Gillian Butler & Carlo Leifert
Nafferton Ecological Farming Group,
Newcastle University
Veronika Maurer,
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
(FiBL), Switzerland
LowInputBreeds
• Development of integrated livestock breeding and
management strategies to improve animal health,
product quality and performance in European
organic and low input milk, meat and egg production
(Grant agreement No 222623)
• Cattle (dairy and beef), sheep (dairy and meat), pigs,
poultry
• Coordination: Newcastle University and Research
Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL)
• www.lowinputbreeds.org
Large Collaborative Project
•
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•
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2009 – 2014
17 research centres
6 industrial partners
4 non-European partners
17 countries
www.fibl.org
Universidad
e Federal de
Viçosa
• 94 person-years of research
• > 60 scientists
• Budget: 8.9 Mi €
• EC contribution: 6 Mi €
Federal Research
Institute
for Rural Areas,
Institute of Organic
Forestry
Farming
- IOF
and
Fisheries
Why?
• Animal breeding focus on intensive
production systems
• Dominated by big business
www.ploegint.nl/dutch/frames/frames-breeds.html
www.hljsenyu.com
• Selection on performance
• Modern genotypes v. successful
- if supported by high inputs
• Functional traits low priority
• Organic and low-input systems
need robust animals
• Diverse & relatively small
market
www.agripinoy.net/commercial-eggproduction-and-processing.html
SP0 Co-ordination
Gillian Butler/ Prof. Carlo Leifert (UNEW), Dr. Veronika Maurer (FiBL)
SP1 Cattle
SP2 Sheep
SP3 Pigs
SP4 Hens
Prof. Henner
Simianer (UGöT)
Dr. Hervé Hoste
(INRA)
Jan Merks
(IPG)
Dr. Ferry Leenstra
(WUR)
Dr. Peter Klocke
(FiBL)
Dr. Smaro Sotiraki
(NAGREF)
Prof. Sandra Edwards
(UNEW)
Dr. Veronika Maurer
(FiBL)
WP5.1 Multi-criteria impact assessment
Prof. Tom Dedeurwaerdere (UCLou), Marc Benoit (INRA)
WP5.2 Ethical impact assessment
Dr. Karsten Klint Jensen (UCPH), Helen Browning (Food Ethics Council)
WP5.3 Training young scientists
Prof. Carlo Leifert (UNEW), Dr. Veronika Maurer (FiBL)
WP5.4 Dissemination to the industry
Dr. Helga Willer (FiBL), Gillian Butler (UNEW)
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Integrated approach
• Species-specific breeding strategies
– Molecular marker assisted selection (sheep)
– Genome-wide selection (cattle)
– Systematic evaluation of cross-breeding (cattle)
– Farmer participatory breeding systems (pigs,
laying hens)
• Innovative management approaches (all species)
– Feeding regimes
– Rearing systems
6
Cattle
1. Variation/selection within Brown
Swiss dairy cattle (D & CH)
–
1200 bulls - genomic breeding value
for high & low heritability traits (54
K SNP chip)
–
Record 1300 cows under organic
management – phenotype and
genotype (HD 800 & 54K chips)
–
Also considering fatty acid profiles
2.
Cross breeding for robust cows (UK)
3.
Multicriteria evaluation trade off
between traits eg yield vs fertility
(also beef value of dairy calves)
Dairy cows: Key findings
• For many of low input traits, genomic prediction is promising &
provides accurate breeding values
• No major differences in ‘gene relationships’ between Swiss
organic, high input Brown Swiss and German Holstein/Friesian
populations
• Concentrations of the nutritionally desirable FA inversely related
to highly selected US BS genetics
• Confirming crossbreeding offers potential in low-input & organic
systems with considerable variation between individual cows
Sheep
1. Variation/selection within Skafia
sheep (He)
–
Resistance to biotic (parasites,
mastitis) & abiotic (heat) stress
–
Record 400 ewes under intensive
& semi intensive management
–
Genetic markers; heat/cold
tolerance, parasite and footrot
resistance
–
Milk quality
2. Endoparasite control (CH & F)
3. Lamb meat quality (F & I)
Pigs
1. Farmer participatory flower
breeding programme (NL, UK, E, Br)
– Selection for survival and robustness
(genotyping dead piglets)
– Records from multiple small farms
– Using 120 select SNP chips
2. Gilt rearing: subsequent mothering
ability & piglets loss (NL)
3. Traditional, improved and standard
hybrid pig and feeding regimes on
carcass, meat and fat quality (D)
(G X E interactions)
1. Farmer participatory breeding
programme for: productivity,
health and welfare, egg quality &
behaviour (NL, CH, F)
– Breeding company to bring to
fruition
2. Prolonging lay period, health &
welfare (incl feather pecking) –
strain x nutrition (G X E) (NL)
3. Impact of strain (breed) and
nutrition on egg quality (CH)
Poultry
Looking for info & publication
• Academic papers
• Newsletters x 10 (No 10 is summary of findings)
• Series of Technical Notes produced for farmers
• All accessible from: www.lowinputbreeds.org and
http://organiceprints.org/
The authors gratefully acknowledge
co-funding from the European
Commission, under the Seventh
Framework Programme for Research
and Technological Development, for
the Collaborative Project
LowInputBreeds
(Grant agreement No 222623)
Challenges facing sustainable
livestock production
Challenges with organic livestock
• Cattle
– Mastitis
– Fertility
– Parasites
• Sheep
– Parasites
– Mastitis
– Cold/heat stress
• Pigs
– Piglet survival
– Heat/cold stress
– Protein supply
• Poultry
– Mortality
– Feather pecking
– Protein supply
Lack of customised breeding infrastructure
Snippets to date
• Ideal hen identified as: Long lived, adaptable,
curious/bold, calm, optimistic, greedy, persistent lay
• Sainfoin can reduce parasite egg output from ewes &
hence pasture contamination
• Increasing stocking rate for grazing lambs reduces
meat quality
• Restricting grazing for lambs to afternoons only; no
change to carcase quality but improves fatty acid
profile of meat
Breeding for Organic systems
• Breeding for organic and low input production tends
to be neglected
– high costs
– small market
– diverse systems
• Typically use traditional breeds or genotypes for
intensive systems with a high genetic potential
• Housing, feeding, medication, production cycles ….
differ from conventional
– Genotype x environment interactions important
– Functional traits need more attention
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