New Zealand considers freezing cow embryos

The New Zealand Beef Council wants to freeze cow embryos in case foot-and-mouth reaches the island.

The embryos could be used to replenish stocks after a slaughter.

But one expert says it would be cheaper simply to import new cattle from Australia.

Council chairman Peter Packard said: "Our industry should not take this threat lightly. We should flush eggs from our superior cows, fertilise the in-utero and put them on ice."

He envisaged storing between 1,000 and 3,000 embryos for different breeds of cattle.

The embryo bank could also help out other countries affected by stock disease, making New Zealand "the genetic shopping basket for the world", said Mr Packard.

Professor Grant Guilford, of Massey University's veterinary school, rejected that strategy. He said the costs of setting it up would be prohibitive and importing cattle from Australia would be cheaper.