News Releases

UWI helps Rabbit Farmers

For Release Upon Receipt - February 21, 2008

St. Augustine


The University of the West Indies (UWI) is now working with the Livestock Products Board and the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Food Production, Division of Animal Production and Health to help make rabbit farming more profitable. The University will conduct an artificial insemination (AI) workshop for specially invited rabbit farmers. The workshop will take place at the University Field Station Rabbitry, Valsayn from Tuesday 4th to Thursday 6th March, 2008 from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The workshop will sensitise farmers and technicians to the potential of rabbit AI to help bring improved germplasm (semen from improved rabbit breeds) into the country. The workshop is intended to demonstrate fresh semen collection, quality evaluation, dilution and then, actual insemination. The training workshop will be conducted by Madame Agnes Camus of IMV Technologies, France.

Rabbits have been identified by the government and the Ministry of Agriculture as one of the nine commodities proposed for improving food production in this country. The workshop is part of the strategic plan for rabbit industry development in Trinidad and Tobago. The long-term aim is to increase the productivity of rabbits by widening the genetic base of the nation’s rabbit population and thereby reduce the incidence of inbreeding (mating among related rabbits due to the closed national herd).

This workshop, which is a historic first, has gained added significance because it comes as the regional University marks its 60th Anniversary Celebration.

For more information, please contact Dr. Rajendra Rastogi at (868) 662 2002 Ext. 3329 or Rajendra.Rastogi@sta.uwi.edu .

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