Revolutionising cattle breeding: human IVF drug offers new synchronisation method with reduced handling

Research led by the University of Saskatchewan reveals that cetrorelix, a drug used in human IVF, can effectively synchronise ovulation in beef cattle, offering a promising alternative to traditional protocols and potentially transforming herd management.

A human fertility drug may soon give cattle producers a new tool for tightening breeding windows. Research led by the University of Saskatchewan suggests cetrorelix, a GnRH antagonist used in in vitro fertilisation, can synchronise ovulation in beef cattle as effectively as the estradiol-based protocols that have long been standard, according to reporting in Canadian Cattlemen and supporting research published in the journal Animal Reproduction Science. The protocol also reduces handling to three animal moves, which may matter as much as the reproductive outcome for commercial herds.

Dr Jaswant Singh, who has spent more than 25 years studying cattle reproduction at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, has been searching for an estradiol alternative since the European Union banned the hormone for synchronisation in 2006. In a Brazilian head-to-head trial, animals treated with cetrorelix and those given estradiol had the same early pregnancy rate of 45 per cent, Canadian Cattlemen reported. The method uses a progesterone implant, then prostaglandin, followed by fixed-time insemination and a GnRH analogue.

The practical appeal is clear for vets and producers alike: no heat detection, fewer handlings and a protocol that could fit existing herd management. The university is now planning further work in bison, sheep, dairy cattle, horses and water buffalo, while Singh expects commercial availability could still be two to three years away.

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