon and Vigot. Working closely with the international team at Cogent, outlets have already been developed into Germany and Poland, with others on the way. Cogent’s agents in Poland, Top Farms, have now grown a strong link with the Limousin breed in the UK, already having taken delivery of 3 shipments of around 90 heifers in total, with more planned. Following on from the heifer imports, sexed semen from Vigot is now on its way to Poland to start breeding replacements for the future.
Raymond Crawford comments: “This is an exciting new technology which offers great potential. Today’s beef producers are looking for predictability and if this technology meets this demand then I’m pleased that the Limousin breed is at the forefront of another potential new market. I plan to be with the British team at SIMA in Paris from 4 to 8 March and look forward to meeting fellow breeders there.”
For more information see: www.limousin.co.uk, www.crawfordbrothers.co.uk and www.cogentuk.com
[11 Feb 07]
