ARK Consortium Ltd. is the service provider for the Semen Archive under the National Scrapie Plan for Great Britain and the Northern Ireland Scrapie Plan. A Semen Archive Management Board has been set up, with Peter Baber (NSA Chairman) as the Board Chairman. ARK consists of three leading UK providers of artifical insemination services (CBS Technologies, Britbreed and AI Services, NI).
The Archive has been established because of industry concerns that if the science underpinning the NSP/NISP were found to be flawed (there is no evidence of that at present) or the removal of scrapie susceptible genes from the national flock through NSP/NISP were found in future to have adverse effects on breed biodiversity, there would be a need to be able to reintroduce other genetic alleles. Potential donor rams for the Archive must have ARQ, ARH, AHQ and VRQ alleles - all genotype groups except Group 1 (ARR/ARR).
The Breed Liaison Manager at ARK Consortium is Simon Bradley-Farmer, tel. 0845 006 0008, e-mail: info@semen-archive.co.uk. Additional information on the Archive project is published at http://defraweb/animalh/bse/othertses/scrapie/nsp/SchemesInitiatives/semen_archive.htm
A Nomination Form is available for rams and one for previously frozen semen. These can be obtained from the Semen Archive Management Board, c/o Ark Consortium Ltd., The Sheep Centre, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6PH, Breed Liaison Manager Helpline 0845 006 0008; NSP Helpline 0845 601 4858; NISP Helpline 028 9052 5275.
SAMB Welcomes Appointment of the Breed Liaison Manager
Following the successful award of the contract to ARK Consortium Ltd. to be the service provider for this archive, the Semen Archive Management Board are pleased to announce that Mr. Simon Bradley-Farmer has been recruited as the archive Breed Liaison Manager at ARK to further develop the communications with breeders/ram owners and facilitate identification of eligible rams from the 67 breed Societies.
Mr. Farmer has a long history in Estate Farm Management encompassing the production of prime commercial lamb. This has given him a good practical grounding in the sheep industry and the National Scrapie Plan and has given him an excellent insight into the needs of sheep farming and Breed Societies.
His first week started with presentations in conjunction with a NSP Road Show in Scotland. The culmination of the week's endeavours was extremely rewarding, Mr. Farmer commented how pleasing it was to get a positive response from all of the sheep sector represented at the road show around Scotland. A number of breeders had come forward to offer their rams to the Archive from a wide variety of breeds.
The SAMB criteria for eligibility of rams to be Archived is that they must have at least one Allele that is ARQ, ARH, AHQ or VRQ.
Although the Type 4 and Type 5 (VRQ carrying) rams are becoming more scarce due to the impact of the NSP/NISP, the genotypes are still obtainable, although their frequency will vary from breed to breed. Mr. Farmer urged breeders to offer suitable rams to the Archive through their Breed Society or direct to the Semen Archive Management Board (SAMB), he also pointed out that breeders seemed to be unaware that the Archive also includes collection and freezing of Type 2 and 3 rams which are more easily available across breeds.
Now the Archive is fully underway it is essential that breeders that have eligible rams offer them forward. All Breed Societies need to assist the Semen Archive Management Board (SAMB) is archiving these alleles, should science require their reintroduction. Nomination forms will be available soon and will be sent to NSP and NISP members with copies also available to Breed Societies and ram owners from Simon.
Simon can be contacted at Ark on
info@semen-archive.co.uk, or
tel. 0845 006 0008
By kind permission of NSA Winter Focus 2004
More rams needed for the 2005/06 Season
The number of successful semen collections each year have risen from 24 in the first season of collection to 54 in 2004/5, bringing the total number of collections to date to 117. This represents 12,630 straws of rare breed sheep and goat semen - an invaluable genetic resource that will be used both for Conservation Breeding and storage in the National Archive should our worst fears come true and the breeds need to be saved from extinction.
The aim of the Appeal is to collect from 25 rams from each breed, to represent the widest genetic diversity available in the current population. Rams that are volunteered will have their pedigrees checked against those that have already been collected from to ensure that they are not too closely related. The RBST are not just collecting from those considered the best in the breed or even those that carry specific genes, we want all types to be represented. Scrapie genotype is not important when volunteering a ram for the RBST.
