The Hindu Business Line : This `Donor' is really bullish

THIS bull is valued at an amazing $6 million. And, because of the demand for semen from this pedigree bull, the company that owns it sends clones instead. A clone from this top-rated bull costs $200,000. RAB Australia, the largest privately-owned artificial breeding organisation in Australia, is preparing to send a clone of the prize bull to China, for a price of $200,000.

The bull, named `Donor' which, according to information available on RAB Australia's Web site is the country's number one Holstein sire and ranked number one on the Interbull ranking system in a number of countries.

According to Mr Warwick Ashby, Chief Executive Officer, RAB Australia, the bull — Donor — is in such huge demand that the company decided to clone it and other prized bulls that it owns. At present, according to him, there are six clones of bulls owned by RAB and by Christmas this year, 15 more will be added.

The Albury, New South Wales-based, RAB Australia has tied up with the Melbourne company, Clone International, to commercially clone dairy bulls.

Mr Ashby told Business Line here on Saturday that RAB Australia has shipped 201 Jersey and Holstein-Friesian cattle, predominantly bulls and some cows, to India. These are meant for the Andhra Pradesh Livestock Development Agency and the West Bengal Government, both of which will be using these Australian cattle to form a nucleus herd for breeding purposes to improve the productivity of their dairy stock.

The landed cost of a bull is estimated at about Rs 1.50 lakh. The cattle are now in quarantine in Chennai and are expected to be transported to their final destinations shortly, according to him.

Mr Ashby said these animals were primarily meant for semen stations, while the cows will be used for breeding purposes. RAB Australia participated in tenders for selling high yielding cattle and had air-lifted the cattle after that. For India, he said, the animals were being selected based on their pedigree. The progeny-tested bull would be sent to countries where the dairy capability was less.

For example, the average productivity here was 750-800 litres of milk for 305 days of lactation, whereas in Australia this figure was 7,700 litres. Cross breeding was effective and it would also help in achieving hybrid vigour.

Mr Ashby said the last major shipment of cattle by RAB to India was in 1995.

It had shipped Boer goats to Kerala last year, and would be sending pigs to Sikkim and Mizoram, cattle to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Of the 201 cattle now in quarantine in Chennai, 40 are meant for West Bengal and the balance will be sent to the Andhra Pradesh Livestock Development Agency.

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