The farmer-owned co-operative will start collecting semen in New Zealand in January, after which straws will go into quarantine and storage while various tests are done before they can be shipped to the United Kingdom.
The aim is to have supplies ready for UK herds by the beginning of March.
The potential to make rapid herd improvements by using sexed semen from five top LIC bulls was the company’s big selling point at AgriScot alongside the appeal of helping British farmers address their welfare-sensitive bobby calf issues.
“This is a growing challenge across the world,” LIC European operations head Mark Ryder said, adding he believes the new service will generate high demand in the UK.
LIC’s European team is also targeting sales and service developments in France and Poland, pressing ahead with the co-op’s expansion plans despite the Brexit and free-trade agreement turmoil in Britain and the European Union.
The focus at AgriScot was all about the five LIC bulls the co-op’s leaders have confirmed for UK use, believing they can each have a big future in Europe.
The five are: Maire IG Gauntlet-ET, a pedigree A2A2 bull that produces milky daughters with great temperament, type and capacity unrivalled by other Holstein bulls, Bells CM Conrad, a Jersey sire, also A2A2, producing big, capacious daughters with exceptional production and fertility, UK and NZ favourite Okura LT Integrity, Glen Koru Epic, a Kiwicross and another A2A2 sire, strong right across the board and improving each time his daughters are analysed and top 5 in NZ and Arkarns Beaut-ET, a bull that has sired more daughters than any other bull in NZ over the past three years and is in high demand.
