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On farm AI – the pitfalls - |
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Author: Christianne E Glossop, Malmesbury, England
The earliest application of AI in pigs was a simple farm-based system. Semen was
collected from a boar, the ejaculate divided into doses (with or without prior
quality evaluation and extension) and immediately inseminated into sows on the
same farm.
Results were variable, but for the most part, this facilitated more widespread
use of a particular sire than would be possible through natural mating. Over the
last 50 years, the AI process has been the subject of ongoing research and development,
and systems now range from on-farm collection, processing and insemination through
to the purchase of semen doses from an external source. Purchasing semen can offer
benefits in terms of access to the highest calibre of AI boars, and also the latest
in technological developments. There are many operations however, still able to
exploit the advantages of home-produced semen, which is subject neither to disease
restrictions nor transport problems. There are pitfalls to avoid however, if on-farm
AI is to deliver the desired benefits.
As an old pig farmer from Iowa once said: “AI – it’s easy to do,
easy to screw up”. While there is very little about AI that is difficult,
the system consists of a whole series of steps, each of which is important, and
each of which must be carried out properly in order to succeed. A great deal of
money is invested in a pig breeding operation, and AI will have a significant
impact on its profitability. The key to achieving high levels of performance with
AI is to ensure the delivery of “good quality semen into the right place
at the right time”. When the semen doses are prepared on the farm, everything
depends upon those responsible for the care of the AI boars, semen collection
and
processing of the insemination doses. Results can be excellent, but when there
is a problem (e.g. a bad batch of extender, a new brand of glove with spermicidal
properties, or perhaps simply a staff member having a bad day), it can be a major
problem, often resulting in large numbers of returns from a particular day. An
entire ejaculate or even a batch of pooled ejaculates may be damaged, possibly
in a way not
apparent when looking down the microscope in a routine check – and the first
indication of a problem is 21 days later.
Successful AI is all about getting it right each and every time – about quality
control and consistency, standardisation of excellent practice, record-keeping
and accountability. If you are not prepared to meet these requirements, to rise
to the challenges presented, you will never reap the benefits of AI; you will
only experience the pitfalls. The purpose of this paper is to highlight those
pitfalls.
Staffing the stud
Finding staff of the right calibre and aptitude is key to successful on-farm AI.
You must identify people who are interested in the details, the minutiae of the
system, and those determined to maintain high standards. They must take ownership
of the process and be accountable for the results. Staff must have proper training,
which should be standardised to ensure that everyone is working in the same way,
towards the same goals. Remember that a member of staff may leave, or be off work
for an extended period of time through illness. What will you do then? Make sure
there is more than one person capable of running the AI system, even if you have
nominated an “AI
champion” to spearhead application of the technology. Send staff to advanced
further training, to conferences, and even to other AI studs if possible. Partnering
with another stud can be a great way of expanding horizons for all staff members,
as well as establishing contingency plans of mutual benefit.
Depending on the scale of the operation, you may have a totally different team
of people collecting and processing the semen, to those responsible for heat detection
and serving the sows. This is fine, as you should be looking for those ideally
suited to each
job, but make sure that there is a good team approach. Stud staff should have
experience of the breeding barn so that they understand the importance of maintaining
high standards of semen quality and the impact of making mistakes in the laboratory.
Breeding barn staff should be given basic training in semen collection and processing
so that they can appreciate the level of attention to detail demanded by work
on the stud.
Be warned – work on an AI stud by nature is extremely routine, and can be
boring, even though it is of great importance. Make sure that staff stay keen
and interested by enabling them to update their skills, keep up with the literature,
share ideas, and run simple trials. Keeping staff focussed will increase the chance
of maintaining job satisfaction and reduce staff turnover rates. A stable team
should never be undervalued.
The boars
Where sperm count is measured using a photometer or haemocytometer, one ejaculate
can produce an average of 20 or more insemination doses. Following through with
the maths on this, it is theoretically possibly for 3 boars to provide sufficient
semen for a
500 sow unit! While the maths may fit, the reality is not quite as simple as this,
as ejaculate quality will vary, as will the number of sows to serve each day.
Boars cannot be worked for AI every day of the week. Where parent gilts are home-produced,
it will be necessary to maintain more than one line of boars. Young boars produce
less semen doses than older, more mature boars. There are many reasons why smaller
units have to operate with a different boar:sow ratio than larger units even thought
they may all be using on-farm AI. It is essential that anyone contemplating setting
up an on-farm AI programme understands these issues as they plan the size of the
AI stud, incorporating contingencies for any problems which may arise. Once the
unit is dependent upon on-farm AI, it will be a major problem if semen production
is interrupted in any way.
