Merial has announced an agreement to acquire certain tests and services from Frontier Beef Systems of Louisville, Colorado. This acquisition significantly adds to the portfolio of tests and services marketed under Merial’s Igenity brand, a cattle DNA testing service launched in 2003.

“The tests and services acquired from Frontier Beef Systems fit perfectly with Igenity, and we are excited to offer this expanded portfolio to beef and dairy producers,” says Stewart Bauck, DVM, MS, Head of Merial’s Livestock Production Business Unit. “Our goal is to help producers unlock critical cattle management information by marketing innovative tests, such as those acquired from Frontier Beef Systems.”

For beef producers, the acquisition means greater service and more options for breeding management and selection tools. Now available exclusively from Merial’s Igenity testing services are: Igenity TenderGene™, Igenity DoubleBlack™, Igenity ParentMatch™, Igenity DNATrace™ and Igenity Sample Archive.

Merial also gains additional talent with the addition of Dr. Jim Gibb, former General Manager of Frontier Beef Systems. A pioneer in cattle DNA test marketing, Gibb joins Merial’s Igenity team as Senior Manager, Beef Segment Development.

“This is a natural fit with Merial because of their global marketing reach,” says Gibb. “With these tests and services, we aim to maximize benefits to beef and dairy producers who want to include genetic technology in their arsenal of breeding management tools.”

Igenity L, the first test introduced by Merial in the fall of 2003, identifies leptin genotypes in cattle and provides a snapshot of an animal’s production potential. Leptin is a protein linked to the regulation of appetite, energy use, fat deposition and milk production in cattle.

Like the Igenity L test, kits for Igenity TenderGene‘, Igenity DoubleBlack, Igenity ParentMatch, Igenity DNATrace and Igenity Sample Archive are available online at www.igenity.com, by calling 1-877-IGENITY or through Merial sales personnel. Producers supply animal hair samples for the test, and receive genotype information via e-mail or hard copy. ©