麻豆约拍

The way farmers breed livestock has come a long way since the days of the communal village bull. Now the collection and export of semen is big business and highly technical. Charlotte Smith visits the Venton Stud near the Devon market town of Totnes to meet Jupiter, a British Blue bull, and witness the collection, assessment and storage of his semen. This genetic material is looked after by Rob Wills and the team at UK Sire Services, an independent bull stud and semen distribution company. The global demand in high quality British bull semen for artificial insemination (AI) is a lucrative one with customers in more than 40 countries and an emerging market in Tristan da Cunha. However, it's not just good news for cattle genetics companies. The expense of exporting live animals has seen an increase in the amount of UK pig semen going overseas, including China, Nigeria and the United States.
Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Vernon Harwood.