Exemplary health guarantees

60 years of efforts

©Gènes Diffusion

Throughout the decades, the government and professionals have developed a genuine scientific and methodological programme for quality and safety, increasingly valuable and effective, leading to the dramatic rise of French herds' health status.

This safety policy is supported, coordinated and inspected by a leading laboratory that is both specialised and certified: the National laboratory for the inspection of reproducers. They currently proceed with over 240,000 analyses in areas such as andrology, bacteriology, virology, immune serology and molecular biology.

 

The national laboratory for the inspection of reproducers (LNCR)

Founded in 1952, the LNCR is a joint effort between the Ministry of agriculture, the Alfort veterinarian school and the National union of breeding cooperatives (UNCEIA).

It is one of the only French laboratories to be certified by the French accreditation committee (COFRAC) for all of the diagnostic techniques it uses in areas of animal health, and especially for bovine trichomoniasis and campylobacteriosis research, as well as for doing bacteriological and biological exams on the sperm of reproducers.

In addition to being the hub for the health inspections of artificial insemination centres, the LNCR also manages the national digital database of health statistics.

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The health efforts tied to genetic improvement practices are very rigorously organised. These efforts are significant as they allow the government to guarantee to French breeders, and international clients, the complete health safety of the semen produced by the certified artificial insemination centres.

Inspections: following regulations, and going beyond

©Christian SLAGMULDER / INRA

First requirement of the industry: scrupulous and permanent following of national and European regulations. Under the vigilant supervision of the Veterinarian services that are under the Ministry of agriculture's authority, the chain of health inspections is uninterrupted:

• inspections of the mother, the young candidate animal and their livestock,
• inspections of the animals on the farm, for individual performances, and in isolated areas as well,
• inspections of the animals in collection centres and in lay-off (sexual rest) centres.

During the entire duration of their exploitation for semen production, males are subject to thorough inspections regarding the main diseases that are government regulated, but that isn't all. The insemination centres go further, propelling France to the world's top spot as far as health is concerned in this area.

• Systematic screening steps are also taken for detecting other diseases, especially for bovines and ovines, to further enhance health safety.
• Additional non-mandatory inspections are also initiated by the insemination companies, especially for emerging or re-emerging diseases. This is also done to satisfy certain requirements of importing third countries.

Standards: a commitment to achieving excellence

©Pascal Pulvery - UNCEIA

Rules regarding the cleaning, disinfection, rat extermination and pest control of buildings are followed, and the laboratory equipment is cleaned and sterilised, after each use when possible. As for reproducers, they are subject to rigorous hygiene procedures (cleaning, brushing, shearing, meat conditioning, etc...).

Personnel are trained and qualified, and best practices are followed. The embryonic transfer teams also work according to the protocols recommended by leading international organisations (OIE et International Embryo Transfer Society), and they are certified by the official Veterinarian agencies that regularly monitor their methods.

Insemination technicians are constantly concerned with health quality: vehicle, clothing and equipment cleanliness, boot cleaning and disinfection, installation of foot cleaning basins, use of single-use gloves and spray gun shafts, waste management are all a part of insemination best practices.

Traceability: a high level of vigilance

©Gènes Diffusion

DNA marking, which over the last few years has replaced the analysis of blood groups, allows the passport information and animals' pedigree to be verified during the many inspections occurring during their use for semen production. In addition to the required rings on the small finger, bulls have an electronic chip carrying all of the information relating to their identity as well as the locations and dates where they were subject to semen extraction.

From collection to delivery, including freezing and storage, the traceability of semen doses is carefully maintained, thanks to a barcode, the printing of sheets and the systematic recording of digital data.

 

The traceability of semen doses

1. A sticker identifies the semen tube right after collection. Furthermore, the semen characteristics are systematically carried over to a digital file and archived, allowing collection conditions and ejaculation reference numbers to be found whenever necessary.

2. The frozen semen is packaged into appropriately labelled flakes (reproducer, collection centre and ejaculation reference numbers) using barcodes.

3. Digital inventory and vat sheets are created during the storage process.

4. The flow of semen flakes between centres is regulated and it adheres to the forward-flow principle: semen can be placed or destroyed but it can never return to storage.

5. During insemination, forms are filled out on the spot, including reference numbers of the female, the reproducer, the inseminating personnel and the ejaculation.

6. Each insemination is transmitted to and ends up informing the National system for genetic information (SNIG).

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At the same time, all information relating to health inspections done by the National for the inspection of reproducers are centralised and feed a national database of health data.

• The database is of an extremely complete nature. An individual file is opened from the very first tests on the reproductive animal in question. The information gathered all along his life will automatically be included there.

The ability to have the animals' complete historical health background in a few seconds will shorten reaction time in the event that a health incident occurs in an insemination centre, and allow a group of experts to gather in a few minutes to analyse a given problem, thereby allowing the appropriate decisions to be taken quickly.

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