DairyTalk 177: Embryo Contracts in Elite Auctions - Real Value or Artificial Price Inflation? - by Helmut Demmelhuber

Embryo contracts can be a powerful tool to estimate future
genetic value - but they can also distort markets when misused.
This episode examines where legitimate valuation ends and
artificial price staging begins. Unrealistic biological
timelines, excessive contract volumes, and undisclosed conflicts
of interest - especially when auctioneers hold financial stakes
in the animals they sell - undermine market neutrality. Buyers
are urged to look beyond headline figures and focus on biological
feasibility, transparency, and long-term sustainability to
protect the credibility of elite breeding markets.