CRV Ambreed opens new bovine semen facility

Media release
For immediate release

12 December 2014

CRV Ambreed opens new bovine semen production and distribution facility

Primary Industries Minister Hon. Nathan Guy officially opened CRV Ambreed’s new world-class domestic and export-approved bovine semen production and logistics centre today.

The CRV Bellevue Production and Logistics Centre, based on the outskirts of Hamilton, is a purpose-built facility which future-proofs the company with additional capacity to meet the market’s growing demand for its bovine semen products.

The Centre houses a semen collection facility, a semen processing laboratory, storage space for export and domestic products, a warehouse with farmer AI banks, and 38 hectares of grazing paddocks.

Hon, Nathan Guy, Minister for Primary Industries acknowledged CRV for the important role the company has played in improving the efficiency of the dairy industry in New Zealand and around the world, and said the new Centre was a big vote of confidence in the New Zealand dairy industry.

“[CRV] has a long-standing investment here in the dairy industry, I believe New Zealand farmers are the best in the world, and one of the best and biggest contributors to our increased productivity is indeed genetics.”

Mr Guy said it has been estimated that genetic gain alone contributes around $45 million annually to the national economy. He said he has set a target of doubling the value of New Zealand’s primary exports for 2025 to $64 billion dollars, and CRV’s expansion and focus on exporting high quality semen and embryos fits in well with that target.

Angus Haslett, CRV Ambreed Managing Director, said the centre’s opening marks the start of an exciting new era for the company.

“The CRV Bellevue Production and Logistics Centre was developed to the highest standards required to ensure our business meets its domestic and export compliance, biosecurity requirements and animal welfare standards,” said Mr Haslett.

“A key driver behind development of our new Centre is the ability of CRV Ambreed to continue meeting increasingly stringent biosecurity requirements while also protecting the quality of CRV Ambreed products,” he said.

“The move to this new facility ensures our business continues to meet the changing needs of the dairy industry, both within New Zealand and around the world. Compliance standards are continuously being scrutinised by Government authorities, and our new facility allows us to meet the highest standards and grow our export markets.”

CRV Ambreed is part of the third largest artificial breeding company in the world with around 25% market share in New Zealand. It exports semen to South America, South Africa, Australia, parts of North America, the UK and Ireland.

Currently close to 1.8 million straws of semen are distributed across New Zealand and exported to overseas markets from its facilities each year.

“We had been operating out of our previous site since CRV Ambreed was first established 45 years ago. As the company grew, we evolved our infrastructure to adjust to that growth, but never had a truly purpose built facility until now,” said Mr Haslett.

“By starting with a completely new blue print with 38 hectares of bare land, what we now have today is a world-class facility that sets a benchmark for success in New Zealand,” he said.

Roald van Noort, Chief Executive of CRV Holdings, added that CRV’s future strategy focused heavily on sustainable growth, which is necessary to make investments in research and development and new innovations; new innovations that will enable CRV’s customers, dairy farmers in New Zealand, to produce more with less.

“We are very proud today to open these premises. In this location, we have everything we need to help produce more protein with less resources for the population in 2015 – in a clean way, a safe way and an inspiring way,” said Mr van Noort.

“We provide a biosecurity level here that is unrivalled in the Southern hemisphere, and also for CRV from a global perspective.”

Mr Haslett said CRV Ambreed received a huge amount of support from its staff at Innovation Park in Hamilton, Bellevue Holdings, the owners of the site which CRV Ambreed has a long term lease on, and the many associated contractors who assisted with site construction.

Over 250 guests attended the official opening ceremony at the new Centre, including Dutch representatives from CRV Ambreed’s parent company CRV Holdings in Holland.

-ENDS-

About the CRV Bellevue Production and Logistics Centre

• The centre is a purpose built, world-class facility that sits on 38 hectares of land with 2,400 square metres of building.
• Up to 200 animals will be located at the Centre
• Construction commenced 18 months ago and is expected to be completed in six months’ time
• CRV Ambreed has a long term lease on the land. It is owned by Bellevue Enterprises and CRV Ambreed is the principle tenant
• Animal Breeding Services will be relocating from Rukuhia to the site in early 2015
• CRV Ambreed is operating on-site
o A semen collection facility
o A semen processing laboratory
o Storage space for export product and domestic product
o A warehouse with farmer banks and AI units
o Animal grazing facilities
• Bulls are quarantined on-site for export approval
• The facility complements CRV Ambreed’s existing operations on their farm in Raglan
• Currently close to 1.8 million straws of semen are distributed out of the facility on an annual basis
• The export facilities are continually audited to protect the disease status of animals in other countries
About CRV Ambreed

CRV Ambreed was established in 1969 by a group of farmers with a core business of dairy semen production, sold only within the New Zealand market. In 2003, Ambreed was sold to CRV Delta and began operating under the global umbrella as CRV Ambreed.

CRV Ambreed is uniquely positioned in New Zealand to be able to leverage off a strong international brand while keeping hold of the traditions and values that have always driven the company’s success in this country.

The company is proud to be leading the way in innovative herd improvement in New Zealand and is continuously developing new ways to provide services and products that benefit our farming clients and the New Zealand dairy industry as a whole.

CRV Ambreed currently has about 25% market share in New Zealand an exports to countries where grazing dairy operations exist and grazing genetics can be placed, including South America, South Africa, Australia, parts of North America, and UK and Ireland.

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