Things to look out for when purchasing Semen from a Catalogue

With bull catalogues take the time to look at the bulls you are interested in purchasing and ensure they do not downgrade the pedigree status of your animal/herd.

Things to check for before purchasing semen include:

Pedigree registration status

PF = Full Pedigree
SF = Supplementary Pedigree
*If you have a full pedigree dam (F16) and use a S1F or S2F sire, this will reduce the pedigree status of the resulting progeny.

Other breed content

Example: F14J2 means the bull is two parts Jersey.

Sire breed content

The sire breed content must be F14 or greater and the paternal grandsire must be registered.

Unregistered bulls

The progeny of unregistered bulls, including overseas bulls (F14 or above) will only be registerable if the company marketing the bull agrees to the bull being registered with HFNZ.

Overseas bulls registered in another country are not considered registered in New Zealand. If the bull is not registered, any resulting progeny can be registered but will start at S0F.

Things to look for when purchasing animals from a Sale Catalogue

Sale Catalogues for pedigree cattle are a valuable tool when breeders are looking to purchase quality animals for their herds. There is much more certainty in your purchase compared to buying cattle in a sale yard, where little information is provided.

Points to be aware of when purchasing an animal using an official 3GP or from a catalogue where pedigree data is used: 

  • An official 3GP shows the ancestry of an animal, the official records of the animal and its ancestry for 3 generations, as at the date the 3GP is run.
  • An animal name on a 3GP does not guarantee the animal is registered. If the LIC logo is on the 3GP (in the top, left-hand corner), the animal is not registered with HFNZ. If a 3GP is not used the vendor must indicate if the animal is not registered.
  • An official 3GP has the following indicators displayed for the buyer to recognise a registered animal:
    Breed = PF or SF, the words Registered Holstein Friesian or Supplementary Registered Holstein Friesian with the HFNZ logo in the top left hand corner;
    PF = Pedigree Holstein Friesian;
    SF = Supplementary Holstein Friesian.
    If a 3GP is not used the vendor must use the HFNZ logo and the registration status codes to indicate registration, i.e PF or SF.
  • G3 indicates that the animal holds a New Zealand profile with Genemark (LIC) on a 3GP. 
  • If the animal has been DNA parentage verified to Sire (S) and/or Dam (D), this will be indicated on the 3GP with a tick next to the S and/or D. If a 3GP is not used the vendor must indicate the parentage status where an animal has been tested.
  • If the animal has an unofficial Sire or Dam, this will be indicated on the 3GP with a hashtag (#) beside the S and/or D. This must be stated by the vendor where a 3GP is not used.
  • The NZAEL logo in the background of an official 3GP denotes that the pedigree does not include genomic information, with the exception of some historical herd BW values.
  • Take note of any run-with-bull dates printed in a catalogue.
  • Animals vetted in-calf do not guarantee they are in-calf to the AB mating – they could be in-calf to the run-with-bull date.
  • Be aware that a mating to sexed semen does not always guarantee a heifer calf.