The stud will be run by the K.I.M. Co-operative, to which all Maltese breeders belong, and has been sponsored by the Maltese Ministry of Agriculture. The work has been completed in conjunction with international breeding specialist consultant Brian Edwards.
The stud is starting from scratch, as very little AI is done in Malta at the moment, because semen has to be imported. K.I.M. is importing semen from British breeding company ACMC for their breeding pyramid, but that is not an economical proposition for commercial semen, so the Ministry and K.I.M. are keen to introduce the benefits of AI to commercial breeders.
The stud will be quite small to begin with, but is being planned with a view to eventually housing 50 boars.
