After a long decision-making process, the French Arab Breeding Association ACA (Association du Cheval Arabe) decided that from birth year 2022 only one product received by embroy transfer per mare per year will be included in the French Studbook for Arabian horses. The decision was made with an absolute majority. Surplus foals are entered into the stud book DSA (Demi-Sang Arabe, Partbred Arabians), for which there are no restrictions.
The view has been expressed on several occasions, also outside of France, that embryo transfer, carried out on a large scale, is detrimental to breeding. It is usually being used by large breeders who specialize in show breeding, who want to choose the most suitable from several full siblings per year. However, embryo transfer is only acceptable in exceptional cases from the point of view of animal welfare, because the extraction of up to four and five embryos sometimes has a negative effect on the reproductive system of the donor mare. In addition, the above-mentioned use of this reproductive method accelerates the narrowing of the gene pool.
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