Germinal Products and Artificial Insemination (AI)
Animal Health Law and enforcement of Northern Ireland legislation concerning the policy and Approval, Registration and Licensing requirements of premises and individuals involved in the collection, processing, production and storage of germinal products and the artificial insemination of animals and embryo transfer.
What is Animal Health Law?
Regulation (EU) 2016/429 (Animal Health Law (AHL)) consolidates EU rules for the prevention and control of transmissible animal diseases and establishes mandatory obligations for operators engaged in keeping animals or handling germinal products. It sets out a unified framework ensuring that germinal products—such as semen, oocytes, and embryos—are produced, handled, stored and moved under strict animal health and biosecurity controls.
It requires Germinal Product (GP) Establishments to register their establishment and activities with DAERA (as the competent authority) as part of operator’s core responsibilities and be approved when producing germinal products intended for movement between Northern Ireland (NI) and European Union (EU) Member States
What are germinal products?
The term germinal products relates to semen, oocytes and embryos intended for artificial reproduction.
What is artificial insemination?
Artificial insemination (AI) is the process of manually depositing sperm cells from a male animal 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 to have acquired a satisfactory standard of proficiency and received a training certificate.
How can I become licenced?
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.
Bovine Registration and Approval
Under the Animal Health Law there is a requirement for the establishments collecting, processing, producing and storing germinal products from bovine animals intended for trade with the EU and third countries to be Approved. Those establishments wishing to trade domestically in NI must be Registered.
Bull for Artificial Insemination
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 gain approval for my bull?
An application for the approval of a bull for use in artificial insemination may be made only by the owner/owners by completing this application form for approval of a bull for use in artificial insemination. Forms are also available by contacting us.
Bulls imported into Northern Ireland
For bulls imported into NI, the onus is on the Centre Veterinarian of the Semen Collection Centre (SCC) to seek assurance from the Competent Authority of the place of origin, that the donor animal meets the lifetime freedom from the diseases listed in Article 20 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/686. Operators must ensure that all additional requirements of Animal Health Law are fully met before the animals are admitted to the SCC.
Bovine, Ovine & Caprine Further Information
Further information and guidance in relation to Licencing and the Registration and Approval of bovine, ovine and caprine Germinal Product Establishments:
- AI flow chart
- 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
- Embryo collection, laboratory and transplantation application
- Embryo store application
- Bull to AI guidelines
- Semen Collection & Processing Centre
Equine Registration and Approval
Under the Animal Health Law there is a requirement for the establishments collecting, processing, producing and storing germinal products from equine animals intended for trade with the EU and third countries to be Approved. Those establishments wishing to trade domestically in NI must be Registered.
How can I become Registered or 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.
Porcine Registration, Approval and Licencing
Under the Animal Health Law there is a requirement for the establishments collecting, processing, producing and storing germinal products from porcine animals intended for trade with the EU and third countries to be Approved. Those establishments wishing to trade domestically in NI must be Registered.
How can I become Registered or 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.
Registration for Other Species
Under the Animal Health Law there is a requirement for the establishments collecting, processing, producing and storing germinal products from dogs, cats, ferrets, camelids or cervid animals to be Registered with the Department before they commence activities. You can obtain an application form by contacting us.
Embryo Collection, Production and Transplantation 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