122 calves reared from embryo transfer technology

Atotal of 122 calves have been born in Fiji through Embryo Transfer Technology from Australia.

In April this year, the Ministry of Agriculture completed implanting the second set of 40 embryo transfers using Wagyu and Droughtmaster Beef cattle breeds.

Updating Parliament on the importation of embryos, Minister for Agriculture Mahendra Reddy said the general success rate around the world is between 40-60 per cent.

Mr Reddy said to establish an elite nuclear head or appropriately adopted cattle in Fiji, 300 embryos were imported for beef and dairy breed as part of the initial programme.

“These three embryos were then transferred into local synchronised cattle in government stations in four phases.”

To date, Fiji has 64 purebred beef Senepol cattle and 42 purebred dairy Brown Swiss cattle.

Embryo transfer technology was introduced in Fiji in 2018 in our efforts to rehabilitate Fiji’s livestock sector.

“Whether it is beef cattle, dairy cattle, goat, and sheep, over the years due to inbreeding we have lost the original genetic traits of the breeds that we have. There are very few farms that have the original breeds,” he said.

“Breeds that are brought in from Australia are carefully selected for good performance in terms of heat stress ability to withstand high heat stress, growth and development in yield carcass content, reproduction and meat quality.”

Mr Reddy said the breeds would be released into farms that were Tuberculosis and Brucellosis free.

In addition, he stated that Fiji’s Breeding Centre had been established and was expected to be completed this year. Edited by Losirene