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Working Group FABRE Technology Platform

February 2006

Sustainable Farm AnimalBreeding and Reproduction

A Vision for 2025


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Sustainable Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction A Vision for 2025

FABRE Technology Platform 2 of 30 - February 2006

Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction in Europe Characteristics

- Farm animal breeding includes all animal species bred for a wide range of purposes.- For breeding, animals meeting defined criteria are selected from animal populations.- Farm animal species have been selected for desirable traits since they were first domesticated.- Efficient reproductive techniques, such as artificial insemination, allow genetic improvement to be rapidly

disseminated from the top of the breeding pyramid to benefit all producers and society as a whole.- Animal breeding and reproduction are most effective when incorporated into herd and population

management strategies.- Balanced breeding requires a long-term sustainable vision developed jointly by breeders, scientists, and

society.- The added value of investments in genetics is cumulative.- Breeding is knowledge intensive.- An international farmers organisation has established guidelines for data collection, farm management,

and genetic evaluation to assist farmers and farmers organisations.- Breeding is society sensitive because it drives changes in the genetic makeup of animals and the use of

new technologies (e.g. genomics, computing sciences).- Genomics opens innovative prospects for sustainable animal production.- A Code of Good Practice for Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction Organisations is in place to

encourage transparency and a dialogue of breeders with society.- Breeding supports the health, feed efficiency, and welfare of farm animals as well as adequate

management of animals and the environment.

FABRE Technology PlatformSustainable Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction Technology Platform

Steering Groupfor vision paper:Jan Merks, IPG (NL) ChairJim Flanagan, Teagasc / EAAP (Irl)Margareta Hrd, Svensk Avel (S)Pierrick Haffray, SYSAAF (F)Josef Kucera, Czech Fleckvieh Breeders (CZ)

Ken Laughlin, Aviagen (UK)Alain Malafosse, UNCEIA (F)Johan van Arendonk, ASG WUR (NL)Observer: Dil Peeling, Eurogroup for Animal Welfare

Working GroupAnne-Marie Neeteson, EFFAB. Coordinator Vision paperChris Warkup, Genesis Faraday, coordinator scienceChris Haley, Roslin InstituteJarmo Juga, ICAR/FABAPieter Knap, PICPhilippe Monget, INRA / AgenaeAshie Norris, Marine HarvestAndrea Rosati, European Association for Animal ProductionVolker Schulze, Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Zchtungskunde

Jean Stoll, COPA-Cogeca/ Luxembourg HerdbookObserver: Dil Peeling, Eurogroup for Animal Welfare

Acknowledgements:We are grateful for all the comments and suggestions from the animal breeding community and nongovernmental organisations

Photo Acknowledgements:Akvavorsk, British United Turkeys/Aviagen, Dansire, Hubbard ISA, ISA, Klingwall/Norsvin-TeamSemin,MLC, NAGREF, Jacques Neeteson, Lawrence Alderson, Nutreco, Svensk Avel, Vidar Vassvik, RBST,TOPIGS/Pigture Group, UNCEIA, WPSA

Working Group "FABRE Technology Platform":Sustainable Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction - A Vision for 2025. FABRE Technology Platform 2006. (www.fabretp.org)

ISBN 90-76642-23-0

1: Animal breeding. 2: Europe. 3: Sustainability. 4: Technology.
http://www.fabretp.org/http://www.fabretp.org/


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Contents

Foreword 5Group of Organisations 6Signatories FABRE: Vision 2025 8Summary 11Introduction 12

The Growing Demand for Food from Animals 12Importance of Animal Production in the EU 12Socio-Economic Aspects of Animal Breeding 13Organisation of Farm Animal Breeding 14

A Vision for Sustainable Breeding and Reproduction 16Integration into Animal Agriculture 16Safe and Healthy Food 16Robust, Adapted, Healthy Animals 16Balanced Breeding and Biodiversity 17

Social Responsibility 17A Competitive Europe 18A Distinctive Europe 19A Diversity of Benefits 19

An Agenda for Research and Technology 20Quantitative Genetics and Operational Genetics 20Advanced Modelling for Management Purposes 20Phenomics 20Identification and Traceability Technologies 21Genomics and Beyond 21Numerical Biology 22Biology of Systems and Traits 22Whole-Animal Biology and Gene-by-Environment Interactions 22Population Biology 23Reproduction Technology 24Biotechnologies 24Socio-Economic Research 25Animal Science 25

Implementing the Vision for 2025: from Innovation to Delivery 26Main Activities 26Management Structure 26

Adopting the Technology Platform 27Roadmap and Milestones 27In the Short and Medium Terms 27In the Medium and Long Terms 27

Relevant Literature 28


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Foreword

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.

Increased demand for a plentiful supply of cheap food that also maintains a diverse and

sustainable supply represents a challenge for traditional agricultural systems. In the field of

livestock farming, demands for high welfare production systems and the maintenance of

landscapes in the face of outbreaks, or the fear of outbreaks, of animal disease and of

increasing international competition, threaten the European model of agriculture.

These are also challenges for European livestock breeding, which has long been recognised as

a world leading industry. Challenges, however, also present opportunities for European farm

animal breeding and the livestock industry as a whole: an opportunity because new

technologies offer the possibility of accommodating the divergent demands of European

consumers.

New technologies, however, can stir strong emotions. It is important for society to discuss

technologies that are controversial in nature in the light of its own demands and ethical

standards. Not all new technologies, however, need to be controversial, and the exploitation of

information on the genomes of animals, as for humans, represents an opportunity to

revolutionise science.

The Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction European Technology Platform, FABRE TP, 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.

Janez Potonik

Commissioner for Science and Research


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Group of Organisations

ABC Ferenc Nagy, General Director(Agriculture Biotechnology Center)

ADR Leo Siebers, President(Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Rinderzchter)Akvaforsk Olai Einen, Research Director

ANPS Jaime Torrent Calmet, Presidente(Asociacin Nacional de Criadores de GanadoPorcino Selecto)

AquaGen Odd Magne Rdseth, CEOAviagen Peter Page, Group Vice President EuropeBBSRC Julia M Goodfellow, Chief Executive(Biotechnology and Biological Sciences

Research Council)

CESTR Roman ustek, President(Czech Fleckvieh Breeders Association)

CF consulting Finanziamenti Unione Europea Cana Finocchiaro, General ManagerCherry ValleyFarms Tony Hall, Genetics ManagerCONVISHerdbuch Service Elevage et Genetique Louis Boonen, PresidentCOPA COGECA Franz Josef Feiter, Secretary General

(Committee of Professional AgriculturalOrganisations General Confideration

of Agricultural Co-operatives in the EU)

CRV Holding D.L. Volckaert, Directeur RegiosDansire Niels Bo, ManagerDanske Slagterier Orla Grn Pedersen, Director of the

National Committee for Pig ProductionDGfZ Ernst-Jrgen Lode, President(Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Zchtungskunde)

EAAP Jim Flanagan President(European Association for Animal Production)

EAS Johan Verreth, President(European Aquaculture Society)EFFAB Margareta Hrd, President

(European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders)Estonian Pig Breeding Association Riho Kaselo, Director(Eesti Tusigade Aretushhistu)Euribrid Roald M.A. Noort, Managing DirectorEuropaBio Johan van Hemelrijck, Secretary GeneralFABA Breeding Jarmo Juga, General ManagerFEAP Courtney Hough, General Secretay(Federation of European Aquaculture Producers)

FIBL Urs Niggli, Director(Forschungsinstitut fr biologischen Landbau)

France Hybrides Didier Goupil, PresidentFugato Eckhard Wolf, PresidentFUSAGx Andr Thwis, Rector(Gembloux Agricultural University)

Genesis Faraday Chris Warkup, DirectorGentec Nadine Buys, DirectorGenus Philip Acton, Chief Operating Officer Europe & AsiaIBNA Doina Valentina Grossu, General Manager(Institutul de Biologie si Nutritie Animala)ICAR Andrea Rosati, Secretary General(International Committee for Animal Recording)

ICBF (Irish Cattle Breeding Federation) Brian Wickham, Chief ExecutiveINIA Mario Gmez Prez, Director General(Instituto Nacional de Investigacin y Tecnologa

Agraria y Agroalimentaria)

INRA Marion Guillou, President and CEO(Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique)IPG, Institute for Pig Genetics Jan W.M. Merks, DirectorIRTA Agusti Fonts Cavestany, Deputy General Manager(Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia

Agroalimentries)


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IVF Leo Siebers, President(IndustrieVerbund Fugato)

Lohmann Tierzucht Jrgen Reimers, Managing DirectorMarine Harvest Jan Feenstra, Managing DirectorMLC Kevin Roberts, Director General(Meat and Livestock Commission)

