INCREASED adoption of leading-edge reproductive technology that multiplies superior genetics remains the key to expanding beef supply, especially with greater consumer uptake of MSA graded and branded beef at home and growing demand world-wide for high-quality cuts.

This is the view of genetics and breeding specialist Don Nicol, who has recently returned from South America and witnessed first hand the rapid advances beef producers there were making in fixed time artificial insemination (FTAI) where suitable females were heat synchronised and as many as 500 were blanket inseminated on one day without any heat checking.

"When you see the scale with which our South American competitors are developing their reproductive programs, there is a real danger that we will be left behind if we don't match the effort in this area," he said.

A study earlier this year into the adoption of AI in Brazil showed the country's beef producers were artificially inseminating between seven and 12 per cent of the nation's 76 million beef cows.

Brazil's use of semen in its cattle industries has evolved from nearly 2.6 million straws or ampoules in 1991, with a staggering 300pc increase to 10,415,050 straws sold in the country in 2010.

Of the total used in 2010, 6,074,534 straws (58.32pc) was national semen and 4,340,516 straws (41.68pc) were imported.

Mr Nicol said that trend was continuing to grow, a pattern that was incidentally creating opportunities for Australian exporters of stud genetics, particularly Angus, who could over the coming years ride the trend of increased Bos Taurus utilisation in cross-breeding programs with Bos Indicus-derived cattle.

The unfolding story in Brazil is one of beef producers hanging on to their native Nellore Bos Indicus base but introducing Angus genetics to take advantage of processor premiums from a host of companies, such as Mafrig, which pay for beef suitable for a growing portfolio of branded Angus beef products.

"If you had told me five years ago that we would be seeing branded Angus beef on retail shelves in Brazil, I would've said you were crazy," Mr Nicol said.

"Like here in Australia and the US, this black Angus phenomenon has moved through the meat trade and it's now happening in South America.

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Genetics key to beef supply

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