Current Scenario and Future Perspectives of Semer Sexing in Indian Livestock Sector

摘要

India has a total livestock population of 535.78 million, where the bovine population consists of 302.79 million (20th Livestock Census, 2019). The total milch animals (in-milk and dry) in cows and buffaloes are only 125.34 million, while the rest ofthe cattle population belongs to male calves, heifers, infertile animals, and those animals did not calve once, etc. To make the livestock sector economical and meet the rising demand for milk, it is required that the sex ratio is shifted towards femalesthrough sexed semen. In India, diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), brucellosis, Rotavirus gastroenteritis, etc. are endemic in dairy herds (Saminathan et al, 2016). If heifers born with sexed semen serveas replacement heifers, the purchase of new animals can be avoided and can prevent the introduction of new diseases to the herd. In India, religious taboos and a belief of cattle being a sacred animal make culling/slaughter of infertile cows and males difficult. Such animals are often abandoned to the streets and gaushaias. Moreover, rearing a male calf adds to the cost of rearing livestock. So, from the perspective of animal welfare and profitable livestock economics, sexed semen should be used for artificial insemination to ensure the birth of female calves that are an asset for the future. Adoption of sexed semen technology would permit faster improvement in productivity of animals, good returns from livestock rearing; better use of resources and good animal welfare practices.