Blonde d’Aquitaine Cows and Heifers Auction
23 June 2026A new solution for identifying the best females and accelerating genetic progress
For high-potential heifers, elite cows, pregnant females, or animals that do not meet the standard protocols for in vivo embryo production: AURIVA Élevage is launching its “On-Farm OPU-IVF ”—Oocyte Puncture (OPU) / In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)—an innovation now available throughout France directly on farms.
As the first French breeding company to offer this service on a large scale in the field, AURIVA is strengthening its support for breeders and their goals through a biotech solution designed to multiply the best genetics more quickly, without moving the animals.
Already in use for 10 years in specific operations conducted by the Denguin laboratory, OPU-IVF technology is now being deployed throughout the AURIVA region, as well as nationally and internationally, thanks to the training of field teams specializing in embryo transfer.
A solution tailored to breeding operations and donor cows with high genetic stakes
On-farm OPU-IVF is designed for livestock operations seeking to accelerate their genetic progress, secure lines of interest, or develop more intensive breeding programs.
This technique is particularly useful for working on:
- heifers with high genetic value,
- milking cows,
- pregnant females up to 90 days,
- older cows,
- or animals with good follicular potential but that do not respond to standard protocols for in vivo embryo production.
By collecting embryos every 15 days, breeders can quickly increase the number of embryos produced from their best donors and shorten the generation interval within the herd.
“On-farm OPU-IVF offers new flexibility to livestock operations. It allows farmers to use donors with profiles that complement those used in conventional embryo collection, while greatly simplifying the preparation protocols.”
A flexible and effective technique
In practical terms, OPU-IVF involves retrieving oocytes directly from the donor via follicular aspiration, all under ultrasound guidance. The oocytes are then matured, fertilized, and cultured until the blastocyst stage (Days 7–8). The resulting embryos are then transferred to recipient females or frozen for future use.
This approach offers several technical and economic advantages:
- no heat detection required,
- streamlined protocols with fewer hormone treatments,
- optimized use of sexed semen,
- the option to use multiple bulls during a single collection to diversify matings,
- On-site assistance at livestock farms provided by AURIVA teams.
The results achieved* in recent years by the AURIVA teams demonstrate the performance and mastery of this technology, with an average of:
- An average of 5 viable embryos per egg retrieval session;
- A 50% pregnancy rate following fresh embryo transfer;
- A 45% pregnancy rate following frozen embryo transfer.
It is also worth noting that the performance results obtained with sexed semen are similar to those obtained with conventional semen, while offering more opportunities to guide herd renewal and production.
A First Field Operation to Preserve the Villard-de-Lans Breed
On April 22, AURIVA carried out its first on-farm OPU-IVF procedure in the Vercors region, at the initiative of the OS RAR, as part of a program to preserve the Villard-de-Lans breed in the face of current health challenges (brucellosis, DNC, etc.).
The goal: to ensure and accelerate the genetic preservation of the breed through the production of sexed embryos. Following a comprehensive genotyping of the population and with only 29 bulls available within the breed, this operation represented a major strategic challenge.
“We wanted to anticipate potential health issues before the summer and quickly secure the breed’s best lines. With a limited number of breeding animals available, OPU-IVF was a particularly well-suited solution for producing sexed embryos and preserving the breed’s genetic diversity,” explains Cédric George Batier, director of OS RAR.
In a single day, the AURIVA teams visited three dairy farms to collect samples from 13 donor cows (9 from Villard-de-Lans, 3 Holsteins, and 1 Montbéliarde). The operation resulted in a total of 83 embryos, including 65 from Villard-de-Lans cows and 54 from biopsied cows—nearly half of the program’s target.
Among the farmers involved, Anne Revol—a farmer at the GAEC de la Ferme de la Cime du Mas in La Chapelle-en-Vercors and president of the Villard-de-Lans chapter of the OS—had provided three donor cows for this first operation. “We were already familiar with OPU-IVF at the breeding station, but it was a new experience on the farm. The preparation is much less involved than with traditional embryo collection and transfer, and it’s more comfortable for the animals. We also appreciated the ability to perform multiple matings using the same donor. The team provided excellent support and took great care of the animals; if we had to do it again, we would,” she says.
This first day fully demonstrates the value of OPU-FIV on the farm: a flexible technique, adapted to on-the-ground conditions, capable of quickly addressing the challenges of selection, genetic conservation, and ensuring the sustainability of livestock herds.
To share its expertise, AURIVA also trains independent biotech teams in this new practice. Thus, while the regions and herds may differ, the conviction in the value of this new service remains the same; in June, another on-farm OPU-IVF procedure was carried out with the Coopelso team, which had recently been trained in the technique. In Aveyron and Lozère, four donor cows of the Simmental, Aubrac, and Parthenaise breeds yielded 30 embryos from 43 retrieved oocytes.
Recognized expertise in biotechnology
With more than 12,000 embryos produced since 2009 at its laboratory in Denguin, AURIVA has recognized expertise in reproductive biotechnology.
On-farm OPU-IVF complements an existing service offering centered on embryo collection and transfer (ET) and OPU-IVF at the breeding station (either as a boarding service or on an outpatient basis). This new service demonstrates AURIVA’s commitment to making long-term investments in genetic innovation and offering breeders practical, high-performance solutions tailored to real-world conditions.
