Animal breeding in organic farming

After a general introduction into the available breeding techniques for animal breeding and an overview of the organic principles, points for discussion are identified and scenario's for organically accepted breeding methods are discussed

Animal breeding in organic farming:Discussion paper

It is uncertain whether animals which have been bred for conventional production are capable of optimum performance in organic conditions. In conventional agriculture there is a movement towards maximum control of production conditions in order to optimise animals' yield in intensive production systems. By contrast, organic agriculture is based on natural processes and closed cycles, and takes into account the underlying connections between production factors. Following organic ideology, production capacity should be curtailed by acting in accordance with guiding principles such as naturalness, animal welfare, efficient use of fossil fuels in the farm cycle, and agri-biodiversity (IFOAM, 1994). Organic production should be tied to the land, with farms preferably being self-sufficient mixed farms with closed cycles. An additional point of concern are the reproduction techniques used in conventional breeding. Artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET) are commonplace in conventional animal breeding. But these techniques are 'artificial' and they deprive animals of natural mating behaviour and negatively affect the animals' welfare and integrity. By bringing in animals from conventional agriculture, organic farmers are indirectly making use of these techniques. These and other concerns have led to the project 'Organic breeding: a long way to go', which aims to lay down clear visions and an action plan for an organic breeding system

Evaluation and development of animal breeding in Ireland

End of project reportThe primary objectives of this study were: 1) to annually evaluate the pertinence of the Irish dairy cattle breeding index, the Economic Breeding Index (EBI) and where necessary modify, 2) to evaluate the potential of do-it-yourself milk recording as an alternative to current supervised methods of milk recording, and 3) to estimate the level and rate of accumulation of inbreeding in Irish dairy and beef cattle, to quantify its effects on traits of economic importance, and to develop remedial measures to minimise the future accumulation of inbreeding in Ireland

Future trends in Animal Breeding due to new genetic tecnologies

The Darwin theory of evolution by natural selection is based on three principles: (a) variation; (b) inheritance; and (c) natural selection. Here, I take these principles as an excuse to review some topics related to the future research prospects in Animal Breeding. With respect to the first principle I describe two forms of variation different from mutation that are becoming increasingly important: variation in copy number and microRNAs. With respect to the second principle I comment on the possible relevance of non-mendelian inheritance, the so-called epigenetic effects, of which the genomic imprinting is the best characterized in domestic species. Regarding selection principle I emphasize the importance of selection for social traits and how this could contribute to both productivity and animal welfare. Finally, I analyse the impact of molecular biology in Animal Breeding, the achievements and limitations of quantitative trait locus and classical marker-assisted selection and the future of genomic selectio

Research in animal breeding.

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Cytogenetic considerations in animal breeding

International audienc

SHORT, MEDIUM AND LONG-TERM OPPORTUNITIES AND NEEDS FOR RESEARCH FOR SUSTAINABLE FARM ANIMAL BREEDING AND REPRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY IN EU

The European landscape is characterised by a range of diverse farming systems. These relate not only to varied geographical environments, but also to different social and cultural environments for farming and food production. This diversity is unique to Europe and underlines the importance of European agriculture. Animal breeding is a knowledge intensive sector, and for the future competitiveness of animal breeding and animal production, high level European research is indispensable. The preparation of Strategic Research Agenda were in a full process: opportunities and problems, gaps, short, medium and long term opportunities and needs for research. Each country experts from different group have opportunity to help define his country dimension of animal breeding in its regional and country context, and also in relation to European and global developments. The Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction European Technology Platform, brings together a wide range of interested parties to produce a vision of how livestock breeding might develop in the next 20 years, and constitutes the first step in achieving that vision

Workshop on quality and nutrition value of organic milk and meat

The workshop was arranged at the Institute of Genetics and Animal Breeding PAS in Jastrzębiec (IGAB), Poland, 19.-20. November 2009. The aim of the workshop was to encourage cooperation between Norwegian and Polish scientists specialized in organic animal breeding and organic milk and meat production. The organic market in Europe is growing annually from 2 to 15% depending on a country. Establishing scientific contacts with Norwegian researchers will positively influence the development of Polish organic scientific sector, which will transfer further the obtained knowledge and experience direct to the farmers. The workshop enabled Norwegian scientists to establish contacts with scientists from Poland and from other Central-European countries. The agenda of the meeting took into account the discussion on challenges and scientific ideas together with German, Austrian and Czech scientists. The workshop allowed presentation of contemporary organic breeding and production strategies for optimizing production methods in achieving high quality of organic milk and meat with high nutritive value for consumer. The presentations are available at the website: http://www.ighz.edu.pl/?p0=4&p1=32&p2=134&p3=135 During the second day of the workshop, the participants worked together and made outlines of future cooperation based on the presentations given on the first day. The workshop was funded by the Polish-Norweagian Research Fund (PNRF 284–A II– 2/08