MTT Agrifood Research Finland IIkka P. Laurila, Research DirectorNAGREF K.Fegeros, President(National Agricultural Research Foundation)

Paseges John Tsiforos, General Director(Panhellenic Confederation of Unions of

Agricultural Cooperatives)

Universit degli Studi di Palermo Dipartimento Salvatore Ragusa Di Chiara, Department DirectorDi Scienze Entomologiche, Fitopatologiche,

Microbiologiche Agrarie e Zootecniche

SEMENITALY Maurizio Morreti, CEOSlovak Agricultural Research Authority Marieta Okenkov, DirectorResearch Institute for Animal ProductionSVENSK AVEL Magnus Hrd, Managing DirectorSYSAAF Bernard Coudurier, Director(Syndicat des Slectionneurs Avicoles et

Aquacoles Franais)

Teagasc Jim Flanagan, DirectorTOPIGS International Jan G.M. van Vugt, General ManagerUniversit catholique de Louvain Bruno Delvaux, Dean of the FacultyFacult dngnierie biologique, agronomiqueet environnementale

UNCEIA Maurice Barbezant, Director(Union Nationale des Coopratives agricoles

dElevage et dInsmination Animale)

University of Bologna Alma Mater Studiorum Pier Ugo CalzolariUniversitt Bonn Institute of Animal Science Karl Schellander, DirectorUniverza v Ljubljani Zootechnical Department Dragomir Kompan, Vice-Deanof Biotechnical Faculty

University of Newcastle Sandra Edwards, Chair of Agriculture

WAAP A.Tewolde, President(World Association for Animal Production)WCHIRZ Miroslawa Dolska, President(Wielkopolskie Centrum Hodowli I Rozrodu

Zwierzat w Poznaniu z siedziba w Tulach)

Wageningen UR Aalt Dijkhuizen, President Executive Board(WageningenUniversity and Research Center)ZDS Jens Ingwersen, Director(Zentralverband der Deutschen

Schweineproduktion)


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Signatories FABRE: Vision 2025

Leo SiebersPresident-ADR

Jaime Torrent CalmetPresidente-ANPS

Odd Magne RdsethCEO-AquaGen

Peter PageVice President Europe Aviagen Roman ustek

President-CESTRCana FinocchiaroGeneral Manager-CF

Tony HallGenetics ManagerCherry Valley

D.L. VolckaertDirecteur Regios-CRV

Niels BoManager-Dansire

Orla Grn PedersenDirector-Nat Committee Pig

Production

Riho KaseloDirector-Estonian Pig Breeding

Roald M.A.van NoortManaging Director-Euribrid

Jarmo JugaGeneral Manager-FABA Breeding

Didier GoupilPresident-France Hybrides

Nadine BuysDirector-Gentec

Philip ActonChief Operating Officer Europe-Genus

Jrgen ReimersManaging Director-Lohmann Tierzucht

Brian WickhamChief Executive-ICBF

Jan W.M MerksDirector-IPG

Leo SiebersPresident IVF

Jan C.E. FeenstraManaging Director-Marine Harvest Irelan


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Maurizio Moretti

CEO-Semenitaly

Magnus Hrd

Managing Director-Svensk Avel

Bernard Coudurier

Director-SYSAAF

Jan G.M. van VugtGeneral manager-TOPIGS

Maurice BarbezantDirector-UNCEIA

Miroslawa DolskaPresident-WCHIRZ

Jens IngwersenDirector-ZDS

Julia M. GoodfellowChief Executive-BBSRC

Mario Gmez PrezDirector General-INIA

Marion GuillouPresident and CEO-INRA

Agusti Fonts CavestanyDeputy General Manager-IRTA

Ilkka P. LaurilaResearch Director-MTT

K. FegerosPresident-NAGREF

Jim FlanaganDirector-Teagasc

Aalt A. DijkhuizenPresident-Wageningen UR

Ferenc Nagy

Director-ABC

Olai EinenResearch Director-Akvaforsk

Urs NiggliDirector-FiBL

Eckhard WolfPresident-Fugato

Andr ThwisRector-FUSAGx

Chris WarkupDirector-Genesis Faraday

Doina Valentina GrossuGeneral Manager-IBNA

Salvatore Ragusa di ChiaraDepartment Director-SEnFiMiZo

Marieta OkenkovDirector-Slovak Agr. Res. Auth.


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Bruno DelvauxDean of the Faculty-UCL

Pier Ugo CalzolariAlma Mater Studiorum-Universty ofBologna

Karl SchellanderDirector Animal Breeding-University Bon

Dragomir KompanUniverza v Ljubljani

Sandra EdwardsChair of Agriculture-University ofNewcastle

Franz Josef FeiterSecretary General-COPA COGECA

Ernst-Jrgen LodePresident-DGfZ

Jim FlanaganPresident-EAAP Johan Verreth

President-EAS

Margareta HrdPresident-EFFAB Johan van Hemelrijck

Secretary General-Europabio

Courtney HoughGeneral Secretary-FEAP

Andrea RosatiSecretary General-ICAR

Kevin RobertsDirector General-MLC

John TsiforosGeneral Director-Paseges

A. TewoldePresident-WAAP

Louis Boonen

President CONVIS


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Summary

Animal breeding and reproduction are at the top of theanimal production pyramid and hence define thequality of all animals used in agriculture. Farm animalselection has a great impact on farm animalproduction as a whole, because the breeding response

is cumulative and sustainable. Efficient reproductiontechniques, such as artificial insemination, allowgenetic improvement to be rapidly disseminatedthroughout the production chain. Europe has alwaysplayed an important role in improving the major farmanimal species worldwide, but as the 21st centurybegins, farm animal breeding is at a crossroads.

Opportunities for animal breeding and reproductionstem from the global need for a sustainable increasein food quality, food quantity, and food productionefficiency. Worldwide, animal product consumption isexpected to grow by around 7% yearly over the nextdecade, and to keep rising for the next 15-20 years.Much of this increase will be in developing countries.Improved quality notably means safe, healthy foodand robust, healthy animals. The overall objectiveshould be to promote breeding of farm animals that isboth biologically and economically sustainable, takinginto account social responsibility and cultural andregional values. Essential to a competitive Europe witha strong breeding sector are a transparent publicengagement, a flexible, open environment also forbusiness with appropriate regulations, and well-educated people. Furthermore, Europe should take ona responsible role in developing new biotechnologies some of which can only be funded initially from non-commercial (i.e. national or European) resources. New

technologies and production systems should bedeveloped in a transparent way and in continuousdialogue with the public. This effort should besupported by research spanning a wide range ofdisciplines: biology, genetics, chemistry, statistics,computing sciences, economics, ecology, geography,ethics, sociology, farm management andimportantly, their interactions.

The value of animal production (at the farm level) inthe European Union-25 (EU25, 2003) is 132 billion,amounting to 40% of the value of agriculturalproduction. The annual value of aquacultureproduction is 2.8 billion (EU25, 2003). There arenearly 17 million farms in the EU25. In the EU15alone, farms employ nearly 15 million people. TheEU15 agro-food industry has an annual turnover of600 billion and is the third largest employer with 2.6million jobs (excluding farmers), mainly in small andmedium enterprises (SMEs).

The strategic importance of animal breeding andreproduction is much greater than one might guessfrom the size and volume of the breeding sector(composed of (S)MEs or small units within largeorganisations). A conservative estimate of the gainfrom animal breeding to the animal agricultural sectorin Europe is almost 2 billion each year.

The farm animal breeding and reproduction sector isknowledge intensive. Breeding organisations in Europespend some 150 million yearly on research,development, and implementation, either conducted

in-house or outsourced to universities and otherresearch centres. At the same time, Europeanstrength in breeding is challenged by competitorsmaking huge investments in animal genomics andother new biotechnologies and exploiting more

favourable agro-environmental conditions (e.g. in theUSA, China, and Australasia). If Europe is to maintainits strength and its capacity to meet the oftendistinctive local needs of the farming industry, thencontinued investment in research has never beenmore important. This should be undertaken in aclimate of responsive regulation that fosters aresponsible and competitive business sector wellplaced to meet the needs of European citizens.

