The Tipperary-based AI company Dovea Genetics has become the first Irish company to export semen to Brazil. The first shipment that has entered Brazil is of an Aberdeen Angus bull, Keirsbeath Karma (AA4638).

Karma has been used extensively on Irish dairy farms but the Brazil-bound semen is not being used on dairy cows. Instead, it will be used on large-scale suckler herds. Due to the scale of farms in Brazil, most farms synchronise their breeding females in order to serve as many females as possible to the best sires instead of using a big team of stock bulls.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal John Lynch of Dovea Genetics said: “We’re delighted to get semen into the market and hopefully more avenues can be opened up as a result of it”.