Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources 203
Chapter 9. Practical implications of utilisation and management
Existence values XV which are simply derived from the satisfaction of knowing that a particular asset exists, for example museum values of breeds. It is related to
the cultural historic objectives for conservation. It is important to note that current economic decisions are largely based on the direct
use values alone. For sustainable use and conservation of genetic resources, the other categories may be of equal or greater importance, and are indeed likely to be positive
Drucker, 2001. By focusing exclusively on direct use values, biodiversity and genetic resource diversity are consistently underestimated. Rationally speaking, policies and
decisions about farm animal genetic resources should be made in a way that the ‘utility’ of these resources is maximised. However, it would be a great challenge to assess the
monetary values of those elements encompassing the total value deined above.
Clearly, the most frequently considered economic values are related to the direct use value. hese rates of return are those that beneit the farmer directly, rather than society.
A breeding program with maximum production per animal as its main goal may reduce values of the animal genetic resources that belong to the interest of the public and the
consumers. his can be caused by:
the existence of a negative genetic relationship between production traits on one side and functional traits and animal welfare traits on the other side;
the possibility that a high intensity of selection may result in accumulated inbreeding, reduced genetic diversity and accumulation of deteriorating genes expressed as
decreased itness; the negative efect intensive production methods may have on the environment.
All the causes and efects mentioned above imply increased risk of disturbances in the production systems and reduce utility expressed as a satisfying service to society. hus,
there should be a real interest from the public and the consumers that the breeding schemes are run sustainable, which the government should secure.
he major characteristic for the evaluation of a breeding program is the economic response, which is, in fact a measure of the eiciency of the breeding program. he
economic value of eiciency is based on the improvement of the breed’s production process in monetary terms. he economic return on investment of breeding programs
is large. It is estimated that the beneitcost ratio of breeding programs in farm animals varies between 5:1 and 50:1 Barlow, 1983; Mitchell
et al., 1982. hese igures hold only true when the long-term total efects aiming at food security are positive. he calculated
beneits from the breeding program are only accurate and will only be realised if the sustainability requirements for all resources involved are met Cunningham, 2003.
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204 Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources
Erling Fimland and Kor Oldenbroek
Using breed or breed properties as part of a trademark value for the product of this breed means that the return on investment is greater when based on a higher price of
the product than on the improvement of the production process leading to lower costs. Practically, the eiciency of the production process is ‘paid’ by lower cost, but the value
of the product may be regulated by the price mechanism through the demand of a niche market for special products. his complicates the calculations of return on investments
for breeding programmes.
4. Indicators for sustainable management
Sustainable management of a breed may be described by the following factors: utilisation and conservation of genetic diversity;
the existence of a sustainable breeding goal; implications of interactions between genotype and production systems are taken
into account, i.e., the adaptation of the breed is facilitated; food security and food safety are maintained at required standards;
no environmental impact.
4.1. Utilisation and conservation of genetic diversity
A breeding scheme is a set of procedures that organises available breeding technology into a decision tool to optimise selection. he contribution theory put forward by
Woolliams and hompson 1994 presents a fundament for balancing selection intensity and inbreeding. he studies by Meuwissen 1997 and Grundy
et al. 1998 produced tools to maximise the rate of genetic progress while restricting the rate of
inbreeding. he direct efect might be that the efective size of the population may be kept constant by the restriction put on the rate of inbreeding. he indirect efect
of the method of restricting the inbreeding rate is that it maximises the probability of selecting breeding parents who contribute genes and gene combinations in the random
Mendelian sample term of the individuals in the next generation, that have never been expressed in the previous generation of parents or their ancestors. his means that each
individual sampling term possesses and expresses a set of gene combinations and genetic efects that are unique for that particular individual in the population. hus, the new
parents contribute in a maximum way to the re-establishment of the genetic variation of the individuals in the next generations. It has been shown that a breeding program
improves genetic selection eiciency by 20 to 25 at the same inbreeding rate when an appropriate restriction on inbreeding is used Avendãno
et al., 2004. hese indings may easily convince breeding organisations to use the approach immediately, due to the
improvement of eiciency it ensures and the long-term genetic progress it enables.
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