What we need now is a research agenda focusing onthe genetics and genomics of farmed species,quantitative genetics, data collection andmanagement, operational genetics, breedingprogramme design, numerical biology, the genetics ofrelevant traits, and the biology of complex biologicalsystems. This should be complemented by research onreproduction required to underpin breeding and theeffective dissemination of genetic improvement to allproducers. On the basis of the knowledge generated itshould become possible to build predictive genome-to-phenotype models, i.e. models for predictingmeasurable traits on the basis of an animals geneticmakeup. Beyond this we also need to address atpopulation level a number of biological questionsrelated to biodiversity and interactions within andbetween species, and to maintain a continued focus onreproductive biology and the responsible use of new

biotechnologies.All of this research should be undertaken throughcompetitive research programmes emphasisingexcellence, flexibility, and the willingness ofgovernments and the commercial sector to co-fundprojects. These programmes should take into accountthe socio-economic context of food production fromanimals.

The wish to address these important issues with aview for the short- and long-term future is the basisfor the creation of the Sustainable Farm AnimalBreeding and Reproduction Technology Platform(FABRE-TP). This document is the first achievement of

the Technology Platform: a vision of how, in synergywith other economic and social players in Europe, astrong European animal breeding and reproductionsector can contribute to animal agriculture andaquaculture in a prosperous and distinctive Europe.We propose this as a common agenda for allstakeholders, from research funding bodies toconsumers. Through wide consultation we propose todevelop a strategic research priority plan which, ifimplemented, will deliver our vision of the animalindustries by 2025.


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Introduction

The domestication of livestock species some tenthousand years ago was a vital step in thedevelopment of human civilisation. Over the centuries,domestication evolved into breeding and the geneticimprovement of livestock. Nowadays, breedersmeasure many different animal traits and choose the

best animals to be the parents of the next generation.This leads to improvement generation after generationthrough the increased frequency of desired genevariants in the population. Because the breedingresponse is cumulative, permanent, and can be spreadthroughout the production chain, farm animal selectionhas a great impact on farm animal production.

Europe has always played an important role inimproving the worlds major livestock and aquaculturespecies. European breeds are used across the world,and European farmers and breeding organisations aremajor players on the global market. The Europeanfarm animal breeding sector will thus have a great

influence on, and therefore responsibility for, thefuture genetic makeup and characteristics of farmanimal populations worldwide.A conservative estimate of the economic gainachievedeach year by animal breeding at farm level is 1.83billion in Europe alone. Hence, the genetic gainachieved by breeders is carried over to producers asan economic gain reaching approximately 1.5% of theeconomic value of EU farm animal production.

Table 1. Average annual economic gain from farm

animal breeding (derived from improved production) in

the EU/in Europe

Europe (Mio )Dairy cattle 430Beef cattle 70Pigs (Europe) 520Broilers (Europe) 610Layers (Europe) 125Salmon, rainbow trout, seabass/seabream, turbot

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The Growing Demand for Food from Animals

There are some 6 billion people in the world today.

Despite declining population growth rates, the worldpopulation is increasing by about 80 million a year equivalent to the population of Germany. Around 95%of this increase is taking place in the developing world.The UN predicts that the world population will reach 9billion by 2050.Also growing is the per capita demand for animal food,which should continue to rise for at least 20 years.This so-called livestock revolution is a demand-drivenevolution. The supply of cereals for humanconsumption should soon be sufficient to satisfy thedemand in developing countries, but the supply ofanimal-derived foods is far from the mark.The 23% of people living in developed countries

presently consume 3-4 times more meat and fish and5-6 times more milk per capita than people indeveloping countries. As these poorer people getricher, one of the first things they want to buy is morenutritious and satisfying food, and this generally

means more animal protein. Animal productconsumption is thus increasing massively indeveloping countries, and will continue to do so overthe next 15-20 years.Developing countries are also playing a growing role inanimal production. Southeast Asia, in recent decades,has tremendously stepped up its pork, poultry, egg,

and aquaculture production. Other noteworthyexamples are Brazil, for beef cattle, chicken, andanimal feed, and Mexico and Argentina for beef cattleand Chile for salmon. Breeding activities are also onthe rise in these countries.

Both Asia and Europe are densely populated and havecomparatively little land available for agriculture. Incontrast, the Americas (and Oceania) have relativelylarge amounts of arable land and pasture as comparedto population density. This creates for Europe and Asiaa permanent risk of food dependence on the Americas.It also creates a natural push to develop foods andfood products for and sell them to- the more densely

populated areas. Related policies include farmingsubsidies in the USA, stimulation of genomics andbiotechnology research, and a favourable business andsocial climate for developing and implementing newtechnologies.

Importance of Animal Production in the EU

Mankind has been adapting animals for the productionof both food (meat, milk, eggs) and non-foodproducts (wool, leather, bones) since domesticationstarted. For some farmed fish and shellfish,domestication is still underway. Animal husbandry forother purposes is expected to become more important.

Animals have cultural value; they are used for sportsand as companions, for maintaining rural areas, andfor medical applications (as models of human disease,potentially as providers of organs for transplantation).

The value of animal production at farm level in theEuropean Union-25 (EU25) is 132billion, amountingto 40% of the value of agricultural production (2004).The EU25 counts some 6 million cattle (of which 23million dairy cows), 103 million sheep, 12 milliongoats, 4.4 million horses, 11 million beehives, 151million pigs, 670 million laying hens, 7368 millionbroilers, and 285 million turkeys (2003). In addition,the annual value of aquaculture business is 2.8 billion

(EU25, 2003). The total arable production includes 400million tonnes of animal feed production, and about1/3 of the agricultural area is permanent grassland(EU15). Farm animals in the EU consume about 450million tonnes of feed a year, of which 140 million


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tonnes are produced by the compound feedmanufacturers. The turnover of the European feedindustry is estimated at 35 billion. With EUenlargement, the number of farms has more thandoubled (to 17 million), and the proportion of farmersin the workforce has grown from around 4% (EU15) tonearly 8% (EU25).The EU imports 66.6 billion worth of agriculturalproducts and exports 55.7 billion (figures for 2003),so the balance is negative. The role of animals forleisure and sports (e.g. dogs, horses) is increasing. Inthe EU15, over 1 million people get their income fromhorses.

Socio-Economic Aspects of Animal Breeding

Output at Farm Level

The 1.83-billion annual gain derived from breedingin Europe does not include the export of breedingstock (important in poultry, pigs, and salmon). If thisis added, the estimated gain is easily twice as high.The costs associated with this economic gain arerelatively small in relation to the improvementachieved, as genetic improvement is cumulative andinvestments in small populations at the top of thebreeding pyramid are multiplied down the pyramid tothe base level: animals for commercial production.

A Competitive Global Market

Farm animal breeding and reproduction operate in acompetitive global market with very low margins.Changes in market shares can occur quickly, especiallyin areas where a handful of companies serve 90% ofthe global market. Small differences in performance,cost price, or knowledge implementation (e.g.exploiting genomics) may bring about such changes.As a result, smaller companies might not survive the

competitive pressure in a fast-changing marketplacewith evolving technologies. This applies notably toruminant breeding, which is mainly still organisednationally. Here, cooperation between Europeanplayers is required.Maintaining the strong position of breeding in Europeis thus not automatic. It will require considerableefforts from breeders, but also the positiveengagement of researchers, governments, fundingbodies, legislative bodies, and European society as awhole.

A Knowledge-Intensive Sector

The farm-animal breeding and reproduction sector isknowledge intensive. This means not only that the

sector exploits knowledge to provide the world withbreeding stock, but also that the knowledge developedis or can be used to meet local, niche, or culturaldemands inside or outside Europe. The past success ofEuropean breeding owes much to its longstandingclose ties with universities and research institutes,fostering the dissemination of knowledge to the farmand individual breeder level. In some cases (e.g., dairycattle) and some countries this dissemination has beenvery successful, but it still needs to be improved inorder to take other situations and rapid changes inanimal breeding and reproduction technology intoaccount. The knowledge exploited includes not onlygenetics, genomics, physiology, reproduction,

statistics, and computing science, but also importantly economics, animal husbandry, storageand analysis of large datasets, and efficientinfrastructure design. Benefits of co-operation overspecies have been large. The aim is to achieve higher

production levels and better product quality whileimproving animal health, reproduction, otherphysiological characteristics, and/or feed efficiency.The reproductive characteristics of the animals usedlargely determine the spread of genetic progress andthe organisation of breeding schemes.

Breeding organisations in Europe spend around 150million yearly on research, development, andimplementation (in-house or outsourced to institutionssuch as universities). This includes money spent onestimating breeding values and executing breedingprogrammes, but not the cost of steps further in thechain, like multiplication and commercialisation.Actors outside Europe (in the USA, China, andAustralasia, for instance) are making hugeinvestments in genomics and other newbiotechnologies. Research and business conditions aremore favourable in the countries concerned than inEurope, and there tends to be a more positive attitudetowards progress made possible by new technologies.Europe must also develop knowledge andunderstanding of new technologies with no immediateapplication, so that we are well placed to understandtheir benefits and risks. In developing thesetechnologies, it is essential to ensure closecollaboration between research and government aswell as transparent inclusion of stakeholders fromindustry and society.

