LAHORE: The Livestock Breeding Services Authority and the USAID Punjab Enabling Environment signed on Wednesday an agreement to improve breeding standards by building the capacity of livestock farmers, veterinarians, artificial insemination technicians (AITs), training institutes and other service providers.

Under the agreement, both sides will run awareness campaigns to make stakeholders raise artificial breeding standards in accordance with thePunjab Livestock Breeding Act 2014.

Different training courses will also be run for livestock farmers to make them aware of the use of modern methods of breeding and improve production of animals. The USAID Punjab Enabling Environment is spending $15 million under the five-year plan.

A Punjab Livestock & Dairy Development department official said the major objective of the agreement was to regulate breeding services under the new breeding act and bring non-registered private veterinary clinics and ATIs under the regulated sector.He said the department had reports the semen for breeding available in the private sector was substandard and that LBSA and USAID PEE would work together to promote quality semen.

The official further said under the agreement USAID PEE would also customize livestock mobile training vehicles with the latest gadgets.

LBSA Registrar Dr Asif Suleman Sahi told Dawn the authority wanted to stop the use of substandard imported semen which had reduced milk production to almost half of the production level in the 1960s.