Experiences from running a pedigree recording system for endangered cattle breeds

1. Experiences from running a pedigree recording system for endangered cattle breeds Anna Rehnberg, Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre Seminar ”Challenges and opportunities in the management of animal genetic resources” Ås, 10 December 2009

2. Outline • Introduction of the endangered cattle breeds • A historical overview of the development of the Cow Database for native endangered cattle breeds (Kuregisteret) • Merging the Cow Database with the National Recording Scheme for dairy cattle (Kukontrollen) • Extracts from the Cow Database • How can we use the recorded data for better management of the endangered cattle breeds?

3. Sided Trønder and Nordland Telemark Døla Western Red Polled Eastern Red Polled Western Fjord 900 cows 600 cows 810 cows 900 cows 240 cows 250 cows 280 cows 190 cows 1030 cows 800 cows

4. Registration of endangered cattle breeds • Organized by the Committee on Farm Animal Genetic Resources and the Norwegian Museum of Agriculture (NLM) in 1989-1991 • Registered breeds were: Døla (DF), Telemark (TF), Western Fjord (VFF),Western Red Polled (VR) and Eastern Red Polled (ØR) • Owner, name, breed, date of birth, ancestors

5. The Cow Database for endangered cattle breeds • Endangered cattle breeds needed a pedigree recording system • A first version was developed in 1990 • Administrated by the Norwegian Museum of Agriculture until 1. July 2009 • From 1 July 2009 the administration was moved to the Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre

6. The Cow Database for endangered cattle breeds • Pedigree print-out for each animal in the herd • Three generations • Important tool for the farmers breeding work • A tool for the public administration • Monitor the development of the breeds • Provide breeding advice • Control system for national production subsidies

7. A second version of the Cow Database • Established in 1995 by Nordic Gene Bank Farm Animals (now Nordic Genetic Resource Center) • Inbreeding coefficient • Pedigree completeness • Possible mating lists

8. Arguments for a third version of the Cow Database • Out-of-date server, a new version of the Cow Database has been planned for many years • Strong request from the farmers to only register in one database • Include farms with endangered cattle breeds who only reports registration to the National Recording Scheme • Be able to get more information from the database that can be used for better management

9. The third version of the Cow Database • Reorganization and updating of the Cow Database started in 2008 and the merging with the National Recording Scheme was performed in October 2009 in cooperation with the Section of Geomatics at the Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute • Cows of the endangered cattle breeds are now automatically updated from the National Recording Scheme to the Cow Database

10. Presented reports are based on • Female cows (> 2 years) • Pure bred (>87,5%) • Five breeds

11. Reports from the third version of the Cow Database • *with the National Recording Scheme • 54 % of all farms with endangered cattle breeds are members of the National Recording Scheme

12. Development of breeding females 1990-2009

13. Development of farms 1990-2009

14. Number of born calves 1990-2008

15. Number of farms with endangered cattle breeds by county Tromsø 4 7 Trondheim 11 37 59 89 38 25 Bergen 55 11 32 5 Oslo 10 26 5 12

16. Future use of the Cow Database • Data will be used to give advice on public administration and breeding strategies • Public administration • The shown reports from the Cow Database will be used for monitoring the development of the breeds • Other reports who are planed to be extracted are • Number of breeding males per generation • Number of offspring per breeding female • Average age of the breeding females • County level – how many animals of each breed

17. Future use of the Cow Database • Advice on breeding strategies • Extract data that can be used in a inbreeding control program like EVolutionary Algorithms (EVA) • Select AI bulls based on their average genetic relationship to the rest of the population

18. Thank you for your attention! • Click to edit Master text styles • Breeding advicement • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level

19. Merging • Challenges when merging to databases • How are farms and animals connected in the to databases and how can we make sure to merge them correctly? • Issues that are unproblematic in one database offers a challenge in the other • New problems appear when proceeding • BUT the problems have so far been solvable • There are still a few challenges left before the merging can be considered as 100 % full filed and successful • Although – the database is now more complete than before merging!!

20. Reports from the third version of the Cow Database • From the National Recording Scheme • 52 new farms • 459 new animals • Total number of farms are now 430 • Total number of animals are now 2550 • 54 % of all farms with endangered cattle breeds are members of the National Recording Scheme • TABELL!!

21. The third version of the Cow Database • Reorganization and updating of the database to prepare merging with the National Recording System • Easier than before to extract data