We were delighted to announce the implementation of the latest DNA technology to sample every pedigree Aberdeen-Angus at the Royal Highland Show today. The innovative technology has been developed in order to protect the integrity of our Herd Book and our iconic Aberdeen-Angus brand, a first for any breed society in the UK.

As a Society we are innately proud of our brand and our breed and this latest technology should protect this, being at the forefront of innovative technology is in our nature, something that this latest announcement highlights. We are committed to the DNA sampling of every Aberdeen-Angus pedigree calf at birth, revolutionising the industry and raising the bar in pedigree validation.

We developed this innovative livestock tagging technology in partnership with Caisley Eartag & IdentiGEN which have supported the Society’s quest for a robust and cost effective solution for taking and storing DNA samples from all pedigree cattle. The FlexoPlus Geno system takes the tissue sample safely when inserting a Geno tag at birth, locating, sealing and barcoding the sample tube automatically – eliminating any risk of contamination.

Robin Batchelor, Managing Director at Caisley Eartag, said; ‘There is no better known and globally respected cattle breed than the Aberdeen-Angus, so it is a very considerable privilege and honour for Caisley to supply the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society with the Geno tissue sampling tags to manage the integrity of its herd book.’

Andy McGowan, Technical Account Manager at IdentiGEN, said; ‘We already operate traceability verification programmes that cover the majority of Aberdeen-Angus beef retailed in the UK and welcome this ground-breaking initiative that will more closely align the genetic information held for pedigree breeding purposes with that used for consumer and brand protection.’

The announcement comes as we refresh our brand identity and launch our new website.