Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources 209
Chapter 9. Practical implications of utilisation and management
he key factors for monitoring the sustainable utilisation and management of national farm animal genetic resources include:
he estimated value of the efective size of the breeding populations breeds linked to the actual rate of inbreeding.
Estimated genetic trend for production traits and all important itness traits. he trend of the number of breeding females of the endangered breeds.
he priority of endangered breeds according to their category of threat.
6. Sustainable breeding schemes
In recent years, breeding organisations became aware of the societal interest in their work. With input from producers, farmers’ organisations, NGOs and policy makers,
the European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders developed a Code of Good Practise for Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction EFFAB, 2005. his code presents the
principles of conduct for animal breeders, who are at the beginning of the food chain and thus directly responsible for providing quality genetics to farmers. hese animal
breeders operate on a highly competitive global playing ield. herefore, a sustainable solution balancing technical and economic realities, animal welfare, genetic diversity
and public opinion is necessary to remain competitive in the future. he sustainability codes comprise: food safety and public health, product quality, genetic diversity,
eiciency, environment and animal welfare and health. A checklist for sustainable breeding schemes is outlined in Box 9.3. he statement on genetic diversity is worded
as: “Breeding programmes are designed to make optimal use of existing genetic variation between and within populations and to control inbreeding.
7. Future policies for animal genetic resources
As stated in chapter 1, the increasing trade of animal products and genetic material across countries, regions and continents jeopardises food security and food safety. he
threat to food security is caused by the loss of local or regional breeds and to some extent to increased inbreeding within pure breeding populations.
In the past, most of the genetic material from farm animals was owned by the national organisations of farmers. During the past 15 years, great changes in the ownership of
such material have occurred, especially within the poultry, but also within the pig sector. A limited number of multinational poultry breeding companies, who also own
the breeding stock, are now providing the genetic material for the intensive egg and broiler production systems all over the world.
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210 Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources
Erling Fimland and Kor Oldenbroek
Box 9.3. Checklist for sustainable breeding schemes Woolliams et al., 2005. Are market and product well deined? his includes:
A deinition of the production systems including the restrictions on inputs and wastes, straight-bred or crossbred.
Expectations for trends in political, economic and social attitudes. An assessment of the need for marketing.
Is the breeding goal well deined? his includes consideration of: Both income and costs of production within systems.
Animal health and welfare. Documentation and review procedures.
Acceptance by consumers, producers and breeders.
Is sensitivity to environmental factors addressed? his includes: Fluctuations and trends in the market.
Backup to account for unexpected situations such as diseases and accidents e.g. cryoconserved germplasm, dispersed elite populations.
Food safety. Genotype-environment interactions.
Consumer and producer acceptance of the measurement and reproduction techniques used.
Are suicient economic, technical including RD and human resources available? Can livestock resources and selection strategies secure a suiciently large efective population
size to keep Δ F under 1 per generation? Is recording suicient?
To obtain response in all components of the breeding goal. To detect undesirable changes in animal health and welfare.
Are expected efects of selection predicted? his includes: he genetic trends for all traits in the breeding goal, or potential important traits not in
the breeding goal. he predicted impact of changes in recording.
Is genetic progress monitored and evaluated? Are time horizon and milestones deined? his includes:
Predicted and realised genetic progress. Markets and breeding goal review.
Costs and beneits of the breeding scheme to the breeders, the producers and consumers. Is the proitability of the breeding scheme evaluated?
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