By Joe Dermody,
Dairy and beef semen supplier Dove Genetics, Teagasc, and Irish NGO Vita are supporting a cattle improvement programme, sponsoring the supply of AI straws to the National AI Centre in Eritrea.
Some 2,000 AI straws from bulls on Dovea Genetics international catalogue were sent to the East African state of Eritrea last year and these are now being used as part of a crossbreeding programme with plans to send out more AI straws.
Eritrea will cross the local breeds with breeds favoured in Ireland.
The aim is to produce an animal adapted to suit available forage rather than animals dependent on costly concentrates.
“I am convinced that the sires available at Dovea Genetics are suitable for the Eritrean environment,” said Conor Ryan, Dovea Genetics export manager.
“The bulls are selected for forage-based production. The cost of concentrates is very high and supply is unreliable in Eritrea.
“Livestock production is most resilient in an integrated crop/livestock system where forages are the main feed sources available.”
This latest initiative follows on from a visit to Eritrea last year by a senior Irish delegation of agricultural specialists led by Vita, Teagasc, and Grote-SHA.
The focus of the visit was to build on the partnership between these agencies and the Eritrean government.
>> ALSO READ : Irish Experts in Eritrea for Pioneering Dairy and Potato Programmes
James O’Loughlin, Teagasc Moorepark, said: “In the dairy pilot project in Eritrea, we are recommending a breeding programme based on cross breeding.
“The local Barka breed is crossed with Friesian or Jersey. The feed resource available is not able to support the nutrient requirement of animals bred for high milk output.”
Another key component of the dairy project supported by Teagasc and Vita is in relation to capacity building of research and extension staff and farmers.
Vita has 27 years’ experience of working in East Africa; its vision is to forge long-term international partnerships which empower rural communities to sustain their livelihoods.
James O’Loughlin and his colleagues Pat Boyle and Seamus Crosse visit Eritrea regularly to work with research and extension staff on the key technologies associated with forage based milk projection systems.
“I am optimistic about the Irish partnership with the Eritrean government — I feel that working together will have great impact on Eritrean farm families,” said Prof Gerry Boyle, director of Teagasc.
“The Irish agriculture experience is rich in lessons learnt and successes won, and has evolved to meet so many challenges.
“Teagasc has considerable experience in cattle breeding and has worked closely with industry in developing Economic Breeding Indices (EBI) for traits of importance.
“This knowledge has direct relevance in Eritrea and can help the animal breeding team as they develop breeding schemes appropriate to the Eritrean environment.”
AI Straws to Improve Eritrea’s Herd
By Thomas Hubert,
Dovea Genetics, Teagasc and the Irish development NGO Vita have been supplying semen straws to crossbreed Eritrea’s dairy cows.
The three organisations have announced that 2,000 AI straws sent to Eritrea last year are now being used as part of a crossbreeding programme, with plans to send out more straws later this year.
Eritrea’s National AI Centre uses the semen to improve the dairy capacity of the country’s herd, while retaining its ability to weather tough local conditions. “The local breed (Barka) is crossed with Friesian or Jersey. The feed resource available is not able to support the nutrient requirement of animals bred for high milk output,” explains James O’Loughlin of Teagasc Moorepark, who travels to Eritrea regularly.
The bulls have been selected for a forage-based system of production. The cost of concentrates is very high and supply is unreliable in Eritrea.
>> ALSO READ : Vita Potato & Dairy Farm Pilot Project in Eritrea
The straws were picked from Dovea Genetics’s international catalogue with Eritrean conditions in mind. “The bulls have been selected for a forage-based system of production,” said Conor Ryan, export manager with Dovea Genetics. “The cost of concentrates is very high and supply is unreliable in Eritrea. Livestock production is most resilient in an integrated crop/livestock system where forages are the main feed sources available.”
Teagasc also runs a capacity-building partnership to share forage-based milk production technologies with Eritrean farm advisers.
“This dairy project is about technology transfer and capacity building and not about traditional aid. It enables farmers to own their own destiny, by building their skills and knowledge,”said Vita chief executive John Weakliam.
Eritrea is a nation of five million people on the northeastern coast of Africa placed on the list of “low-income food-deficit countries” by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation.
