Now, sex selection in cows to get fewer male calves
The Union government has asked 10 animal husbandry centres to establish sexed semen production facilities to boost milk productivity and tackle the problem of “unwanted male calves” arising from the cow slaughter ban.
Sexing technologies allow farmers to control the gender of the calf. Scientists believe the use of sexed semen will result in the birth of nine females to every male, thereby helping farmers who prefer milk-producing cows to bulls.
“Other countries get rid of unproductive male calves by culling them for meat. However, this is not an option in many states of India,” said a scientist at the Central Frozen Semen Production and Training Institute in Bangalore (CFSP&TI) on the condition of anonymity.
Bulls have become a burden on farmers because growing mechanisation in agriculture has made them near-redundant in the fields. They are often abandoned on the streets, where they loiter and eventually starve to death. The environment ministry’s recent rules banning the sale of cattle for slaughter at cattle markets have only
CONTINUED ON P 5 Semen sorting relies on the fact that ‘female’ sperm (that will giver rise to a female) has more DNA matter than ‘male’ sperm.
The DNA is stained
It passes through a channel where it is exposed to a laser beam. Female and Male chromosomes react differently to the exposure Major countries where the semen is used: United States, Canada, European countries, Mexico, Brazil, China, Australia