UK exports have enjoyed increased sales with the devalued currency, and UK Sire Services is no exception, having exported a consignment of native British bull semen to Tristan da Cunha – a tiny and remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic.

The consignment left Manchester late last year, was received in Capetown, South Africa en route, and made the final 2400km (1500 miles) leg of the journey by boat. From the island’s tiny harbour, it was taken by tractor into secure storage.

The semen straws included were from the bulls, Albany Ludlow, a pure English Hereford, owned by Les Cook and family from Cambridge; Fedw Stig, a Red Poll owned by John Williams, a farmer and undertaker from Shropshire; Gear Blue Moon, an Aberdeen Angus owned by Mark Pilcher, director of UK Sire Services; and Morlais Dewi Sant, a Welsh Black owned by Hywel Davies from near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales.

The eclectic mix of genetics has been chosen for use on Tristan’s own mostly Hereford and Angus cattle where it is hoped they will improve their productivity for both beef and milk. The native British breeds have been selected for their ability to thrive on limited supplies of grazed grass and for their ease of management in sometimes challenging situations.

Neil Swain, who works for Tristan’s agriculture department, said: “We haven’t had a change of breed for about eight years, so this will bring in some new blood, and we can keep some bulls from our best cows for breeding.”

Mr Swain works with the island’s only veterinary surgeon, and the two have been inseminating the island’s cattle during the breeding season through January and February. He became an insemination technician during his study trip to the UK and says he is delighted to have received the semen shipment after a complex and tortuous trip of over 10,000km (over 6000 miles).

“The advice I was given by UK Sire Services about handling and storage of the straws was invaluable, and I would particularly like to thank Tim Brook, store manager at UK Sire Services, who kept me up-to-date on the shipment’s progress,” he says.

“The insemination period for our cattle has now come to an end, so we await the confirmed pregnancies with interest,” he says.

Since the company’s establishment in 2001, UK Sire Services, an independent EU licenced business, with one owned stud in south west England and an independent stud in the north west, has processed semen from more than 1500 bulls representing 52 different breeds of cattle.