Optimising efficiency
Many studs express stud efficiency in terms of the number of doses of semen produced
per boar place per unit of time (e.g. per year). This takes no account of the
empty boar places on the stud, nor the boar places taken up with boars that are
not working.
Training boars in isolation will identify boars that are not working, or whose
semen quality is unacceptable. This avoids bringing worthless boars onto the main
stud, thus taking up a valuable place.
It is all too easy for the users of home-produced semen to disregard its cost
and its value. As semen is always available, wastage seems of little importance,
and inefficiencies can creep into the system. Do not let this happen. There is
a cost attached to producing a dose of semen. Make sure that everyone understands
the costs involved. Monitor the level of semen wastage, expressing stud efficiency
in terms of “the number of doses of semen used per boar place per unit of
time”.
Quality control and consistency
Successful on-farm AI is all about getting it right each and every time. Staff
should follow a manual or “AI Blueprint”, in which each step is detailed
to ensure standardisation and consistency. Not only does this support achievement
of the highest standards, but it also aids with trouble-shooting should problems
arise. Ideally, the AI Blueprint will be written by the staff themselves, with
guidance as necessary from
management. The system should be described in great detail, and a recording system
established for checking that each step has been completed. There will be times
when a procedure needs to be altered, in line with a new development or a change
of consumable item (e.g. extender). To accommodate this within a quality assurance
framework, an amendment procedure should also be in place.
AI supplies
Sperm cells are very sensitive, and can be damaged by a range of external factors
(e.g. temperature, ultra violet light, hypo-osmotic and hyper-osmotic solutions,
and certain chemicals e.g. formalin). For this reason, all items that come into
direct or indirect contact with the ejaculates must be guaranteed “non-spermicidal”.
It is of great importance to purchase such items only from a reputable AI equipment
supplier – a company that understands the sensitivity of sperm cells and
the importance of quality control. The most important items to consider are the
gloves used for semen collection, filters and receptacles (bags, cups), semen
extender, purified water (if purchased), dispensing tubing, and the insemination
bottle, tube or bag. Once you have chosen your preferred suppliers, regard them
as partners in the operation, and work closely with them to ensure that high standards
are maintained. Do not change suppliers often, and do not make purchase decisions
only on the basis of price.
Contingency planning
Once an operation is dependant on AI, the prospect of interruption of semen supply
becomes very serious indeed. It is essential that you detail a contingency plan
to cope with all eventualities e.g. staff leaving, problems with extender deliveries,
water quality deterioration, sickness in the boar stud, or a sudden drop in semen
quality. You may choose to purchase semen from a commercial stud under these circumstances.
If this is your plan, identify the appropriate stud (in terms of health status,
delivery arrangements, genetics and price) before you need to turn to them for
help. You may choose to work in partnership with another stud, within or outside
of your own system. If you opt for this type of contingency plan, make sure that
you are completely satisfied with the partner stud’s health status and quality
control programme. Check out the semen extender used, the number of sperm per
dose, and the evaluation procedures in place. Contingency plans are only used
in an emergency – and in an emergency there simply is no time to discuss
such matters in any detail.
Stay ahead
Keeping staff updated will ensure that new innovations can be applied at the earliest
opportunity, thus maintaining a competitive edge. While it is rarely appropriate
for an on-farm AI stud to operate its own programme of research and development,
it is important that you know what improvements are being made in the field, particularly
with regards to increasing efficiency and enhancing performance. If you never
look beyond your own farm gate, you could easily miss out on such improvements.
Allow your AI champion to keep up with the literature, and to maintain open lines
of communication with research departments and your AI equipment and consumable
suppliers. You do not need to be the first to try every new development, but you
can certainly make sure you are not the last either!
Further reading
* Almond,G, Britt,J, Flowers,B, Glossop,C, Levis, D, Morrow,M, and See,T
(1998). The Swine AI Book, 2nd Edition, Ed. Ruth Cronje, North Carolina
State University.
* Glossop, CE (1998). AI in pigs: production of quality-assured, healthy
semen. In Practice, 20, (4), 182-188
Author: Christianne E Glossop, Malmesbury, England
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