Emerging Technologies and Societal Concerns

Farm animal breeding operates in a sensitive areabecause it touches upon important issues: food,health, animals, selection, genes... This sensitivity isreflected in societal concerns related to food safety,ethics, cultural value, genetic diversity, animalwelfare, and naturalness. Animal breeders areactively seeking to address these concerns, bothinternally amongst specialists and through dialoguewith policymakers and society. Here are some of theissues that they are addressing:

SustainabilityBreeders have a role to play in promoting sustainable

worldwide animal production (a widely discussedconcept which emerged in the last decade and wasdeveloped notably in the EU-funded SEFABAR project).To play this role optimally over the next two decades,the breeding sector must be both economically sound


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and attuned to societal needs and demands. Thisnotably means taking into account aspects such asbiodiversity, environmental protection, food qualityand safety, animal health and welfareEuropean breeders have been addressing the ethics ofanimal breeding, notably by producing educationalmaterial on this topic and by developing ethical codessuch as a Code of Good Practice for Farm AnimalBreeding Organisations (Code-EFABAR). Centring onsustainability, this Code aims to enable breedingorganisations to become more transparent.

Animal Welfare

In twenty years, most livestock production (pigs,poultry, dairy cattle, beef cattle) will probably be inlarge-scale units, though still mainly family owned.Animal welfare in this situation will be a high priorityand animal breeding can contribute to it. In thiscontext, attention should be paid to developingefficient information management systems for healthmonitoring, health detection, etc. Similarly, very littleis known of the welfare of the domestic aquaculturespecies today.

New Technologies

Globally, there is active competition for newtechnologies that may directly or indirectly affect thefuture of animal production, including breeding. Somenon-European countries (e.g. New Zealand, the USA,Argentina, Brazil, China) are rapidly developingresearch on and in some cases implementation of new reproduction and cloning technologies (somaticcell nuclear transfer, i.e. Dolly-type cloning) andgenetically modified animals. Other foreseenapplications of the new biotechnologies in animals arein the medical field: animal models, animals asbioreactors, and animals for xenotransplantation.

Although the development and possible use of suchapplications are beyond the direct scope of breedingorganisations, Europe must be in a position toobjectively evaluate these technologies and considertheir potential.

Control over Future Decisions

As breeding is a competitive global market, cloned ortransgenic (genetically modified) animals developedoutside Europe or products derived therefrom arebound to find their way eventually to the Europeanmarket. Currently, however, knowledge oftechnologies such as cloning or transgenesis (genetransfer) in farm animals is rapidly disappearing from

Europe. For Europe, the only way to stay in control ofits own decisions is to keep pace with internationaldevelopments. Europe may want to close its borders totechnologies it does not appreciate, but for this it willneed sufficient knowledge and high-level scientists tosupport its claims internationally, e.g. in World TradeOrganisation (WTO) negotiations.

There are other good reasons why Europe shoulddevelop further its expertise and skills in newtechnologies. The importance of this type of researchfor the non-food area is potentially so great thatEurope cannot afford to miss out on newdevelopments. Ultimately the efficiency of newtechnologies may increase until there is no impact onanimal health, animal welfare, or the environment.

In conclusion, funding of research on new technologiesshould continue in Europe, even if we cannot predicttoday whether we will need this expertise to developour own future (and what that future will look like) orto protect ourselves in global trade negotiations. Thisfunding should be from non-commercial resources(national, local, European), so that Europe can make a

real and unbiased choice when the time is right.

Transparency and Dialogue

Transparency is of the essence, both in breeding andin the development of new technologies and pathways.Also essential is a continuous dialogue with the publicas technologies are being developed. We need todiscuss how increasing knowledge and theexponentially growing power of computer analyses canbe applied in order to achieve balanced breedingeffectively. We need to tackle questions such as: canfinding the right balance enable us to meet globalchallenges? Can genomics be a powerful tool for thispurpose? How can breeding knowledge and the

organisation of breeding be exploited in order tosatisfy the growing demand for animal products and tomeet specific needs in relation to emerging economies,food safety, food supply, and the maintenance ofdiversity in small breeds?

Links with Animal Populations and Culture

Breeding is working with animal populations. In thecase of most species this means that there is a closelink with national breeds and that breeding is oftenorganised nationally. Animal breeding is not only aboutanimal products. Especially in the case of extensivelyfarmed grazing animals, it is also about domesticanimal biodiversity, food security, rural landscape

management, and cultural values. These aspects areimportant in Europe.

Organisation of Farm Animal Breeding

Farm animal breeding is organised at different levels,from farms to breeding companies to breedingorganisations up to the level of regulatory bodiesproviding national and international (e.g. EU)regulations. The organisation of farm animal breedingdiffers significantly according to the species.In poultry and fish farming, there are relatively fewbreeding organisations worldwide, as breeding work isknowledge intensive and relatively expensive.

In the case of ruminants, farmers are often organisedco-operatively for technical services, representationactivities, and breeding. Pig breeding is in anintermediate situation.


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In recent decades, only collaborative or specialisedorganisations have been able to breed livestockeffectively, taking into account the latest scientificdevelopments, using powerful computing systems andsophisticated estimation programmes, maintaininghuge pedigrees of animals with their performances andbiodiversity, and exploiting reproductive technologies.Yet there are no very big players in animal breeding.The organisations involved are (small or) mediumenterprises or small units in larger organisations.

Poultry and Aquaculture Species

It is possible to concentrate breeding of small farmanimals because the number of offspring per parent ishigh. This is what has happened. Margins beingextremely low for eggs and meat from these species,breeding costs have been reduced as much aspossible. In many cases former breeders have becomemultipliers (a step in the dissemination of breedingstock), outsourcing the selection work to anothercompany. In poultry, for layer and broiler chickens andturkeys, 2-3 organisations are responsible for over90% of the global breeding stock in each market.Aquaculture, a young sector, is developing in the samedirection. Here, the number of species that can befarmed is rapidly increasing. Selective breeding isbeing applied to salmon, trout, seabass, seabream,and turbot, as well as other aquatic species such asshrimp and oysters. Breeding programmes for recentlydomesticated cod strains are now beginning. It isnecessary to develop breeding and reproduction ofadditional species in aquaculture, so that closedselective breeding schemes can be initiated and theover fishing of wild stock can be avoided when thedemand for aquaculture products increases.

Ruminants and PigsIn the breeding of ruminants (cattle, goats, sheep)and still, to some extent, pigs, the animals limitedreproductive output means that a large number ofbreeding units (on farms) are needed in order todisseminate desired characteristics from elite animalsat the top of the breeding pyramid. In addition, cowson dairy farms are the mothers of potential futurebreeding animals and are hence also a part of thebreeding chain.The breeding of small ruminants such as sheep andgoats is also specialised. The farmers of these speciesoften live in marginal areas, far from the market andwith a more limited access to technology than in the

case of other species. Small-ruminant farming is oftenorganised in a weaker co-operative system than forcattle. The importance of these species is likely toincrease in the futurebecause of theirimportant environmentalimpact. New technologiesin breeding andreproduction have not yethad much impact andshould therefore bestressed.In pigs, many farms areinvolved in disseminating

top breeding animals tothe farmer who grows thepig. Breeding

programmes are often based on crossbreedingschemes integrating a dissemination level and a corebreeding level.

In ruminants and pigs, most breeding organisationsare cooperatively owned by farmers. The organisationsbased in Europe are world leaders for their species.They are often SMEs operating in their nativelanguage, organised in national umbrellaorganisations. For disseminating desired genotypes,the national or local organisations of ruminant farmowners are internationally co-ordinated by a singleinternational institution, based in Europe, created toprovide services, mainly in animal breeding, on alarger, international scale. The largest pig breedingorganisations in this sector are private or cooperativeEuropean organisations with a major impactworldwide.

Ownership

The purchase price of an animal includes its breedingrights, so the reproduction rights for an animal belongto the animals owner. There is no animal equivalent ofplant breeders rights. The population structure ofbreeding makes such protective systems very sensitiveto cheating. Private investment in research, on theother hand, should be stimulated by dedicatedprotection of relevant findings.It is important to strike a good balance betweenknowledge sharing and the protection of newlydeveloped knowledge and tools. Patents are notcommonly used in breeding existing methodologiesand knowledge should not be subject to broad claimsand new claims that would hamper access to methodsalready applied or described and discussed openly atround tables and conferences, in scientific magazines,etc.

