DaleKOntario
VG87
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Registered: 12-2005
Posts: 108
Karma: 4 (+4/-0)
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Embryo fraud and questions
Just curious with the scandal unfolding around Maple Hill Embryos,how much effort do those of you who trade in embryos do to see that someone else isn't falsifying records using your good name? Involving embryos from more than one farm, not just the one in this story from the Woodstock Sentinel-Review, and LARGE numbers of high-end embryos.
CFIA investigates city vet
Posted By Bruce Urquhart, AGRICULTURAL REPORTER
A city veterinarian is being investigated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) because of allegations of theft and fraud involving the sale of purebred cow embryos.
The government investigation of Dr. Brian Hill, owner of Maple Hill Embryos Ltd., is reportedly being conducted to determine if the Woodstock veterinarian misappropriated purebred cow embryos from his dairy farm clients when flushing, a method of collecting embryos from a donor animal. According to these allegations, Hill then sold the embryos to international clients while forging false pedigrees.
While CFIA declined to provide particulars on its probe, the agency did confirm that Hill was being investigated.
"We have received a complaint surrounding embryos and are currently investigating," said Marc Richard, a CFIA spokesperson.
While a call was placed to Maple Hill Embryo Ltd.'s Princess Street offices, Hill could not be reached for comment.
In the wake of the allegations and investigation, Hill's certification with the Canadian Embryo Transfer Association (CETA), a non-profit organization that administers an accreditation program to ensure that "quality work is performed with the highest ethical standards," has been suspended. The organization has already removed Hill from its online list of certified embryo transfer practitioners.
According to an article in the Farm Focus of Atlantic Canada magazine, CETA opted to withdraw Hill's certification after the CFIA informed the organization of its decision to revoke the veterinarian's accreditation to produce embryos for export.
Another related organization, the Canadian Livestock Genetics Association, has also removed Hill from its membership list.
While CFIA isn't releasing the details and extent of this alleged case of theft and fraud, the Canadian Access to Information database revealed a freedom of information request to the agency Jan. 7, 2008, that requested information on "any embryos shipped from Stanton Bros Limited Farm by Maple Hill Embryos Inc. (Dr. Brian R. Hill). Woodstock, Ontario to Russia or China during 2005 or 2007."
According to its website, Maple Hill Embryos Ltd. was founded in 1996 to assist customers with the genetic improvement of their cattle herds. The company specializes in providing embryos "for a (customer's) specific requirements" and "co-ordinating the production, assembly and shipment of privately purchased embryos worldwide."
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5/7/2008, 0:21
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Eryl Vet
EX93
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Registered: 11-2006
Posts: 375
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Re: Embryo fraud and questions
Thanks for posting this - I had been hearing all sorts of rumours without knowing any of the details. Fortunately I don't think Maple Hill were the flush vets for any of our Canadian embryo imports. I am slightly bewildered how it went on so long and is on such a large scale when ET dams are DNA typed and bulls going to stud are generally parentage checked. Most of the problems with embryos we have experienced have been mistakes not conspiracy. In one case I heard of a whole flush of embryos a canadian breeder had frozen with his local ET vet, turned up in the UK having been packed by mistake!
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13/7/2008, 0:51
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synergy1
VG89
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Registered: 08-2006
Posts: 130
Karma: 2 (+2/-0)
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Embryo fraud and questions
China and Russia are the countries that the stolen/falsified embryos were sold to.
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14/7/2008, 16:30
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