CBS Technologies have a new ram collection facility at Aubreys Farm on Bromsberrow Estate near Malvern. It can accommodate up to 100 Maedi-Visna accredited and non-accredited rams. The technical staff involved with collections have been formally trained and have extensive pedigree stock experience. They have learned a great deal about rare breeds in the three seasons that the RBST project has been in operation.
Rams are trained by the CBS staff, but it helps a great deal if rams are well handled and familiar with human company. Hand feeding the rams for a few days before they enter the collection centre may help, as can entering the collection centre with a female companion.
The semen freezing season generally extends from June to February, so it is vital that rams are volunteered in good time so that their pedigrees can be checked to ensure that they are not related to any already collected. This means that many more rams need to be volunteered than will be suitable for collection.
Of the semen collected, there are 3 different uses:
In order for this project to succeed the Trust must work together with both ram owners and Breed Societies. The Trust will fund the collection and storage of the semen, the residential costs for a stay at one of the centres, transport costs (35p/mile up to £125) and any pre-entry health checks that are required.
Owners may prefer to transport their own ram and can take him to one of the THREE collection centres, Malvern, East Maines - Ormiston, and Belfast. However, if the ram is accepted for the NSP Semen Archive then transport will be arranged for the ram at no cost to the owner or RBST.
If you are interested in joining the project, and being instrumental in the security of the existence of your breed, pass your details onto your breed society or directly to the RBST. This should include your name, address and telephone number, and the details of your ram - breed, name, ID, 3 generation pedigree and also when in the next 6 months he is not available to the collection centre. Please state whether the ram is MV accredited or not. Once the details have been checked, and your ram accepted, the collection centre will contact you to arrange a date for collection. 30 days after your ram returns home, RBST pays for the cost of a veterinary inspection. This inspection report will accompany the semen when it is moved to the National Archive.
| For more information please contact Claire Barber or Dawn Teverson at the RBST. Telephone number 024 7669 6551 or email: claire.barber@rbst.org.uk or dawn.teverson@rbst.org.uk |
By kind permission NSA Sheep Farmer, September/October 2005
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Defra/NSP-approved explanation of the Semen Archives:
NSP Semen Archive - more concerned about storing the genotypes of
"scrapie susceptible" animals (therefore no ARR/ARR animals
wanted!)
100-200 straws harvested, depending upon genotype. Breeder paid £50 only
if semen freezes successfully.
10% of semen can be made available to the breeder if the Archive is ever
opened.
All semen collection and storage charges are covered. Transport for rams will
be provided to and from the Semen Collection Centres at no cost to you.
For VRQ genotypes the Society will also earn £50 for each approved ram.
RBST scheme set up in order to "preserve the heritage of rare
breeds" (therefore ALL genotypes required)
£20 paid to breeder upon successful freezing of semen, plus 15% semen
given to breeder and stored foc
Breeder responsible for delivery/collection of ram to centre; RBST pays mileage
allowance.
IT IS LIKELY THAT AN ANIMAL IS ELIGIBLE FOR BOTH SCHEMES
Rams nominated on purple NSP form, owner should leave RBST tick
box empty on Section 5 of the form if they want details of the ram to be passed
to the RBST. If a ram is approved for both Archives, the NSP Archive will
arrange for the free transport of the ram.
Two collection centres, serving BOTH schemes: Edinburgh and Malvern (Ledbury,
Herefordshire)
Rams worked once daily, artificial vagina not electro-ejaculation (unless with
owner's consent)
NSP Archive requires 20 rams to represent each scrapie susceptible allele (i.e. ARQ and AHQ) - preferably diverse genotypes and unrelated. Level of AHQ in the breed is <1%, so rams may be unobtainable. Rams must be a good representation of the breed. Further 8-10 still needed to complete quota for ARQ allele (Hampshire Down and Poll Dorset breeds almost finished). Selection day for purposes of the archive (at a central market) a suggestion, where breed society could approve the rams before submission, then rams collectively transported to semen collection centre (on multiple pick up licence).
| NSP contact: | RBST contacts: |
| Claire Eaton, mobile: 07870628772 |
Dr. Dawn Tevrson Dr. Claire Barber Tel: 02476 696551 |