Structural ChangeThe number of main organisations active in farmanimal breeding and reproduction varies considerablyin the EU. Yet across the EU there are many thousandsof smaller pedigree breeders, most of whomparticipate in larger breeding programmes organisedby some of these main organisations.In the breeding of all species there will likely be atrend towards concentration, i.e. towards fewer, largerbreeding enterprises.

Regulatory Aspects

The organisation of animal breeding and reproductionis under permanent supervision by and interactionwith regulatory bodies providing national and

international regulations (e.g.EU authorities and ICAR, theInternational Committee forAnimal Recording). Interactionwith these bodies is crucial topromoting the harmoniousdevelopment of animalbreeding and reproductionpractices, especially in ruminantfarming with its open breedingstructure.


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A Vision for Sustainable Breeding and Reproduction

Animal breeding and reproduction have a greatcontribution to make to a future sustainable animalagriculture. Many opportunities are open to the animalbreeding and reproduction sector for improving thebiological and economic efficiency of food production

and increasing food supply1

. These opportunities areparticularly attractive in a sustainability perspective.The sector is intimately linked to all three pillars ofsustainability: Consumer, Environment, andEconomy, through its interactions with societaldevelopments, its implications for biodiversity and theenvironment, and its contribution to economic growth.How these three pillars will develop in the next twentyyears and how sustainable breeding in the EU will fitinto the picture are questions that must be addressed.

Sustainable breeding and reproduction meansbalancing:

- safe and healthy food- robust, adapted, healthy animals- biodiversity- social responsibility- a competitive and distinctive Europe

and must include new prospects for animal productionin Europe. When it comes to developing newtechnologies, transparency about the developmentsand an open dialogue with society are prerequisites.

Integration into Animal Agriculture

Traditionally, animal agriculture and aquaculture arefragmented into distinct activities and focuses: animalnutrition, animal waste management, food scienceapplied to animal products, animal welfare, animalmanagement, and animal breeding and reproduction.Given the challenges facing animal agriculture andaquaculture today, we believe that a much higherdegree of integration is needed. In our vision,integration will affect all levels and will certainlyinfluence the future of animal breeding andreproduction, as outlined below.

Safe and Healthy Food

Product Quality

In a fork to farm production system driven byconsumer needs, quality in the broadest sense (foodsafety, nutritional value, sensory and technologicalquality) becomes one of the most important drivers.Safe and wholesome food is clearly the firstrequirement. Beyond safety and for all animalproducts, product quality improvement will be a majorissue. This is a significant shift from the food sectorsposition in the last century, when improving the levelof production was the obvious goal of a supply-oriented production system. In the modern context,nutritional value and human health features (e.g. thefatty acid composition of meat and milk, the

nutritional quality of eggs) can become targets foranimal breeders, as can sensory qualities such astenderness, flavour (importantly, this includes boar

1This concerns ruminants (e.g. cattle, goats, sheep), horses, pigs,poultry, and aquaculture (e.g. farmed fish, shellfish)

taint), visual appeal, and processing characteristics.The importance of breeding systems and newtechnologies in protecting the quality and enhancingthe economic efficiency of local and typicalproductions deserves full consideration.

Zoonoses

Farm animal breeding and reproduction have a role toplay in decreasing the incidence of zoonoses. Theopportunity to breed animals that are resistant tospreading zoonotic diseases or have a generallyimproved immune system should be seized, as it willgreatly improve food safety. Both animal and humanhealth will benefit.

No Residues in Food

Ideally food should contain no residues. This is animportant aim. By selecting animals that are morerobust and able to adapt easily to the production

environment (e.g. feeding system, climate,housing/grazing system), it will be possible to reducethe need for medicines and thus the risk of residues inanimal-derived food.

Safe Gene Dissemination

The safe dissemination of animal genes is a majorissue. The risk of transmitting diseases throughanimal, semen, egg, and embryo transport hasincreased with increasing farm size and theinternationalisation of trade. It is essential to minimisethis risk. Artificial Insemination and embryo transferhave contributed a great deal towards this goal, butthere is room for further reducing the disease

transmission risk and ensuring safe transport ofgenetic material by improving the health guaranteesof this material. The role that existing and newreproduction technologies can play in the(international) transport of breeding material shouldthus be weighed against the ethical dimension of usingcertain technologies (e.g. embryo technologies).Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) production of breedinganimals results in animals free of certain diseases,which in turn leads to improved human and animalwelfare.

Robust, Adapted, Healthy Animals

Animal Welfare

Breeding organisations ensure the health and welfareof the animals they keep and select. They are engagedin the search for selectable traits that are indicative ofspecies-specific animal welfare. New biological insightsinto brain function, the genetics of behaviour, andphysiological indicators of stress and well-being willprovide new tools enabling breeders to handle welfaretraits more objectively than at present.

Adaptability

Breeders produce animals for a wide range ofproduction environments, from extensive and/ororganic systems to more intensive systems on largerfarms (which continue to get even larger). Breederswant to be able to improve the level and efficiency ofproduction in each of these environments. It isessential that animals remain healthy and productiveunder this wide range of environments and with


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Sustainable Animal Breeding and Reproduction a Vision for 2025


reduced human interference (labour costs are themain costs in farm animal production, along withfeed). It is now common for breeders to test animalperformance in more than one environment, but newknowledge on how animals adapt will enable breedersto take novel aspects of production into account moreeffectively in breeding programmes. Over the nexttwenty years there will be more large-scale units andnew technologies for which an efficient informationmanagement system will be developed. Aims will be tofacilitate selection of animals for adaptation to thesesystems and to use technology to support balancedbreeding programmes.

Domestication of Fish

Most farm animals (and companion and sportinganimals) were domesticated thousands of years ago.This is not the case of aquaculture species. Here, thedomestication process has just started. A lot of workhas to be done towards improving the reproduction ofaquaculture species and towards domesticatingspecies that are now only caught in the wild.

Disease Resistance (general and specific)

Breeding may contribute to robust and healthyanimals by selection for more general and specificdisease resistance as is done for aquaculture speciestoday. This should result in less use of medicines.Optimising the use of medicines and vaccinesaccording to an animals genetic makeup represents asignificant development opportunity.

Balanced Breeding and Biodiversity

Balance

It is necessary to further increase production levels soas to lower cost price and to ensure an adequatesupply of meat, fish, eggs, and milk for a fast-growinghuman population demanding more of these products.Yet especially in Europe, breeding cannot be driven byproduction efficiency alone. In defining breedingobjectives, it is necessary to strike a good balancebetween the production level, animal physiology(welfare, behaviour, health, reproduction), andpopulation fitness. By learning more about animalgenes and physiology and by exploiting greatercomputing power, it should be easier to balance thesemultiple breeding objectives. To achieve thisoptimally, we need more knowledge and better toolsin areas such as the basic biology of traits and their

interrelationships and data handling. Also essential isthe improvement of genetic and reproductive toolswith regard to precision, ease of use, and cost.

Biodiversity

Breeding programmes are designed to make optimaluse of existing genetic variation between and withinpopulations. Breeding organisations must contribute tomaintaining genetic diversity in their breedingpopulations. They must monitor and control the rateof inbreeding and genetic drift. In animal populationswith an open structure (e.g. cattle), the effectivepopulation size is much smaller than the actualpopulation size. A research opportunity is to better

understand the interaction of biodiversity and geneticvariation. This will foster knowledge-building indiverse areas, such as the co-evolution of hosts andpathogens and animal adaptation to climaticdifferences or variable nutrient availability. It will also

contribute to defining appropriate levels ofbiodiversity, identifying in small populations raregene variants whose preservation should be

prioritised, and protecting genetic diversity inpopulations used for large-scale production.In the coming years, more attention will have to bepaid to managing (as distinct from conserving) animalgenetic resources, particularly given the sometimesnarrow genetic base of pigs, poultry, and dairy cattle,and the concentration of breeding strategies andselection in very few hands.Furthermore, it is important to bear in mind thatbiodiversity preservation is the key to preservingfuture breeding opportunities. It is essential tomaintain sufficiently diverse gene pools because wecannot foretell the changes that might affect the socialand economic driving forces of animal agriculture. Norcan we predict the evolution of biodiversity-relatedethno-zootechnical issues that influence the linkbetween farm animals and society.The preservation of biodiversity is also important forconserving and improving local breeds, which are verysignificant in marginal areas. The need is to protectthese breeds by increasing their production andstandardising the quality of their products. Objectiveswill be to defend the environment of marginal areasand to maintain the efficiency of animal farming inless favourable areas.

