Artificial Insemination (AI)
Enforcement of Northern Ireland legislation concerning the policy and licensing requirements of premises and individuals involved in artificial insemination and embryo transfer.
What is artificial insemination?
Artificial insemination (AI) is the process of collecting sperm cells from a male animal and manually depositing them into the reproductive tract of a female.
There are various licences available from DAERA under The Artificial Insemination Of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1975 (As Amended) and Artificial Insemination Of Cattle Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997.
AI Training
For anyone wishing to receive AI training, they will need to source the training provider themselves.
Under the Regulations there is a requirement for anyone who completes a training course in artificial insemination, needs to have acquired a satisfactory standard of proficiency and received a training certificate.
How can I become registered?
Any person who wishes to apply for farm storage and/or farm inseminator should complete this farm inseminator and farm storage application form. Forms can also be obtained by contacting us.
Bull for Artificial Insemination
Under the artificial insemination of Cattle Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1988, every bull from which semen is to be collected in Northern Ireland for use in artificial insemination must be approved by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Approval will be given if certain animal health tests are conducted with negative results.
How can I become registered?
An application for the approval of a bull for use in artificial insemination may be made only by the owner/owners.
In order to become registered you should complete this application form for approval of a bull for use in artificial insemination. Forms are also available by contacting us.
Bovine & Ovine Artificial Insemination
Further information and guidance in relation to bovine artificial insemination:
- AI flow chart
- Quarantine storage application
- Main store and semen distribution application
- Supply centre (storage), semen shop, semen distribution and farm delivery application
- Farm inseminator and farm storage application
- Commercial inseminator application
- Embryo farm storage application
- Embryo processing and quarantine application
- Embryo collection, laboratory and transplantation application
- Embryo store application
- Bull to AI guidelines
- Semen Collection & Processing Centre
Equine Artificial Insemination
Under the Regulations there is a requirement for equine animals used for the intra-area trade and third countries to be approved and licensed.
How can I become approved?
Any person who wishes to set up an equine semen storage centre can complete an application form for an equine AI collection centre. You can also obtain an application form by contacting us.
A Veterinary Officer will be required to visit and check that all conditions/legislative criteria are complied with.
After inspection, if the Veterinary Officer is content they must submit a completed check list AR12 to Jubilee House who will forward to DEFRA for approval or not.
Once the Approval Number has been provided, Jubilee House must send an official Equine Semen Storage Centre Approval.
How can I become registered?
Any person who wishes to trade domestically will be required to register before commencing activity as an equine semen collection centre, equine semen store, equine embryo collection team, equine embryo production team or equine embryo store.
Porcine Artificial Insemination
Under the Regulations there is a requirement for Porcine Animals used for the intra-area trade and third countries to be approved and licensed.
How can I become approved?
Any person who wishes to set up an porcine collection centre can complete an application form for porcine AI collection centre. You can also obtain an application form by contacting us.
A Veterinary Officer will be required to visit and check that all conditions/legislative criteria are complied with.
After inspection, if the Veterinary Officer is content they must submit a completed check list AR12 to Jubilee House who will forward to DEFRA for approval or not.
Once the Approval Number has been provided, Jubilee House must send an official Porcine Collection Centre Approval.
How can I become registered?
Any person who wishes to trade domestically will be required to register before commencing activity as a porcine semen collection centre, porcine semen store, porcine embryo collection team, porcine embryo production team or porcine embryo store.
Artificial Insemination and Embryo Conditions
Background Certificates
Germinal product intended for export from NI to the EU must originate from an EU approved establishment, if it is moved to another approved establishment in NI or elsewhere, it must be traceable and accompanied with evidence of its status so that it can be certified from there to its next destination. To provide this evidence for movements within NI, the dispatching EU Approved Germinal Product Establishment (AGPE) should provide a background veterinary certificate to the receiving AGPE.
The Background Certificate (BC (NI) 8797) is available at the following link: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/background-certificates-supplementary-certificate-germinal-products-and-guidance-support-onward-trade-gb-eu-third-countries and should be used for all internal movements between approved establishments. In addition, a Background Certificate must also accompany germinal product moved from an AGPE to a domestic trade only germinal product establishment.
Team and Centre Veterinarian Training
To facilitate approval of establishments, centre/team veterinarians are required to ensure that the full conditions of Animal Health Law are met in the establishment in which they are employed. To provide the required knowledge, the Department is mandating the training of centre/team veterinarians as provided on its Moodle Platform. This training must be carried out by new centre/team veterinarians before they take up post/carry out duties.
Governance and Legislation
For Artificial Insemination to be implemented Legislation was put in place to administer and enforce the EU Regulations.
- Artificial Insemination of Cattle Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Artificial Reproduction of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1975 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Animal and Animal Products (Import/Export) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Bovine Embryo Collection, Production and Transplantation Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Amended Boar Testing Protocol
- Artificial Insemination (Pigs) Regulations (NI) 1978
- Regulation (EU) 2016/429 'Animal Health Law'
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/686
- Livestock and Equine Semen & Semen Collection Sites