Hello May! This month we celebrate Mother's Day! To all birth Mothers, non-birth Mothers, loss Mothers, pet Mothers and the brave women who could never have children, Happy Mother's Day!! Motherhood looks different for everyone, and we honor all mothers and non-mothers.

This month we also celebrate Victoria Day, a holiday for most of the general public, unless you have livestock to care for or fields to cultivate. The birthday of Queen Victoria was a day for celebration in Canada long before Confederation, with the first legislation in this regard being passed in 1845 by the parliament of the Province of Canada to officially recognize May 24 as the Queen's birthday. It was noted that, on that date in 1854, Victoria's 35th birthday, some 5,000 residents of Canada West gathered in front of Government House (near present-day King and Simcoe Streets in Toronto) to "give cheers to their queen".

Following the death of Victoria in 1901, May 24 was made a legal holiday to be known as Victoria Day, a date to remember the late queen, who was deemed the "Mother of Confederation", and, in 1904, the same date was, by imperial decree, made Empire Day throughout the British Empire. Over the ensuing decades, the official date in Canada of the reigning sovereign's birthday changed through various royal proclamations until the haphazard format was abandoned in 1952. That year, both Empire Day and Victoria Day were, by order-in-council and statutory amendment, respectively, moved to the Monday before May 25 and the monarch's official birthday in Canada was by regular viceregal proclamations made to fall on this same date every year between 1953 and January 31, 1957, when the link was made permanent by royal proclamation. The following year, Empire Day was renamed Commonwealth Day and, in 1977, it was moved to the second Monday in March, leaving the Monday before May 25 as both Victoria Day and the sovereign's official birthday.

Have you got some marketable genetics that you have considered selling abroad? In this months newsletter we are going to discuss the basic requirements for international shipping of embryos. Some countries have different requirements and are not as easy to ship to, if at all. The USA is the easiest to export embryos to so these are the shipments we will focus on in this edition.

~Andres, Melissa & Lisa

When exporting embryos the health certificate and embryo labelling is the most important aspect. The embryos must be accompanied by a Health Certificate issued by a veterinarian authorized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and endorsed by a Veterinary Services (VS) veterinarian. The certificate contains the following information: the registered name, registration number, species and breed of the donor dam and sire, the name and address of the consignor, address of the collection premises, period of residency of the donor dam at the collection premises, name and approval number of semen collection center if artificial insemination was used, date of embryo collection and the number of embryos from each collection date, the total number of embryos in the consignment, total number of straws in consignment, the identification markings or labeling on the straws, the serial number on the shipping tank and the number or markings of the tamper proof seal applied to the shipping container, and the name and address of the consignee. Bova-Tech complies with these requirements as set out by the International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS) on every conventional flush we perform and have completed many Health Certificates each year.

Your role as the producer and seller (exporter) of frozen embryos is to ensure you have adhered to the specific health requirements. Some (not all) of the necessary health requirements are listed below.

• The donor dam must be born and reared in Canada or legally imported from a country recognized to be free of foot and mouth disease and rinderpest by the USDA for a minimum of 60 days prior to the embryo collection.

   

• The donor animals resided in herds considered by the Government of Canada as free of tuberculosis and brucellosis.

   

• Semen used to fertilize the embryos must be verified and collected in Canada at an approved semen production centre or legally imported to Canada from a centre approved by the Government of Canada and recognized by the USDA to be free from foot and mouth disease and rinderpest.

The U.S. importer is responsible for obtaining an import permit from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal Plant Health Inspection Service.

We have found that group shipments to approved facilities are the easiest way to export to the US. We have a list of approved facilities in the various states that takes care of these requirements and saves on direct individual shipping costs.

If you are considering marketing your embryos in the US, please contact Bova-Tech to facilitate your export as we have exported thousands of embryos worldwide. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

​At Bova-Tech Ltd. we offer services that will help to increase your herd’s productivity and value. Producers depend on us to optimize their most valuable cows by generating more embryos and pregnancies that will extend the impact of outstanding cattle genetics. Our programs are designed to meet producer’s specific needs, offering all our services either in-clinic or on-farm.