Social responsibility

Environment

There is scope for selecting animals better suited for

maintaining biodiversity under changing climateconditions. A major achievement of animal breeding inrecent years, and one with a highly favourable effecton the environment, is the improvement of feedefficiency. When animals make more efficient use ofnitrogen and phosphate, this minimises the output ofthese elements into the environment. The maincontributor to improved feed efficiency is improvedfeed conversion. Yet there is room for furtherimprovement of this process, especially in farmed fish.Progress will require new knowledge on the genes andpathways that may contribute to improving theEuropean environment while an animals productionlevel is increasing. Opportunities for feed efficiency

improvement exist in all farm animals, from fish tocattle. This requires better knowledge of the digestivesystem and of nutrient metabolism. Of particularinterest are the genes whose expression is regulatedby nutrition. When exploiting such knowledge in


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animal selection, it is necessary to take into accountanimal product quality and both beneficial andunfavourable environmental outputs.Animal breeding contributes to the environment in yetanother way: through selection of animals welladapted to their environment and interactingfavourably with it by grazing and pasturing. Suchanimals contribute significantly to ecosystemmaintenance. The selection of genotypes for themaintenance of the environment is fundamental inmany European geographical areas, especiallymountain and Mediterranean areas.

Animal Welfare: Integrity

Animal integrity is defined as the wholeness andcompleteness of the species-specific balance of thecreature, as well as the animals capacity to maintainitself independently in an environment suitable to thespecies.Most farm animals have been domesticatedfor thousands of years and as such have been adaptedto an environment of co-existence with humans. Theyare easier to handle and able to reproduce in captivity,under conditions where food is abundant and thereare no direct predators. Breeders must keep a balancebetween the intrinsic characteristics of domesticatedspecies, their welfare, and improved production.

(Contributing to) World Development

The global demand for animal-derived foods isincreasing. European breeding organisations play amajor role in providing breeding stock globally. Forpigs, aquaculture species and poultry, which arereared in relatively controlled environments, this hasgenerally been a huge success. The history of cattlebreeding, however, is littered with mistakes. High-productivity European breeds are not always suited tomore extensive environments characterised by adifferent and sporadic food supply and by variousclimatic and disease challenges. It is possible to learnfrom these mistakes. In global developmentprogrammes, the knowledge and organisational skillsof European breeders could be adapted to meet localneeds in developing countries.New breeding schemes require multiple-characterselection based on both production traits and otherimportant traits such as resistance to disease(sanitary quality and animal welfare), fertility, andlongevity (animal welfare). At the same time, there isa need to conserve biodiversity through thedevelopment of appropriate breeding strategies in rare

ruminant breeds.

A Competitive Europe

A Strong Breeding Sector

A prerequisite to breeding in Europe is the survival ofthe breeding sector. Major companies have premisesfor breeding and reproduction outside Europe, whereresearch can often be more easily funded and carriedout. There is a constant push to move away from thehead offices in Europe in order not to lose marketpotential and ultimately lose out in the competition.Every year breeding companies disappear oramalgamate. When companies move away, they will

not come back. An important challenge andopportunity is to keep the breeding climate in Europechallenging and interesting enough to maintainbusinesses here. Breeding needs profitability at alllevels and requires active participation of farmers in

order to test animals for desired characteristics and todisseminate those characteristics. This is feasible onlyif such endeavours are economically sustainable. It iscrucial to preserve the livestock system bymaintaining and/or increasing the efficiency ofbreeding also in small-scale animal farming. Many ofthe new EU member countries have a tradition ofsmall-scale aquaculture, which needs to become moreefficient in order to compete. Breeding is a globalactivity, and European businesses have gainedleadership in the breeding of several farm species. Yetthe market remains competitive and as technologydevelopments continue at a breathtaking pace,European breeders must not be complacent. There arestructural weaknesses in Europe compared to otherglobal players, as breeding is often organisednationally. Given the existence of 25 differentcountries in the current European Union, this is anatural disadvantage for European animal breeding.Further strategic partnerships in research,development, and business across Europe will beincreasingly important. Research opportunities willarise in operational genetics, numerical biology,animal recording, data management, and high-throughput biological research. If Europe is to retainits competitive strength, there must be sufficientsupport from research funders to ensure that the basicand strategic research opportunities are seized.European public funding should play an important rolein this context, helping to foster integration ofresearch activities and co-ordination of research andinnovation policies.It is essential to bear in mind that the changing worldwill demand careful but fast adaptation of farm animalproduction systems and hence of farm animalresearch and breeding in its broadest context.

Transparent Public Engagement

New technologies, goals, or practices will be part ofthe road to the future. In some parts of the worldpeople are already applying food productiontechnologies that Europe considers unacceptable. Thistrend towards parallel development paths may wellcontinue, so Europe must develop alternativeapproaches if its agriculture is to avoid facing evengreater competition than it does today from cheaperimported foods. One promising pathway might be atrend towards differentiated foods (e.g., specialityfoods, organic foods), as food production in Europe islikely to develop towards quality instead of quantity.

Alongside the development of new technical solutionsto breeding problems, it is important to involvespecialists in ethics to support careful interaction withsociety as a whole. It is vital to realise and take intoaccount which breeding activities are in line with whatEuropean citizens want animals to do and produce andwhat they consider inappropriate. Transparency aboutbreeding work and research developments is a keyissue for farm animal breeding scientists and breedingorganisations. Animal breeding strategy over the nexttwenty years must include a commitment tocommunicate with civil society. In the past, a lack ofinformation has sometimes given new breedingtechnologies a negative public image.

A Flexible, Open Environment

For European breeding organisations, competition atthe global level is strong. Unlike breeders in thelargest competitor country, the USA, European


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breeders must deal with a multiplicity of scientific,funding, and regulatory environments within Europe.European breeders need a flexible, open environmentin order to continue their business and to develop andimplement the schemes needed for the future. Theyare therefore in favour of initiatives such as regularand timely consultations with regulatory agencies,dedicated to finding workable yet safe solutions foranimal transport and new technology implementation(guided by ethical and safety considerations),investigating specific conditions for minor species orspecies under development, and creating the sameconditions for imported material as for Europeanmaterial.

Well-Educated People

For a knowledge-intensive sector, the education ofstudents and hence of future science and industryleaders is important. The growing complexity ofanimal breeding makes this especially true. Today thesector requires a knowledge base combining largelyquantitative science with molecular genetics andgenomics, as it pogresses towards the day when it willbe an industrial user of predictive biology.Education, in the future, should be a morecollaborative endeavour where public and privatebodies cooperate more closely.

A Distinctive Europe

Rural Areas

Farm animals, especially ruminants but also horses,have an important role in maintaining the Europeanrural landscape, e.g. in keeping areas clear to preventfires. Only a few local breeds are now still part of thatlandscape and add to its diversity across Europe.Therefore, we need to maintain those breeds that fitwith the landscape and, in harmony with theenvironment, yield high-quality local products. Weneed to breed them to maintain the landscape whilstimproving their economic sustainability.To reach these objectives, it will be necessary toconsider breeding goals and technologies for extensivesystems. The value of the resulting breeding systemwill be enhanced by the enormous importance ofextensive livestock farming not only for production butalso for its environmental and social benefits.Aquaculture production has another value for the ruralareas as it is often situated in such areas and cantherefore assure that work-places are secured there.

Regional Products

Europe is a diverse continent with typical productsrelated to local breeds, local environment or climate,or local habits or history. Consumers often go for avalue-for-money product, but increasingly theyappreciate the perceived added value of regionalproducts. In many situations in Southern Europe andmountain areas, breeding will have to be planned toimprove the distinctive qualities and localcharacteristics of animals. This will lead to adifferentiation of food products.

Social/Cultural Aspects

European animal production is also important for thevitality of the countryside. When farmers disappearand holiday homes take over, the social infrastructurecan suffer (e.g. schools, shops, public transport).Cultural values may open a market for some higher-

value niche animal products, appreciated byconsumers when the origin of the food is part of itsattraction (e.g. when eating for pleasure in arestaurant or cooking a special meal).

A Diversity of Benefits

Animals for Many Purposes

With the standard of living increasing and more timeavailable for most people, animals for pleasure andleisure are a growing industry. In addition tocompanion and sporting animals, there is a growingtrend towards hobby farming. Animals will also bebred for social purposes, e.g. for animal therapy orfor helping to rescue people in an emergency.Breeding for the right type/character of animal for theright purpose may be a new, promising prospect forbreeders.

Fibre and Skin

Wool, leather, and skin are among the traditional farmanimal products. They used to be necessary items forclothing, but nowadays they are used for theirnaturalness (e.g. wool) or for the specific advantagesof the product (e.g. leather). Breeding sheep or otherfibre animals for typical products, like natural colouredwool, is an increasing niche market.

