American Gelbvieh Association

Section 1: Official Designations on Registration Certificates and other Animal Records

The AGA will initiate a genotype designation scheme for DNA tested cattle and non-tested cattle at risk of being a carrier. These designations will appear as part of the animal’s record in all documentation available to AGA members and other interested parties.

Actual Genotype designations:

AM-Free = Free or clean by DNA test
AM-Carrier = an animal that is determined to be a carrier by DNA test or is a confirmed parent of an afflicted progeny
AM-Afflicted = designation for an animal, entered in the AGA Herdbook for parentage and official record reasons, reported to the AGA, confirmed to be a “Curly Calf” and parent verified. Parents would receive the AM-Carrier designation.

Inferred Genotype designations:

AM-50 - designated on cattle that have one or more AM-Carrier parents or more than one AM-Carrier grandparent.
AM-25 – designated on cattle having one AM-Carrier grandparent.

Inferred designations would be replaced with an actual genotype designation when an animal is DNA tested.

Section 2: A.I. Sires

All sires for which A.I. Permit applications are submitted to the AGA starting January 1, 2009 must be tested “AM-Free” in addition to the longstanding parent verification requirement. The AM testing and parent verification must be done from a single sample submitted to AGA’s official parent verification lab.

(Including Gelbvieh bulls is a risk assessment and may not be required long term.)

A.I. Bulls, which possess an inferred genotype (AM-50 or AM-25) indicating risk (their pedigree traces to a known Angus carrier) and which have A.I. permits issued before January 1, 2009 will be AM tested at the owner’s expense. The AGA will notify owner(s) of the requirement to test (primarily Balancer bulls). AM testing in this case must also be done at the AGA’s official parent verification lab.

If the owner(s) fail to test an A.I. bull with an inferred risk genotype, all progeny born on or after January 1, 2010 will be subject to the testing requirements and registration restrictions as outlined below as if the sire is an AM-Carrier. This avenue could be used in the case of a deceased bull with rare and valuable semen being the only means of testing.

The AGA will test the 30 most popular Gelbvieh sires as a risk assessment.

Section 3: Donor Females

All Angus, Balancer and Angus derivative females that do not have the required donor female DNA Profile on file with AGA’s official laboratory as of January 1, 2009 will be required to be DNA tested for the AM gene in addition to their profile. Donor female profile and AM testing must be done at AGA’s official parent verification lab.

ET progeny will fall under the Required Testing and Registration Requirements outlined below.

4. Required Testing and Registration Requirements

The AGA reserves the right to test any animal as provided in the Bylaws of the organization.

All females with an inferred genotype of AM-50, which are retained for breeding, are required to be tested. This testing must be completed at Igenity, AGA’s official parent verification lab and samples are subject to parent verification at AGA’s request and expense.

The AGA will underwrite $10.00 of the testing expense as a rebate for the first 500 females with an AM-50 inferred genotype. Breeders must apply for the rebate after the results are reported to the AGA. Application deadline is December 31, 2009 or when 500 tests have been conducted, whichever comes first.

Any animal presented for registration that has an undocumented Angus parent or an Angus derivative parent, i.e. an “Angus Foundation Cow”, is subject to the same testing requirements and registration restrictions as outlined below as if the undocumented Angus parent is an AM-Carrier.

All cattle born on or after January 1, 2010 with an AM-Carrier or an AM-50 sire and/or an AM-Carrier dam will be required to be DNA tested and the test result will be reflected as the genotype designation in their record and on all documentation.

All cattle born on or after January 1, 2011 with one or more AM-Carrier, AM-50 or AM-25 parents will be required to be DNA tested and the test result will be reflected as the genotype designation in their record and on all documentation.

All cattle born on or after January 1, 2012 with one or more AM-Carrier, AM-50 or AM-25 parents will be required to be DNA tested and test AM-Free to be eligible for registration.

The records of AM-Carrier designated cattle born on or after January 1, 2012 will be accepted as ‘computes’ for genetic evaluation purposes, their performance data within a contemporary group will contribute to their parent’s genetic evaluation but no EPD values will be available on AM-Carrier animals born on or after January 1, 2012.

Section 5: Testing Laboratories

The AGA will maintain a list of laboratories that can test cattle for the AM gene and will accept results from those labs. Animals must be identified by registration number at the time the sample is submitted for testing. Breeders should be aware that AGA’s official lab for parentage, Igenity is providing AM testing services and if disputes occur that would require DNA parent verification of a sample it may be more cost effective for breeders to have the AM testing done at Igenity.

Section 6: AM-Free Designations

Guidelines are being developed for breeders wishing to use an AM-Free claim in promotion of their herd, sale offering or individual cattle.

Section 7:Breeder Awareness

The AGA will use its best efforts to alert members of potential carriers in their herd and will continue educational programs to assist breeders in their efforts to eliminate the AM gene. However, the AGA assumes no liability for overlooking potential carriers or inadvertently naming potential carriers that may in fact not be carriers in member herds.

Staff will assist breeders in developing cost effective plans to test cattle, i.e. testing an old Angus suspect cow and finding her to be clean could eliminate the necessity of testing progeny and grand progeny.

AGA’s Position Statement

The American Gelbvieh Association has historically enjoyed a very high level of integrity among its member breeders and an excellent reputation in the livestock industry. That level of integrity, the power of available technology, and the common spirit for breed improvement will be instrumental in eliminating the Arthrogryposis Multiplex (AM) gene.

While the problem originated outside our breed, the AM gene impacts several major breeds with upgrading programs and hybrid and composite programs that have incorporated Angus genetics. Seedstock breeders of all of the impacted breeds must recognize that with today’s DNA technology, the risk of knowingly selling or misrepresenting carrier cattle is much greater than any short-term financial gain. It is extremely shortsighted to think that the AM gene is not already present in commercial cowherds and that end users of carrier genetics cannot be financially impacted.

Our goal is to eliminate the AM gene from the population in the American Gelbvieh Association’s Herdbook. We will monitor the action of breeders and progress toward this objective and reserve the right to adjust these policies to achieve that goal.

The quality of the people involved in breeding Gelbvieh and Balancer cattle and the great genetics the Gelbvieh breed possess are our greatest assets.