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Cryopreservation of boar sperm is not new with earliest attempts reported way back in the 1960s and
1970s. However, the commercial use of frozen-thawed boar semen still lags behind fresh extended semen (Johnson
et al., 2000, Bailey et al., 2008) largely due to various issues including 1) the uniquely sensitive nature of boar
spermatozoa, 2) complex processes associated with boar sperm freezing, and 3) costs of equipment and facilities
required. However, driven by the importance of long-term storage of boar sperm from individuals of superior genetic
traits, and the need to preserve genetic materials in light of disease outbreaks (i.e., ASF), natural calamities and
disasters, there have been significant progress in many aspects related to boar sperm cryopreservation (Johnson et
al., 2000; , Rodríguez-Gil and Estrada, 2013; Rodriguez-Martinez, 2021 personal communication).
While sperm freezing allows selective preservation of disease-free and valuable genetic materials, it also
provides a better alternative in transporting highly valuable semen into areas where fresh extended semen doses
are prohibited due to local government restrictions particularly due to ASF. Notwithstanding, frozen semen can be
stored and/or transported safely at significantly extended periods of time and distances, respectively without
severely affecting quality. Technically, reasonable fertility outcomes are possible using ejaculates from good-
freezability boars, proper re-dilution procedures, adding special additives in the freezing extender, and appropriate
insemination technique along with optimized freezing protocols (Yeste et al., 2017; Rodriguez-Martinez, 2021
personal communication). Thus, despite the challenges associated with boar semen cryopreservation, the overall
advantages and benefits of boar sperm freezing outweigh the said challenges (Bailey et al., 2000, Knox, 2011). The
end goal is to actively pursue the maturation and application of boar sperm cryopreservation biotechnology in the
Philippines for potential utilization particularly by the local swine breeder industry.