Select Breeders Services

Affiliate Program

The SBS affiliate network is divided into three regions - North America, Europe and Australasia. The regional SBS headquarters, Select Breeders Services Inc., SBS Europe and SBS Australasia oversee the administration of the affiliate program within their respective regions.

Each affiliate lab agrees to follow SBS protocols and participate in the QC program. In order to ensure consistency of product, they are also required to purchase select items of equipment necessary for advanced processing of frozen semen. Therefore, you can expect the same high standard of service at every SBS affiliate lab.

Affiliate laboratories receive the following support from Select Breeders Services:

Technician Training

Employees from all affiliate laboratories are trained in semen processing and freezing by their regional SBS headquarters. Monitoring of freezing technique is maintained by annual on-site inspection.

Standardized Operating Procedures

SBS freezing protocols have been developed over the last 24yrs and have been tested on thousands of stallions. These detailed protocols also include standardized forms and record keeping systems.

Semen Extenders

SBS extenders of proprietary formulation are produced by the regional SBS headquarters for distribution to their affiliate laboratories. All extenders are made with the finest cell-culture grade reagents and ultra-pure sterile distilled water. Each batch of extender is tested and adjusted to provide pH and osmotic pressure within a narrow critical range.

Quality Control

In addition to the post-thaw quality testing performed by the Affiliate Lab on every ejaculate frozen, SBS requires that two test straws from all test freezes and a minimum of 20% of all subsequent freezes are sent to the SBS regional headquarters for independent testing. This testing consists of computer assisted motility analysis, final sperm concentration and bacterial cultures to ensure product consistency and accurate reporting.

Access to the International Distribution Network

Clients can take advantage of the international distribution program, allowing import and export of semen between SBS Affiliates ensuring that the semen is being stored and maintained under SBS standards. Affiliate labs also benefit from SBS technical support when preparing export and import shipments.

Continuing Education

Personal from all SBS affiliate laboratories meet once a year for the SBS Annual Meeting to review procedures and policy, share information and experiences, discuss recent developments in the industry and set plans for the future.

Research and Development

SBS Affiliates conduct multicenter collaborative research projects aimed at improving outcomes achieved with frozen semen.