Merial and Select Sires Announce Agreement
to Jointly Market IGENITY™ DNA Tests and
Services for Dairy Cattle in North America
Producers Can Now Obtain IGENITY DNA Tests from Select Sires Representatives
Duluth, Ga., May 16, 2005 — Merial announced today an agreement with Select Sires Inc. to jointly market IGENITY™ DNA tests and services to the dairy industry. This agreement makes available to dairy producers advanced genetic selection tools from a world-leader in animal health and North America’s largest A.I. company.
Dairy producers in the United States and Canada will soon be able to purchase IGENITY DNA tests and services through their local Select Sires representatives, who can assist producers in administering tests. In the future, a supply of semen from IGENITY-tested Holstein and Jersey Select Sires bulls also will be available to producers. Advanced knowledge from IGENITY tests and services can give producers additional tools for breeding decisions.
"We are extremely pleased to work with Select Sires, who we know producers trust as a source of top quality dairy genetics," says Stewart Bauck, DVM, MS, Head, Merial’s Livestock Production Business Unit. "Together with Select Sires, we want to empower dairy producers to breed and manage their cows with greater accuracy."
Research and young sire testing
As part of the agreement, the two companies will also collaborate on research to develop new DNA tests and services. Additionally, Select Sires will have exclusive access to all IGENITY tests for the purpose of young dairy sire selection in North America.
"We are excited to use these additional genetic selection tools for screening young sires," says Chuck Sattler, Vice President - Genetic Programs for Select Sires. "And, by partnering with Merial, we can offer DNA testing as another value-added service to our dairy customers."
Pinpoint potential
IGENITY offers a revolutionary new way to identify an animal’s potential, empowering producers to breed, manage and market cattle for optimal results. Merial launched its IGENITY DNA testing service to the dairy industry in September 2003 and introduced IGENITY OptiYIELD™ and IGENITY ComponentMAKER™ last fall. As part of the new agreement, these two tests, plus IGENITY L, IGENITY RealRED™, IGENITY ParentMATCH™, IGENITY DNATrace™ and IGENITY Sample Archive will be available to dairy producers from Select Sires.
One of the most widely researched DNA tests in dairy science, IGENITY OptiYIELD has been proven to identify animals with improved milk and protein yield without negatively affecting productive life. Similarly, IGENITY ComponentMAKER identifies cattle that are more likely to produce higher quantities of milk components without sacrificing milk volume or fertility. IGENITY L identifies the genotype for the leptin protein, which is associated with energy metabolism and fat deposition.
Other DNA test applications
IGENITY RealRED tests for variation in the gene for the red coat color – visually undetectable in black Holstein dairy cattle. IGENITY ParentMATCH accurately verifies parentage, which can be important in multi-sire mating situations to verify dam identity in group calving situations, and IGENITY DNATrace provides birth-to-consumption traceability for the cattle industry. IGENITY Sample Archive is a service that allows producers to preserve tissue samples for future DNA testing needs.
"Our goal is to give producers tools to improve the efficiency and profitability of their operations," says Bauck. "IGENITY allows dairy producers to know now, instead of discovering an animal’s potential only after seeing it succeed or fail in the milk string."
Dairy producers simply supply an animal’s tissue sample for the test – such as a hair with the root bulb attached, or a blood sample - and receive genotype information via fax, e-mail or hard copy. Producers who want to learn more about IGENITY testing and services can visit www.igenity.com, call (877) IGENITY (443-6489), or talk to a Merial or Select Sires sales representative.
Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial employs approximately 6,000 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 2004 sales were in excess of $1.8 billion. Merial Limited is a joint venture between Merck & Co. and sanofi-aventis. For more information, please see www.merial.com.
Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is North America's largest A.I. organization and is comprised of 10 farmer-owned and -controlled cooperatives. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve its basic objective of supplying dairy and beef producers with North America's best genetics at a reasonable price. For more information on Select Sires, please see www.selectsires.com.
™IGENITY, OptiYIELD, ComponentMAKER, RealRED, ParentMATCH, and DNATrace are trademarks of Merial Limited, Duluth, GA
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