Dec. 8, 2000

Page 24
SWITZERLAND - Cows shall not give birth to unwanted male calves anymore. A new procedure makes it possible to separate the sperm according to sex before the insemination, thus making it possible to control cattle breeding to a large extent.

The procedure called "sperm sexing" was presented in Schwyz yesterday. It was developed by the US-company XY Inc. and the Swiss biotech company Big X AG.

In the Swiss test run the sexing worked in eleven out of twelve cases. Only the male calf "Hopplo" stepped out of line. According to Big X these calves are the first brown and two-tone calves that were bred this way outside the USA and Great Britain.

According to Big X the sexed insemination has several advantages. This way breeding can focus on female calves for replenishing herds and for milk production, while at the same time cows that give birth for the first time won't have to face the difficult birth of a male calf.

Sorting by machine

According to XY this is the only procedure which makes it possible to create a pregnancy of a pre-determined sex. The company intends to limit the use of this method to animals.

The question of the price

In Switzerland over 80 percent of cows are artificially inseminated. The commercial start for sperm sexing in Switzerland has been planned for 2001.

For the breeder sperm sexing fulfills an old dream, said Jörg Hähni of the Swiss brown cow breeder association. But whether the new method will be successful will depend primarily on the price.

Today an artificial insemination costs between 10 and 50 francs. It is the goal of Big X to be able to offer the sexed sperm markedly below 100 francs. It is also important that the high success rate achieved in the test run can be kept up in everyday use.

XY was founded in 1996, Big X in 1999. The seat of Big X is in Berne. A move to the canton Schwyz, where production is also intended, is planned.