Four experts, four opinions
This is what keeps BHZP AI centres running smoothly: high production and laboratory expertise, quality awareness and strong customer focus.
A good level of education and training as well as characteristics such as reliability and diligence are the basic requirements for staff working in BHZP AI centres. To maintain the boars' high health status and our above-average quality standards at all times, we look for experts with industry experience. Our AI specialists have a thorough understanding of the criteria for successful production, the legislative provision on livestock husbandry and animal welfare and the processes involved in semen collection, processing, laboratory analysis etc. and know how to implement them. The editorial team asked four AI experts at BHZP for a statement.
“The highest standards of hygiene, systematic health monitoring, for example monitoring the temperature of the boar, and strict separation of different production areas are the only way to ensure the quality of individual semen collections. I think it’s really important to have close contact with the animal and to make sure that the atmosphere in the pig house is calm and relaxing – this is key to successful artificial insemination."
Hauke Hönicke (44)
Manager of Bösewig AI centre, joined BHZP in 1999,
Sales area: New Federal States
“We are committed to offering our customers an extremely rapid and exclusive delivery service, and we provide a very narrow timeframe from receiving the order to delivering the semen. We even make deliveries overnight and on public holidays! Maintaining the cold chain up to the point of delivery at the agreed customer site is an absolute must for us. Our trained couriers know the situation and requirements of the farms inside out.”
Frank Scharfe (51)
Manager of Alveslohe AI centre, joined BHZP in 1992,
Sales area: Schleswig-Holstein
“Expertise, meticulous care and reliability – our laboratory staff demonstrate these qualities on a daily basis. Trained according to best practice, our staff are dab hands at analysing semen, performing various processing operations, recording data and complying with relevant hygiene and quality standards.
Michael Kniep (34)
Manager of Suderburg AI centre, joined BHZP in 2010,
Sales area: Lower Saxony
“We care about the success of your AI service. When problems arise, we analyse your farm, search for sources of error and provide practical insemination advice. We train you and your staff in overall service management, including heat detection, insemination time, insemination method and hygiene. We use ultrasound to check for successful insemination. With new setups we help you to arrange your sows in suitable groups and to manage the entire servicing and fertility monitoring process to give you the best possible start. We also offer ongoing fertility monitoring through our scanner service."
Hugo Böcker (58)
Reproduction expert, joined BHZP in 2009