Australian export case study For over a decade, veterinarian Dr Adrian Veitch, who lives and works Narrogin in the remote south west of the vast Australian continent, has concentrated on the specialist field of ovine genetics.
Dr Veitch’s company, AllStock (WA), exports frozen sheep embryos and semen to countries around the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, India, the Falkland Islands, Mexico, Uruguay, and the US.
AllStock (WA) draws from a pool of many different sheep breeds, including Merino, Poll Merino, Dohne Merino, SAMM, Poll Dorset and Darama, but it is the Dorper and White Dorper sheep which account for most of its exports.
The Dorper, a sheep from the desert regions of South Africa, was first brought to Australia around twenty years ago and then further bred for adaptation to semi-arid climates.
Dorper sheep are a meat-producing animal that sheds its fleece and has excellent maternal characteristics, with the potential to give farmers three lambings in a two-year period.
For the past year, AllStock (WA) has been working on a Dorper project in Bangalore, India.
“Austrade has also been a tremendous help to us,” said Dr Michylla Seal, the veterinarian who is working on this project.
“In particular, Austrade Bangalore has given us excellent on-the-ground advice.”
Australian sheep embryos are being used in many other parts of the world, as well. Dr Seal has just returned from her annual visit to the Falkland Islands where she manages artificial sheep breeding programs. |