III. Differences in records of inseminating technicians

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Abstract
Records were analysed for inseminating technicians employed by the Auckland (232), Taranaki (87), and Wellington-Hawke's Bay (68) Livestock Improvement Associations in the 1971 season. Each technician recorded at least 850 first inseminations, using semen diluted in Caprogen at dose rates of 2.5 million total sperm per insemination and made the day after semen collection and processing. The mean conception rate (C. R. = 49-day non-return rate to first insemination) for the Taranaki technicians was 67.5%, compared with 64.8% and 60.7% for the Auckland and Weilington-Hawke's Bay technicians respectively. Differences were partly due to a negative relationship between C. R. and % short returns (1 to 17 days), or % long returns (25 to 49 days), rather than technician ability as reflected by % normal returns (18 to 24 days). The standard deviations (S. D.) for C. R. and % normal returns were similar for technicians in each Association, and the technicians employed by each Association exhibited a comparable range of ability (S. D. from 2.3–3.0%). C. R. s were negatively correlated with % short returns ( — 0.30 to —0.47), % normal returns ( — 0.73 to 0.89), and % long returns ( — 0.28 to — 0.35) in each Association. Neither % short returns nor % long returns were correlated with % normal returns (—0.21 to +0.07). The maximum reliability of an individual Taranaki technician's result in a single season was only 45%. The comparable figure for a Weilington-Hawke's Bay technician was 68%. These investigations suggest that intensive training and examination procedures for technicians may only slightly raise an Association's average C. R. by further reducing the already low incidence of gross technician incompetence (2 out of 387).

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