The local cattle industry is being boosted with the importation of animals to improve the genetics of local beef and dairy cattle.
In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Chief Executive Officer of the GLDA, Nigel Cumberbatch said, “We were also able, in 2017, to import seven breeding bulls. Four beef bulls and three dairy bulls for our large ruminant genetic improvement programme.”
Additionally, Cumberbatch said while the agency will not stop the importation of semen altogether, the imported bulls will lower the GLDA’s dependence on imported semen for its artificial insemination service to farmers.
“The demand for semen cannot be met by the bulls that we have at the present time, but certainly, they will assist in reducing the amount of semen that we at the present time are importing.”
According to the CEO, farmers will soon benefit from extracted semen from the bulls.
“In 2018, we will be extracting semen from the bulls that we have imported. The bulls have been trained and we are taking them through the training process of semen extraction and by mid-2018 they will be fully involved in the extraction of semen”, he said.
