Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
modern poultry hybrid lines (both meat and layer strains), when they are not fed to their
genetic requirements. For example, poultry may still feel hungry and develop behavioural
problems (e.g. feather pecking).
Genetic diersity
Intensive animal production with the selection for maximum unidirectional performance has
led to a significant decrease in genetic diversity. About 30% of all domestic breeds are considered
to be at critical levels, or are at least endangered. About 300 breeds have become extinct world-
wide during the last 15 years (Scherf 2000). In Europe, half of the breeds present at the beginning
of the 20th century have become extinct (Dohner 2002). Moreover, biodiversity has decreased
within breeds resulting in increased genetic uniformity; this has been enhanced by the practices
of multinational breeding companies. Some Holstein bulls, for example, have more than one
million descendants. Genetic erosion is especially acute for poultry, pigs and high-yielding dairy
breeds like Holsteins. A higher diversity can still be found in sheep and goats.
One of the advantages of using local breeds is that they are usually very well adapted to
regional conditions. They are often better suited than modern breeds especially under harsh
conditions. This could be also true for regions where particular breeds are not native (e.g.
Brahman cattle in Australia). Local breeds can have some unknown properties or traits that
will be important. They often have properties like disease resistance or longevity that are
important for sustainable agriculture systems. Furthermore, rare breeds are part of the cultural
history of the country of origin.
In reality, the same breeds are commonly used in organic and conventional agriculture.
For example, only 10% of rare breeds are used in German organic dairy farms (Hörning
et
al
.
2004b). This rate has not changed in the last 10 years. Most German or Dutch farmers and
organic advisers prefer modern breeds because of higher performances (Nauta
et
al
. 2003,
Hörning
et
al
. 2004a).
Lower performances could be partially outweighed by better health or longevity. Other
compensation possibilities include higher product prices or subsidies. In many European
countries, governments pay subsidies for keeping endangered breeds. However, in many cases
these subsidies are not high enough to completely compensate for lower production. It could
be useful, therefore, to use the preservation of an old breed as a marketing tool to convince
consumers to pay higher prices. One positive example could be the Swabian-Hall saddleback
pig in Germany. The meat is marketed successfully via a marketing company as a premium
product, highlighting the good quality of the meat and the local origin (www.besh.de). As a
compromise, the sows are normally bred with Pietrain boars to achieve a higher muscle
amount. The company uses the special marketing brand assigned by the EU 'controlled origin'.
This approach was very successful. Within 15 years, the population increased considerably and
is no longer considered to be at acute risk of extinction.
The FAO has developed many activities in the field of livestock genetic diversity conserva-
tion (e.g. (http://www.fao.org/biodiversity/Domestic_en.asp). The FAO set up a Commission
on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA), which is the major international
forum for developing policies on genetic resources. CGRFA started a global strategy for the
management of farm animal genetic resources in 1992. The goal of the strategy is to overcome
genetic erosion of animal resources, and to ensure use of these resources. The strategy provides
a framework for assisting countries, regions or other stakeholders in installing management
programs (Scherf 2000). In order to implement the global strategy, FAO developed a commu-
nication and information tool, the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS).
In addition FAO established a global databank for farm animal genetic resources. In this
databank, data from 189 countries are collected. Currently 6379 breeds from 30 mammalian
and avian species are included, from 140 countries (in 1995 there were only 3882 breeds). These
