40 Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources
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he overlap of an exotic breed in the farming area of the local breed might hamper the creation of a link between the local breed and the product e.g. diiculty of
separate milk collection. In some cases, the link between product and the breed-environment seems to be
more appropriate than the link between product and breed.
3.5.2. Ecological and cultural breed products
With particular reference to the European context, we may consider that: Before the intensiication and industrialisation process in the last decades, livestock
farming was closely linked to the use of farmland and in general was extensive. Most of the areas which are recognised nowadays as natural areas are in fact agro-
ecosystems created and maintained by farmers and their local breeds. In some cases we might identify a co-evolution process between the breed and the agro-ecosystem.
he declines of local breeds and of their production systems are raising concern for the maintenance of these agro-ecosystems and cultural landscapes. Examples
include the alpine landscapes characterised by the summer pasture of cattle, sheep and goat herds, the Mediterranean oak forests of the Iberian peninsula La Dehsa
home to extensive pig farming, the dry pustza grasslands of south-east Hungary and the moors and heaths of north-west Scotland.
When grazing ceases, bush encroachment follows, which makes it more diicult to use the lands for recreation. Farmers maintain landscapes of great beauty, which are
rich in culture. Examples in this respect are the Alpine pastures, which attracts large amounts of tourists in summer.
he reduction of livestock grazing is known to increase risks associated to natural ires, especially in the Mediterranean regions and to loods in the alpine areas.
Local breeds have oten played a central role, for relatively long periods, in the agriculture tenures and in the social life of rural populations. hey are historical
witnesses with respect to the rural life. Today local breeds are oten a reference point of ancient local traditions, such as
food, artisan crats and folklore, and play an important role in the protection of the local cultural heritage, including rural landscapes. In this light, ancient local breeds
are vital elements of what we might deine as ‘cultural networks’. Typical products of animal origin, the value of which is today recognised and
protected by European directives, originate from speciic local breeds, farming methods and areas. hese products have become part, over time, of the way of life
of rural populations, gastronomic traditions, religious and civic festivals and bear a recognised cultural value.
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Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources 41
Chapter 2. Strategies for moving from conservation to utilisation
Based on these and similar considerations, several countries and the European Community developed speciic agriculture and environment policies, including subsidy
systems directed to the management of rural landscapes and agro-ecosystems. However, subsidies are not expected to be available in the long term. hen, the question arises: is
it possible to develop a market value for the ecological and cultural services from local breeds? Recent experiences allow some optimism:
Some work has been carried out in the last years in Europe Flamant et al., 1995
in developing cultural tourism associated with the farming culture of local breeds. Cultural tourism has been expanding rapidly over the past two decades and further
growth is expected in the future, and could likely intersect with conservation eforts for farm animal genetic resources conservation in some poorer areas of the world.
In South Europe, cheese producers and breed associations have started to envisage an ecological role for their local breeds. For example, from 1993, in Savoy, herd
milk production of Tarantaise and Abondance cattle breeds is limited in order to maintain the optimum stocking rate per hectare. On the Italian Southern side of the
Alpes, the production of Fontina cheese implies that milk comes from Valdostana cattle taken to alpine summer pastures.
In several parts of Europe horses are recognised as preferred help to harvest the wood under rough conditions. his may facilitates the conservation of the original
heavy European horses. Grazing by domestic ungulates to attain high biodiversity and more complete
ecosystems Box 2.6 is a growing management practice. In UK, since its foundation in 1997, the Grazing Animals Project has promoted and facilitated the use of grazing
livestock in management of habitats for conservation Small, 2004.
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Box 2.6. Grazing and ecosystem management. Studies on breed diferences in grazing behaviour and vegetation preferences between a high and
a moderate yielding dairy cattle breed in Norway showed that there might be breed diferences of importance for the management of semi-natural grasslands Sæther
et al. 2006. he breeds were the high yielding, modern dairy cattle breed Norwegian Red NR and the moderate yielding, old
dairy cattle breed Blacksided Trønder and Nordland Cattle STN. here was no breed diference in time spent on grazing, but NR breed had a higher demand for nutrient rich fodder and thus
preferred to graze the most nutrient rich species compared to STN when grazing on shared, not especially nutrient or species rich, semi-natural grasslands. his diference ought to be taken
into consideration since loss of vegetation diversity seems to be smaller when using a moderate yielding breed.
42 Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources
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3.6. Incentives
Incentive payments to compensate farmers for the lower proitability of the local breeds compared to substituting these breeds with more proitable exotic breeds have been
used in several countries e.g. Italy and were adopted by the European Community since 1992.
Economic incentives probably have been efective in many cases to halt the decline of local breeds, however such incentives cannot last forever. In addition, in spite of EU’s
support, rearing local breeds by farmers oten remains unproitable Signorello and Pappalardo, 2003.
hey also put an upper limit on numbers, since income drops when headage thresholds for subsidy are exceeded. Both in Europe and in other parts of the world it seems
worthwhile to investigate the use of incentive measures speciic to various situations. Within Europe, for example, the elimination of milk production quotas for endangered
breeds could efectively promote their farming. More generally, economic incentives should be used to accelerate the process toward breed sustainability rather than to
provide a general economic support.
4. Cryoconservation
Gene banks ofer important opportunities for the conservation and utilisation of farm animal genetic resources. In paragraph 2 we saw that cryoconservation allows
us to achieve some of the conservation objectives. Combinations of in situ and ex situ
techniques can provide powerful tools for achieving all conservation aims. In chapter 8, for example, it is shown as cryoconserved material can be used to implement eicient
management schemes to control genetic drit in live population of small size.
his paragraph analyses, following the Guidelines for the Constitution of National Cryopreservation Programmes for Farm Animals Hiemstra, 2003 and some recent
literature, some technical aspects in creating gene banks. More detailed information on these elements as well as the organisational aspects, legal issues, sanitary requirements,
etc., associated to cryobanks are discussed in detail in the Guidelines by FAO 1998 and ERFP Hiemstra, 2003 and a brief overview can be found in chapter 9.
Sampling of donors animals, type and amount of genetic material to be stored are functions of available funds, local constraints, availability of biological material and,
above all, of the aims of storage. All these elements can vary consistently across time and countries. Cryobanking can be based on diferent aims, including:
