Farmers and agri-industry personnel gathered at the Dovea Genetics headquarters (HQ) located outside Thurles, Co. Tipperary, on Thursday (August 29) for the official opening of what is being described by Dovea Genetics as “Ireland’s largest purpose-built sexed semen laboratory” for beef and dairy breed cattle.
According to the Tipperary-based genetics company, the facility is costing €1 million and “is Ireland’s first purpose built sexed semen laboratory”
The facility has been built “to facilitate future growth in sexed semen sales across both beef and dairy sectors,” according to the genetics company.
The facility was officially opened by the chair of Dovea Genetics, Mr. John P. Nugent.
The sexed semen lab will be operated by global company Sexing Technologies (ST) and was temporarily based at Teagasc Moorepark in Fermoy, Co. Cork, but will now operate from the new location.
Three Artificial Insemination (AI) companies are being supplied with sexed semen from the lab with these being Dovea Genetics, Eurogene and Bova AI.
A statement from Dovea Genetics outlined the company has been “collaborating with ST for several years in Ireland and anticipates further advancements in the technology that ST is currently developing.”
The conventional semen lab will continue to operate at the site also.
Speaking at the official opening of the sexed semen lab, John P. Nugent, chairperson of Dovea Genetics said: “This investment by the company is another significant milestone on our journey, highlighting the commitment Dovea Genetics is making to provide the best dairy and beef genetics available as sexed semen for Irish farmers.
“The project is costing a significant one million euros and shows the commitment the company is making in having the best dairy and beef genetics available as sexed semen for Irish dairy and beef farmers.
“The demand for sexed semen is increasing and will continue to grow. This newly designed facility has been established to accommodate the future expansion of sexed semen usage by Irish farmers.”
The Dovea Genetics chairperson said: “The sexed semen technology has been a game changer for the Irish dairy and beef breeding industries. The technology has allowed dairy farmers to breed females from their best cows and heifers to high EBI sires – accelerating genetic gain and improving overall herd sustainability.
“The technology has also been transformative in beef herds allowing suckler farmers to selectively breed their top-performing cows to high replacement index sires.
“Additionally, the application of male beef sexed semen on dairy cows will become more widely used. The broader impact of increased sexed semen utilisation in Ireland’s agricultural sector is significant and we are pleased to contribute to addressing both current and future challenges.”
The chairperson thanked Teagasc for providing the temporary facility in 2021 to establish the sexed semen lab at Teagasc Moorepark which was used by the AI companies for the past three years.
Also speaking at the official opening, the Sexing Technology vice president and general manager for Europe, Dr. Andrew Cromie said: “The global cattle breeding industry is undergoing huge changes with the rapid uptake of dairy sexed semen, combined with beef on dairy genetics.
“No where is this more evident than in Ireland, where the usage of dairy sexed semen has doubled each year for the last 3-4 years.
“We welcome the foresight of the Dovea Genetics board and management team, for responding to these challenges, with the establishment of this new sexed semen laboratory here at the home of Dovea.
“We look forward to partnering closely with them in the years to come, in the delivery of high-quality sexed sorted dairy and beef genetics for their Irish and global customers.”