New Expanded SABOR Semen Delivery Service

by Graeme Pope
(Reprinted with permission from Pig Industry News)

SABOR Artificial Breeding Centre, Clare has commenced a new semen delivery service which will enable approximately 80% of its SA semen orders to be delivered on-farm, or as close as practicable to client’s farms, on the same day it was collected.

Two air conditioned, temperature logged Volkswagen delivery vans will commence delivery runs twice weekly from June 2005. As customer numbers increase, SABOR will look at further extending their delivery routes, and possibly delivering on extra days through the week.

By delivering on-farm, or closer to it, clients can be confident their semen in being transported under ideal conditions, without dependence on a third party and its associated risks.

Delivery runs

A Mid-North delivery on Monday and Thursday will cover Snowtown, Bute, Lochiel, Port Wakefield, Balaklava, Two Wells and Hamley Bridge areas.

A Riverland delivery on Monday and Thursday will cover Eudunda, Bower, Waikerie, Loxton, Berri, Karoonda and Lameroo.

A Murray Mallee delivery on Monday and some orders on Thursday will cover Owen, Freeling, Roseworthy, Gawler, Mannum, Murray Bridge, Jervois, Tailem Bend, Coomandook, Coonalpyn, Tintinara and Wolseley.

The feasibility of this improved semen delivery service at SABOR has resulted from steadily increasing boar numbers and semen orders at the Centre. The building of a new boar quarantine facility on the property at Clare (see Pig Industry News, December 2004), has freed up space to accommodate more working boars within the Centre. These extra boars, together with the SA industry’s strong uptake of Batch Farrowing and producer alliances has steadily increased demand for SABOR semen.

During the past three years, a percentage of SABOR doses have been couriered direct to clients, or to towns close to clients’ piggeries. The addition of the two new delivery vehicles will now enable the majority of SABOR SA clients to receive “same day” semen, often at times more suited to fit in with mating shed work routines, and without farm staff having to leave the property to meet commercial courier deliveries.

Benefits of “fresher” semen

The degree to which semen age may impact upon herd fertility will depend upon each farm’s current semen purchase arrangements.

Typically, the fresher (younger) semen is when inseminated, the better the fertility results should be. Fertility decreases particularly once semen older than 48 hours is used in matings conducted 24+ hours before sows ovulate.

The extent and rate at which semen viability may deteriorate after processing and during storage will depend on several factors. These include:

• Boars – there is natural variation seen between boars, and within the same boar, in terms of how well (long) their semen will remain viable after collection, dilution/extension, packaging and held in storage.
  
  In particular, some boar’s semen is affected more than others during periods of hot weather.


• Bacterial contamination – raw boar semen contains a variety of microorganisms due to contamination which invariably occurs during its collection and processing/packaging. Most of the bacteria found may be non-pathogenic (to the sow being AI’d) but some of their metabolic products may have detrimental effects on sperm survival.
  
  For this reason, most semen extenders used contain some type of antibiotic, to prevent the uncontrolled growth of bacteria within the semen during storage.
  
  Bacterial contamination has its greatest potential impact on semen viability once semen has been extended/stored longer than 24-48 hours after collection.


• Choice of extender – during semen processing, raw ejaculates are diluted (extended) to increase the numbers of doses available from a single collection, and to provide nourishment and protection to the sperm during transportation/on-farm storage prior to insemination.
  
  Different semen extender products may be conveniently divided into one of two categories, based on their capacity to “extend” sperm viability over time. Typically “short to medium” term extenders may provide 2-3 day’s cover, “medium to long” term products may provide 3-5 day’s cover. The Australian pig industry has legal access to four different extenders, including both short – medium and medium – long category products.



• On-farm semen storage/handling – To maximise semen “shelf life” on-farm, all doses should be stored at a consistent 16-17°C, and rotated twice daily to re-suspend all sperm within the extender media.

Maximising processed semen viability at SABOR

Within SABOR, the following measures are routinely implemented to maximise the viability (shelflife) of stored semen.

• Boar management – all boars undergo semen quality checks during quarantine, before they enter the main SABOR herd. Boars producing poor quality ejaculates (eg. low sperm concentration, high percentage of non-motile or deformed sperm) are identified prior to their semen being processed and released for sale.
  
  Boars housed at SABOR are fed diets designed to deliver daily intakes of protein, energy, amino acid, vitamins and minerals known to be optimal for quality semen production.
  
  Clients are notified if either of two “sentinel” samples of extended semen (kept back from each ejaculate at SABOR and held under ideal environmental conditions) show unacceptable deterioration in sperm motility by day #2 and/or day #4 post-collection.
• Extender used – in an effort to maximise the shelf life of the semen it produces, SABOR has exclusively used Androhep® extender since mid-1997. Androhep® is regarded internationally as a “long” term extender.
• Minimising bacterial contamination – at SABOR, routine semen collection/processing and laboratory design/work practices are implemented to minimise the potential for significant bacterial contamination to occur. Third party audits of laboratory hygiene and raw plus extended ejaculates are routinely used to confirm quality control procedures are producing predictable and repeatable results.
• Collection frequency – semen is collected five days per week at SABOR.

Summary

The new, extended SABOR semen delivery service will enable approximately 80% of SA semen orders to be delivered under the direct control and supervision of SABOR.

Reducing dependency on commercial courier networks can only assist to build client’s confidence that the semen marketed by SABOR will arrive on-farm in optimal condition and with maximum shelflife.

Clients able to be included within the delivery service will be required to provide SABOR management with written instructions on where their semen orders must be dropped off within their property, or nearest town. For biosecurity reasons, drivers will not be entering piggeries to deliver semen orders.

Current and potential SABOR clients wanting further information regarding this service are encouraged to contact Graham Reu, General Manager SABOR Ltd on 08 8843 4315, mobile 0427 842 628.

Copyright © 2009, Sabor Ltd.