Producers are now exploring how ET can fit into their herd strategy— not just for breeding the “best,” but for improving overall efficiency and profitability.

One of the key advantages of ET is the ability to accelerate genetic gain. By selecting your highest- performing cows whether that’s for milk yield, fertility, health, longevity or conformation. You can produce multiple offspring from these animals within a single year. This allows herds to progress more rapidly than through conventional breeding alone.

MOET programmes are particularly effective for cows with proven per- formance, enabling multiple embryos to be collected and transferred into recipient animals. Meanwhile, OPU/ IVP offers greater flexibility, allowing embryo production from young heifers and pregnant cows, so that donor age at first calving or number of days open remain unaffected. It can also be scheduled more conveniently, making it easier to integrate into busy farm routines.

Beyond genetics, ET can support herd management goals. It enables the use of sexed semen more efficiently, helps expand the cow families you value most, and can reduce the number of replacement heifers needed from lower-performing animals.

For herds focused on sustainability, faster genetic improvement can also contribute to improved feed efficiency and reduced environmental impact per litre of milk.

More recently, together with the University of Nottingham and Paragon Vet Group, we have been investigating ET technologies to improve conception rates in artificially inseminated cows. With fertilisation rates upwards of 83%, but average conception rates only around 39%, reducing embryo loss seems key to improving dairy cow fertility. Our research looked at ways to increase the pregnancy signal sent from the conceptus to the dam to reduce the risk of embryonic loss. To do this, parthenogenetic embryos were produced in an IVF lab, derived from abattoir ovaries, and transferred into cows around one week after their first insemination. These embryos contain only maternal DNA and are therefore non-viable. However, they can survive in the uterus for a limited period and may help support the original pregnancy through the critical stage of maternal recognition of pregnancy. This approach offers advantages over transferring viable embryos, including a more sustainable production system and no increased risk of twinning. Our results are due to be published later this year, but they look very encouraging and we are hoping to offer a parthenogenetic embryo transfer as a service in the future.

ET may not be necessary for every cow, but with continuing development it can have a place in almost every dairy system when applied strategically with planning. Working with an experienced veterinary team is essential to ensure protocols are tailored to the farm’s system and goals.