KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 — Semen from Australia’s most expensive bull has been sold at auction for a staggering A$24,000 (RM71,817).
North Queensland graziers Mark and Pam Prichard bought 10 straws of the sought-after semen for A$2,400 (RM7,183) each at the Big Country Brahman Sale in Charters Towers, Daily Mail reported.
The packages came from a seven-year-old grey brahman called NCC Justified, who broke a national record in 2017 when he sold for A$325,000 (RM972,739).
Amazingly, Pam Prichard said she and her husband had been prepared to pay even more for the semen.
“I've had my eye on that bull for quite a while,” she said. “I like the type of him and obviously he sold extremely well when he was sold as a young bull.
“We’re a new stud and genetics are our main focus. I was pretty happy to be able to purchase those straws and have them in our inventory.”
At the sale in rural Queensland, hundreds of people came to see the product on offer as many tried to snatch up some top quality semen.
The sale attracts buyers from across Australia and it’s not unheard of for people to spend more than A$100,000 (RM300,000) on a single animal.
Semen is sold by the straw. Straws are plastic phials that contain a small quantity of semen that is diluted and frozen in liquid nitrogen.
The straws are sold from as little as A$10 (RM30) up to thousands of dollars.
Queensland Rural sale convener Shaun Flanagan said the A$24,000 sale showed the value of top-quality genetics for IVF purposes, with one straw of semen able to produce close to a dozen calves.
The sperm listing stated the bull was a “standout individual” and “a global beef animal”.
“The A$325,000 Australian All Breeds Record Priced Bull, a rare combination of breed character, sire appeal, length, depth, bone, muscle and balance,” it read.
“His phenomenal phenotype is aided by an extraordinary internationally blended pedigree, featuring breed greats from the US, South Africa and Australia.”
