The A.I. organizations requested that the American Angus Association provide to the membership the identity of and preliminary test results for those 1,099 Angus bulls tested by Dr. Jon Beever of the University of Illinois to determine whether they were carriers or free of the mutation identified for this genetic condition.

The Association Board of Director’s decision to provide that information to the membership is based in part on its understanding that the test used here was run on a set of animals requested by Dr. Beever from the A.I. organizations for research purposes and therefore remains preliminary in nature.

Earlier this afternoon, the Board of Directors convened by phone to consider the implications of this genetic condition. At the conclusion of that meeting, President Trowbridge appointed a Task Force and directed it to report to the full Board as soon as practicable on how the Association should respond to this condition. In fulfilling that charge, the Task Force was asked to consider the best interests of the breed and the membership, the evolving scientific advances in the field of genetics, our membership’s ability to manage such conditions and the likelihood that the scientific community will continue to identify additional genetic conditions in all breeds in the future.

We will keep you advised on the Board's approach as it occurs.

For an update on the research by Dr. Beever, the list of the animals and their preliminary test results, please click here.

– American Angus Association news release