Purpose and benefits of collecting boar semen

You can breed pigs through artificial insemination (AI) using semen collected from their own boars or semen purchased from commercial suppliers.

Using AI can help improve pig herds through introduction of improved genetics. Consult your veterinarian to check that boar care and semen collecting and processing steps reduce the low risk of diseases being transferred in the semen.

Collecting boar semen for AI helps:

  • when death, lameness or refusal to work decreases the number of boars in the herd that are fit for service
  • to spread the genetic influence of good boars more widely
  • to maintain the health status of closed herds.

Collecting from on-farm boars

On-farm collection of boar semen is usually done in closed herds; however, it is also useful to introduce new genetics to the herd with new boars.

If you introduce boars, it's good practice to quarantine them and not place them with the herd until the potential risk of infection is eliminated. In large herds where biosecurity is a very high priority, boars may be kept in pens, in a purpose-built facility with 1 or more collection areas next to a processing room.

Benefits

  • Young boars can be easily trained to mount dummy sows
  • AI results using fresh collected semen are similar to results achieved from natural mating
  • Can use undiluted semen from young boars to inseminate 2 or 3 sows and semen from older boars for 4-6 inseminations

Who can collect boar semen?

Under the Animal Care and Protection Regulation 2012, you must be a suitably qualified person, or under the direct supervision of a suitably qualified person, to carry out husbandry procedures on a pig.

For more information, see Chapter 3, Part 2 Code of practice and additional requirements for pigs.