The Rare Breeds Survival Trust UK has upgraded their Gene Bank booklet, see https://www.rbst.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=1d514182-b37e-4e91-ba5a-dcb60031ac50
Under ‘Case Studies’ it says:
The cost of each equine semen collection has held steady at £6,800.00 over at least the past two years. The cost therefore of the three collections is £20,400.00.
The number of Suffolk semen collections in the Gene Bank currently stands at seven, an increase in only four collections. But 25 Suffolk semen collections are necessary, as the following table, again from the latest Gene Bank booklet shows. (Table modified by addition of blue arrow)
See also the section ‘Frozen Semen’ for discussion on the importance of Suffolk semen collection and how many collections per year are needed to protect against genetic extinction by 2027. This article was first published 20 April 2018, almost four years ago. https://suffolkpunchaustralia.com/clock-ticking-part-2/how-far-have-we-got-considering-our-options-in-securing-the-future-of-the-suffolk-punch-in-the-united-kingdom/
How far have we got? Not very far at all. We seem to be dawdling; not sprinting, not even jogging.
The article referred to above over-optimistically showed in Figures 2 and 3, similar charts to Fig. 1.0 below. At the current rate of collections, seven over five years (2017-2022), by 2027 we will still be short – by 11 collections – of the minimum number of 25.
Some questions:
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- Why have so few stallions been collected since November 2017?
- If stallion owners are not happy with the terms governing the collections and storage in the Gene Bank, what needs to be done to assuage their concerns?
- Does the Suffolk Horse Society have a dedicated fund and budget to remedy this situation?
- And, if not, what are the Society’s plans to ensure that by 2027, there will be 25 frozen semen collections safely stored in the RBST Gene Bank.
… … … and just a reminder of time lost, and time which remains … … …
© Eleanor Yvonne Hatch, Suffolk Punch Australia 2022