Cattle Breeding Centre
| Cattle Breeding Centre[1] | |
|---|---|
  Location within Berkshire | |
| Former names | Reading Centre for the Artificial Insemination of Cattle, AI Centre |
| General information | |
| Type | Animal Research Centre |
| Address | Church Lane, RG2 9BZ |
| Coordinates | 51°24′47″N 0°56′45″W / 51.413°N 0.9459°W |
| Elevation | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Current tenants | Housing estate |
| Completed | February 1943 |
| Demolished | 1991 |
| Owner | University of Reading |
The Cattle Breeding Centre was a veterinary research centre at Shinfield in the United Kingdom.
History
[edit]The site opened in February 1943 as the Reading Centre for the Artificial Insemination of Dairy Cattle.[2] It had Shorthorn and Guernsey cattle. In January 1944 the site produced the world's first calf produced by artificial insemination, working with the Agricultural Improvement Council.[3] Another site had been opened at Cambridge in November 1942.[4]
The site closed in 1991.
Visits
[edit]On Thursday 15 November 1979, the site was visited by President General Suharto of Indonesia; the President had come to power in a coup in 1965, and the visit was attended by protestors from Reading University Amnesty International group.[5] On Wednesday 29 October 1980, the site was visited by the second President of Botswana, Quett Masire.[6]
Demolition
[edit]The site was demolished by the University of Reading and sold for housing (360 houses) in 2003.
Structure
[edit]The site was east of the A327, south of the M4, around a half-mile east of the former headquarters of Berkshire County Council. A short section of the National Cycle Network 50 runs east–west past the former site.
Function
[edit]The site worked with artificial insemination (AI) of cattle and pigs.
See also
[edit]- Former Meat Research Institute in North Somerset
References
[edit]- ^ New Scientist, 22 February 1979, page 610
- ^ Surrey Advertiser, Saturday 22 September 1945, page 3
- ^ Test-tube calf 1944
- ^ West Sussex County Times, Friday 30 July 1943, page 2
- ^ Reading Evening Post, Wednesday 14 November 1979, page 3
- ^ Times, Wednesday 29 October 1980, page 8
- 1943 establishments in the United Kingdom
- 1991 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
- Agricultural research institutes in the United Kingdom
- Animal breeding organizations
- Artificial insemination
- Buildings and structures of the University of Reading
- Cattle breeding
- Cattle in the United Kingdom
- Dairy farming in the United Kingdom
- Former research institutes
- Education in the Borough of Wokingham
- Research institutes established in 1943
- Research institutes in Berkshire
- Veterinary medicine in the United Kingdom
- Veterinary research institutes
- Buildings and structures destroyed in 1991
- Demolished buildings and structures in Berkshire