Animal Biotechnology

The combined advances in genetics, embryology, andstem cell research open the prospect that high-added-value products for agricultural, medical, and technicalapplications will soon become a reality. The majorapplications will be in the use of highly specialisedanimals for drug production (e.g. in milk), forxenotransplantation, or as animal models in researchon human diseases.In the future, animals may become precious tools formodelling human disease and developing newtherapeutic strategies. Such approaches will bothcomplement and inform studies based on humancell/tissue cultures. To make such applicationspossible, it will be necessary to develop robustembryonic stem cell lines capable of self-renewal inculture and to refine the technologies used for cloningand transgenesis. These same technologies will bevaluable research tools enabling scientists to gaindeeper understanding of livestock and companion-animal embryology and reproduction.

A challenge in the next two decades will be tointegrate and potentially exploit these noveltechnologies in a society-friendly manner. For this itis essential to build the knowledge base and expertiserequired to provide technological guidance, qualitycontrol, and safety.


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T h e D i g e s t i v e T r a c t

Food safety, the biological and economic efficiency

of livestock farming, and hence the environmental

footprint of livestock production are all profoundlyaffected by the biology of the digestive tract theinternal tube that extends from an animals mouth

to its anus. Food digestion and waste excretion arecomplex and energetically expensive processes.

The digestive tract is also home to huge numbers

of other species (the microflora). These are mostlyharmless or even positively desirable. For

example, the microflora of the rumen of grazinganimals such as cattle and sheep is actually

essential to digestion of their forage diets. Theaverage human is said to carry about 1 kilogram

of bacteria, and the figure would be much higherfor a cow.

The gut can also provide an excellent environment

for some less desirable inhabitants. It can harbourorganisms associated with food-borne infection of

humans, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, or E.coli, sometimes without even making the host

animal sick. Importantly, the gut can also be a siteof infection by pathogens and parasites. At best,

these unwelcome inhabitants drain nutrients thatcould otherwise be used for food production. At

worst, they can result in serious disease, evendeath. When an animal recovers, the efficiency of

the gut may be permanently impaired, reducingthe animals vitality for the rest of its life.

Because the gut can be a site of infection it has acomplex immune system that can generally

recognise friend from foe. Yet we also know thatthere is genetic variation among animals in how

well they can resist infection. For example,chickens display variable resistance to Salmonella

and sheep are variably resistant to worm infection.Much less is understood about variation in other

aspects of the gut, for example its energy use orthe efficiency of digestion or the transport of

nutrients across the gut wall.

The digestive tract is an important and poorlyunderstood biological system important to our

vision goals of safe and healthy food, robust andhealthy animals, sustainable breeding and a

competitive Europe. Research opportunitiesrelated to the digestive tract might include:

developing a better understanding of geneticvariation in the immune system in the mucosal

lining of the gut; characterising the heritability and genetic basis

of efficiency of digestion and nutrient capture inboth health and disease;

understanding interactions between the gut andthe normal healthy microflora, and their role in

digestion; dissecting the molecular biology of host-

pathogen interactions and the response toinfection.

An Agenda for Research and Technology

Quantitative Genetics and Operational Genetics

Some inherited traits, such as milk yield or daily gain,are controlled by many genes. In an animalpopulation, different animals will have different

combinations of gene variants affecting a given trait.This leads to quantitative variation of the trait withinthe population. Such traits and the underlying genesare the focus of quantitative genetics. Over the pastfifty years, most improvement in the quality andefficiency of farm animal production has been due tothe application of quantitative genetic methods. Forinstance, the International Bull Evaluation Service(Interbull) maintains and provides access to a hugebody of genetic animal evaluations from the mostadvanced countries. Its ranking of bulls according totheir 'genetic merit' facilitates the genetic marketworldwide.

Operational genetics is the application of genetics tobreeding, for example in designing breedingprogrammes and optimising selection schemes toensure maximum genetic gain while minimisinginbreeding or undesirable trade-offs of selection.

If breeders are to maintain and build upon theenormous genetic progress made in past decades,they need the support of research focusing on thefurther development of complex statistical methodsand computer algorithms for coping with multipletraits. They need information from new sources suchas genomics and the study of how animals adapt tospecific environments. Attention must also focus onthe more complex, non-linear, and difficult-to-measure traits such as disease resistance, longevity,and robustness, as well as on new and emergingtraits. Alternative selection schemes should also beenvisaged for the analysis of non-additive geneticvariation.

Advanced Modelling for Management Purposes

Quantitative genetics has a favourable side effect ofwhich people are not always aware: extensivemodelling of complex phenotypes (biological traits)provides interesting and important information aboutenvironmental influences on these phenotypes and

makes it possible to predict unobserved phenotypes.It will be important to incorporate this and all relevantknowledge into advanced management tools, whichwill notably increase the return on investment ofextensive data recording schemes. Current efforts inthe field of milk recording (test-day models) are justthe start of a whole new range of researchopportunities. Future research in statistics andcomputing sciences will be required to optimisecurrent methods and procedures. As an on-farmmanagement system develops, a challenge will be tolink it to more integrated, multi-level systems.

Phenomics

Phenomics means the measurement of animalphenotypes. Currently animal breeding programmescan only improve measurable traits or traitsgenetically related to measurable traits. They rely on


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characterising animals for production, quality, andwelfare traits on the basis of limited numbers oflaboriously collected records. The entire selectionsystem for ruminants, through which many traits havebeen improved, is based on this traditional approach,embodied in a manual used throughout Europe and onother continents: the ICAR Guidelines for AnimalRecording. In the future such methods are likely to becomplemented by high-throughput automatedrecording systems, on farms or in processing factoriesfor example.An important future research focus will be theestimation of carcass meat content by means ofautomated image collection. Accurate measurement ofmany other meat traits (e.g. colour, fillet yield)currently requires animal slaughter, but newtechniques have emerged (Near Infrared Spectroscopy(NIR), ultrasound and computer tomography) that willallow such traits to be recorded on the breedinganimal. This will increase the accuracy of selection andhence, the genetic gain. Ultrasound techniques weresuccessfully implemented in pig and beef cattlebreeding in the 1970s and can be further developed inother species. In dairy animals, more sophisticatedtechniques for the recording of milk yield andcomposition are necessary in order to continueimproving the production efficiency and nutritionalquality of milk and milk products through selection.Much remains to be learned about how biologicalattributes and genetic features influence manysensory traits of meat. For example, are variations inmeat texture due to muscle fibre number, fat content,the amount of connective tissue, or to all of thesefactors? Before breeding programmes can tackle suchtraits, we need to know which measurements areneeded to describe them and how to interpret thosemeasurements.

Identification and Traceability Technologies (ID)

Animal identification is the cornerstone of selectivebreeding programmes. In the absence of accurateidentification, no pedigree can be established and allinformation on the animal is lost.The ability to trace an animal from birth through to afinished product (meat, milk, eggs, wool, leather) iscrucial in the battle for safe food, in controllingcontagious diseases, identify fish that have escapedinto the wild, and in the effort to inform consumersabout food attributes such as country of origin, animalwelfare, and genetic composition. The development ofanimal breeding systems for ruminants and pigs will

make full use of technical improvements in physicalidentification: Ear-Tag systems, Radio-FrequencyIdentification (RFID), electronic boluses... Long-termresearch should be devoted to all these methods.Another approach that has huge potential is the use of

genetic markers for individual identification. Thisapproach should prove particularly useful inaquaculture and poultry farming, where physicalidentification at birth is difficult to impossible, but it isalso applicable to other species. Research is thusneeded in areas such as high-throughput genotyping(i.e. genetic marker typing) and DNA chip technologyin order to address issues of practicability, cost, andaccess. It is also urgent to explore how newtechnologies might be applied to traditionalidentification systems having an immediate and wideapplication. Furthermore, all actors in the field mustcollaborate towards ironing out the relevant legal andregulatory aspects.

