AnGR conservation and utilization in Nordic countries its history, status and trends

1. AnGR conservation and utilization in Nordic countries its history, status and trends By Erling Fimland NordGen

2. Member countries of Nordic council of Ministries – NCM Island Norway Finland Sweden Denmark

3. Winter Picture of my home place in Western part of Norway, where I was born

4. History • Initiatives: • Consideration of conservation in 1954, by A. Hansson, Sweden on a Nordic meeting • UN´s Environment Conference in Stockholm 1972 emphasized the importance of conservation of genetic material • Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) made a report with a view on cooperation on AnGR among the Nordic countries in 1973; finished 1976. Suggestions: • National responsibilities of AnGR • Collaboration among countries by an expert group appointed of NCM

5. History(2) • Initiatives: • As part of these processes, there were actors, placed in different levels of authorities, agencies, R & D- institutions and private persons which played an important role for the conservation development in all of the 5 Nordic countries Ensuring a diversity of farm animal genetic resources is thus an important basis for safeguarding future food security.

6. History (3) • Formal decisions: • NCM allocated funds for a half-year position as secretary and a group to direct the activities in 1984, giving: • the start of Nordic Gene Bank Animal (NGH) • NCM reinforce the activity in 1991, allowing to finance a full year position at the Norwegian Agriculture University at Aas • The Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) and Agenda 21 gave the foundation for all efforts regarding the management of genetic resources

7. History (4) • Formal decisions: • In FAO´s Global Strategy for management of farm animal genetic resources (1993), it is stated that animal breeds are national resources and are subject to national management responsibilities • In 1998 the funds for NGH were further extended to 4.2 million NOK. financed by NCM and The Norwegian Government • In January of 2008 was Nordic Genresource Center - NordGen - established where NGH, NGB-Plants and the Nordic Genetic network of forest were merged into one Institution belonging to NCM

8. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR • A large number of breeds: • According to DAD-IS a total of 173 farm animal breeds, divided among 11 species are registered in the Nordic countries • Several of these are either classified as extinct or "not of national origin“ • In pig there is only one breed which may be regarded as endangered, managed in Sweden, the others are standard international breeds in use

9. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (2) • A large number of breeds: • Number of endanger breeds of cattle, in Denmark are 4; in Finland are 2; in Iceland are 0; in Norway 6 and in Sweden 6, altogether equal to 18 breeds of cattle • Number of "national business" breeds of cattle, in Denmark are 2; in Finland are 1; in Iceland are 1; in Norway are 1 and Sweden are 1, in addition, of course, Holstein Friesian, but do not exist in Iceland and only few in Norway • All genetic material for egg and broiler production businesses are imported from international breeding companies

10. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (3) • The importance of endanger breeds in term of food produced: • The food produced from endangered breeds, in the Nordic countries is small and account for 5-10 % • The rest of the production is coming from national breeds with modern breeding program and from Holstein Friesian breed • Thus, the genetic diversity of the commercial breeds become very important for the food securities in the long term for the Nordic counties

11. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (4) • Breed conservation: • The responsibility for the conservation activity, nationally, is a body like "Genetic centre" under the Agricultural ministry • The activity is financed by the Government • The centre and an advisory board for each sector are planning the activities. The activities are yearly reported to the Agricultural Ministry. The budget frame are also an yearly negotiated process between involved parties

12. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (5) • Breed conservation • The Norwegian Gene Resource Centre has a budget in 2010 of NOK 10.6 million altogether for the sectors of plants, forest and animals • Specifically, the animal sector has NOK 2. million for external project activities in the field of animals • For cattle, the breeding cooperative of GENO provide all the cost of intake of young bulls, housing, semen production and storage of semen from the 4 Norwegian endanger breeds

13. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (6) • Breed conservation • Long term storage of semen from endangered breeds include 100 doses per bull, with 2 -3 individuals per breed and year • For pig, goat and sheep, it is routine to collect and stored semen from males • The conservation of farm animal breeds have been carried out with relatively small economic support from the state • Thus, the burden of small support officially are carried by the farmers

14. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (7) • Are the Nordic commercial breeding efforts sustainable? • It is the general impression that the awareness of the issue of sustainability of breeding programmes has been relatively limited for most breeding associations, but there seems to be some changes in the thinking, lately • The main difference in breeding practices among countries are that the Norwegian Red has for long time, 20 – 30 years, used larger weights than the others on the functional traits, thus getting real genetic improvement on those traits

15. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (8) • Are the Nordic commercial breeding efforts sustainable? • Important factors that ensure a sustainable development in an active breeding population include: • An efficient breeding population of sufficient size (N > 100) • A broadly formulated breeding objective that includes all all traits of importance for sustainable production • Selection methods that take into consideration the increased degree of inbreeding resulting from a breeding programme with stringent selection, i.e. balancing inbreeding and selection • Interaction between genotype and production environments that reduce the efficiency of the breeding scheme • Loss of breeds that might possess genes or alleles that are needed in future production systems

16. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (9) • Knowledge acquisition and dissemination: • The need for knowledge within this area may include following issues: • Gene mapping • Conservation of breeds using deep freezing of sperm, egg cells or embryos • Sustainable breeding programmes for all breeding populations • Sufficient funds for research within this area

17. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (10) • Knowledge acquisition and dissemination: • Research funds have not being of high priorities in the Nordic countries • It is important that acquisition of knowledge is relayed to and becomes applicable by those responsible for the actual breeding work • Information and knowledge dissemination on genetic resource matter is at present the responsibility of relevant research institutions, national gene resource centres • NordGen is especially responsible for the coordination of increased efforts in the field of knowledge dissemination, and include also education

18. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (11) • Political aspects: • The importance of maintaining genetic diversity, nationally as well as globally • Exchange genetic material is a positive way of utilize breeding efforts • The transaction of genetic material must be fair i.e. trade must be based on right genotypes to the specific new production system/environment • Genetic diversity is a matter of food security and utilization of land area to meet a growing human population in the long term situation

19. Status of conservation and sustainable development of AnGR (12) • NordGen´s role: • Coordination of increasingly efforts of conservation and sustainable utilization of farm AnGR in the Nordic countries, providing: • Facts, knowledge, initiatives and information approaching the national and Nordic actors within genetic resource management i.e.: • Organisations of breeders, conservation and breeding • Political level of decision, regulation, etc • R & D institutions • Fund arising institutions for R & D

20. Trends • Past: • Focus on high performance • Use of efficient breeding program for few important traits • Many breeds with lesser economic importance have become marginalized or even extinct • Reduction in number of breeding company, because of establishing multinational agency • In the poultry sector the breeding is closed to monopolized • No breeding work on poultry is done in the Nordic countries

21. Trends (2) • Future: • A continuation of the past trends • Large increase of livestock products • Higher pressure on input resources for livestock production • Hopefully increased demand for niche and special products from livestock • Increased vertical integration in the product chain • Increased consumer focus on issues like food quality, culture, food security and safety and animal welfare and ethics

22. Trends (3) • Consequences: • Need of a global "regulation" make fit to the AnGR situation • The exchange is based on private owner transactions • The transactions are mostly between two partners • Have to consider the genetic adaptation: • Some breeding population carries out optimal selection methods • Testing of genetic material before major export have to be the rule

23. Message • AnGR is almost equal important with PGR • The animal genetic diversity must be maintained in order to secure the further development to meet climate and consumers changes in future • Genetic diversity of farm animal is underestimated in securing food supply in the long term, politically

24. Thank you