Australia's largest stockpile of buffalo semen has been accidentally destroyed due to an "administration error".
The NT government's department of industry has for years been collecting and storing some of the world's best Riverine buffalo genetics as well as semen from Asian (swamp) water buffalo from across the Top End's wild population.
The NT's buffalo industry has now been notified by government, that an administration error by a third party late last year, caused more than 2,300 straws of buffalo semen to be destroyed.
“As a result of this incident, the department currently does not have the ability to do any artificial insemination of buffalo, and unless more straws are obtained, all future matings will have to be done naturally using bulls," said the letter from government to industry.
ABC Rural has been told the facility holding the semen ran dry of liquid nitrogen after a computer error.
'A big loss'
NT Buffalo Industry Council's Michael Swart said it was an unfortunate accident.
"I think the loss of the swamp buffalo semen is the biggest genetic loss in all of this," he said.
"To collect that now from around the NT would be a massive task and we probably don't have the animals in those same areas where the semen came from originally, so it's a big loss."
Mr Swart said historically, the Riverine buffalo semen from the NT government's Beatrice Hill Research Farm was used by buffalo breeders around Australia.
He said a lot of Riverine buffalo dairies would now have access to semen from elsewhere if needed.
Mr Swart said he was keen to see the NT government researchers now focus on breeding a Riverine and swamp buffalo cross that produces quality meat for the domestic and live export market.