Genomics and Beyond

An organisms genome is its genetic material (DNA).Animal genomics, broadly defined, is the study ofanimal DNA, its organisation into genes, the roles andinteractions of gene products (mostly proteins), thecontrol of gene expression, and ultimately alldownstream impacts on animals, their traits, and theirinteractions with the environment.The sequencing of the human genome was amilestone in the development of modernbiotechnology, opening new avenues forunderstanding the control of complex traits at amolecular level. The genomes of several farm animalspecies (cattle, pig, rabbit, and aquacultural species)are also being sequenced and analysed. This willfacilitate the integrated analysis of biologicalfunctions.At sequence level, genomic research is yieldinggenetic markers for selection, pedigree control, andtraceability. It is facilitating the identification of traitgenes for use in breeding programmes. Beyond thislevel opens the whole new realm of omics research:transcriptomics (focus: expressed genes), proteomics(proteins and their functions and interactions), andmetabolomics (metabolites and metabolic pathways).This research is bridging (part of) the gap betweenstructural genomic knowledge (markers, maps,sequences, genes) and everything we hope to learn byexploiting it. It provides a bridge to nutrition, health,and more. It is yielding precious knowledge on a widerange of processes related to health and food safety,such as acquired resistance to contamination throughgut health or the long-term effects of an alteredmaternal diet (foetal programming) in both animals

and humans. The application of such knowledge (inmarker-assisted breeding programmes, for instance)will contribute to improving animal health and foodsafety, animal welfare, and the biodiversity ofbreeding populations. In the long run it will boost thecompetitiveness of European farm animal breeding.

Functional Genomics

This area includes transcriptomics and proteomics. Itaims to elucidate gene functions. Transcriptomics usespowerful tools (e.g. microarrays: arrays of materialresulting from gene transcription, the first step ingene expression) to study simultaneously theexpression of many (ultimately all) genes in a genome

in various situations (specific developmental stages,environmental stress). Proteomics exploits varioustechnologies to study which proteins are present in or secreted by different cells under differentconditions, and also looks at protein interactions.


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Functional genomics is used to study genes thatcontribute jointly to a specific function as part of theinteractome (the whole set of molecular interactionsin cells).This notably includes networks of interactingproteins, structural and mitochondrial DNA, andinhibitor RNAs (RNA is quite similar chemically toDNA; it plays multiple roles, notably in geneexpression and its regulation). By combining multipleapproaches and tools, it should eventually be possibleto build models linking together large numbers ofgenes and their products, in order to understand theimpact of gene variation on animal traits, mediatedthrough the relevant metabolic pathways. To achievethis, a considerable research effort is needed, yieldingbetter understanding of animal biology on the basis ofknowledge obtained from the genomes of modelorganisms and humans.

Exploring Within-Species Variability

To allow effective selection of animals via genomicapproaches, it is necessary to explore within-speciesvariability and to quantify factors such as linkagedisequilibrium (the tendency of genetic features thatare close to each other on the genome to be inheritedtogether, and thus frequently to be found together inthe animals composing a population). Effectivegenomic selection requires the development of toolsfor genotyping animals by marker typing or directsequencing. It requires improved tools forphenotyping animals more exhaustively and quickly(see phenomics) so as to identify genes that controlvariation of multiple traits. We also need to developstrategies for predicting phenotypes on the basis ofgenotypes. Here research should notably focus on thegenetic control of variation in gene expression and theidentification of genome regions undergoing epigeneticmodifications such as imprinting. Given the strongnegative impact of inbreeding on reproductive andhealth traits, we need to find ways to reduce theinbreeding coefficient in pigs, poultry, aquaculturespecies, and dairy cattle.

Exploring Between-Species Variation

By learning more about between-species variation, itwill become clear which vital processes program whichfunctions in animals. This will enable breeders toidentify animals yielding healthy animal productswithout this being detrimental to their own health.With genome-scale sequencing of domestic species,between-species comparisons (including comparisonswith mouse and human sequences) will make it

possible to identify variability hot spots in genesand/or genome regions so as to focus the search forsingle nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) responsiblefor substitutions in protein sequences in domestic

animals (SNPs are sites where a single letter in thetext of a gene is variable).

Numerical Biology

Future biology will increasingly require the analysis oflarge volumes of data (e.g. genomic data). Betternumerical methods for analysis and modelling areneeded to address a whole range of biologicalproblems from the molecular to the ecosystem level.Identifying functional variants in DNA sequences ordifferentially expressed genes on microarrays,analysing host-pathogen interactions in farm animalspopulations, are just a few examples among many.There will be an increasing need for better numericalmodels of biological (sub-)systems. For example,scientists currently use separate models to predictprotein folding from amino acid sequences and thespread of disease from epidemiological data. A moreelaborate model would predict the impact of designedchanges in an immune response gene on thefrequency of disease epidemics in domestic animals.As the need for numerical analysis and modellingspans all areas of biology, the field of animal breedingand genetics will have to adapt to its own needs somenew methods developed for other purposes, inaddition to contributing approaches specificallydesigned for livestock problems.

Biology of Systems and Traits

Currently the basic biology (genetics, biochemistry,and physiology) underlying the variability of mosttraits of interest to animal breeders is poorlyunderstood. This is an obstacle to controllingphysiological processes that influence such traits.

Molecular genetics will yield abundant novelinformation on the fundamental regulation of suchprocesses. Here research must aim to provide detailedoperational understanding of the pathways involved.Many gene products influence several metabolicpathways, and most metabolic pathways areinfluenced by several gene products. This makes forvery complicated physiological network patterns. Inaddition, whole sets of genes can be switched on oroff via so-called epigenetic mechanisms (DNAmethylation, histone acetylation, RNA interference)participating in complex regulatory networks. Suchmechanisms are increasingly found to play significantroles in phenotype development and transmission.

Control of a single gene may thus cause unwantedside effects when the physiological network around itis not sufficiently understood. Future research mustfocus on dissecting the genetic basis of traits ofrelevance to sustainable animal breeding and theinterrelationships of these traits.

Whole-Animal Biology and Gene-by-Environment

Interactions (GxE)

Understanding individual traits is not enough. Whatmatters is the biology of the whole animal and how ananimals genes interact with its living environment todetermine its quality of life and performance.

Biological research is already moving towardspredictive biology. A first step is to model the varioussystems that constitute the biology of a cell (creatingan e-cell) so as to predict cell responses toenvironmental change (e.g. altered nutrient supply).


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The next step is to build models that describe cell-cellinteractions in tissues and finally to build upward fromtissues to a whole animal. This is a considerablechallenge, but it is undeniably the direction in whichbiology is heading. High-throughput laboratorymethods now make it possible to measure manycomponents of a system in parallel, and theseapproaches complement the traditional whole-animalresearch supporting farm animal production. Withmodern research techniques, scientists will be able torevisit 100 years of animal science with a view toexpanding knowledge of all biological mechanisms.Future research must focus on developing anintegrated understanding of the lifetime functioning ofwhole animals and their interactions with theenvironment. At each step it will be essential toevaluate progress in the light of breeding reality. Whatbreeders need especially is a detailed understandingof relationships between performance, health, welfare,and environmental impact combined with cost-effective, robust, reliable ways to measure traitsreflecting these relationships in animal populations.

Population Biology

Future qualitative and quantitative genetic technologywill give breeders much control over the geneticmakeup of individual animals selected for breeding. Inother words, what can be selected with increasingprecision is the genome of an individual. Yetpopulation-level effects also deserve consideration forat least three reasons. Firstly, social interactions ingroups of animals are associated with behaviouralrepertoires that are important for animal welfare andfor proper functioning of the group: maternalbehaviour, dominance and aggression To the extentthat such interactions are linked to production traits,selection could have negative side effects when thephysiology of social behaviour is not sufficientlyunderstood.Secondly, the production potential inherent in ananimals genes is variably expressed according to thenutritional, climatic, infectious, and socialenvironment. This is called environmental sensitivityor phenotypic plasticity. It provides a measure ofgenotype-environment interactions at the level of anindividual animal. Future genetic technology will offerincreasing control over environmental sensitivity, andagain side effects are likely if interaction mechanismsare not properly understood at population level.

It is important to take into account the dynamics ofthe environment in which future breeding animals willhave to produce. The environment will change in thenext twenty years and strategies for the geneticimprovement of animal populations must adapt tothese changes. Also important is the development ofareas such as the improved management of pasturesand silvo-pastoral systems for increased overallefficiency in animal production. Research should focuson defining, through population biology, which will bethe most efficient genotypes for predictableenvironments.Thirdly, disease transmission is perhaps the mostcrucial population-level issue. Infectious disease

involves two (or more) actors: host (the farm animal)and pathogen. These two players interact throughinfection (pathogen to host) and immunity (host topathogen), and the pathways involved in bothprocesses are under genetic control. Future genetic

D i s e a s e Re s i s t a n c e

In most farmed animal species, the balance in the

arms race between the virulence of a pathogen

(virus, bacterium, or parasite) and the defences of

the farm animal host is such that, even with the use

of available vaccines, endemic and epidemic disease is

a major challenge. It causes poor welfare through ill

health, lost food production, and an increasedenvironmental impact per unit output as animals fight

disease rather than expending nutrients on food

production. It has been estimated that in the order of

17% of production is lost through animal disease in

the developed world and the figure is probably

Documents

Sustainable Farm Animal