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Europe is currently facing the spread of several serious animal diseases, including sheep pox, Bluetongue disease, lumpy skin disease (in cattle), swine fever, avian influenza (bird flu), and West Nile virus (in equine). These outbreaks often necessitate the slaughter of infected animal populations, and preventive culling is sometimes required.
Necessary national disease eradication measures pose an extreme threat to endangered livestock breeds, especially those with populations localized within a restricted geographical area. Although we fully subscribe to the need for disease eradication measures, we want to draw attention to several options to support the conservation of endangered breeds in the light of current and upcoming disease threats.
To help safeguard vulnerable and unique breeds of livestock, we recommend that national authorities consider the following actions:
Prioritize vaccination: When a licensed vaccine is available, endangered breeds within a restricted sanitary area should be given the highest priority for immediate vaccination.
Expand vaccination zones: Authorities should seriously consider extending vaccination protocols for endangered breeds to areas outside the formal restricted sanitary zones as a preventative measure.
Implement specialized protocols: Where feasible at a national level, implement specific biosecurity and quarantine protocols for genetically unique breeding herds, particularly nucleus breeding herds of endangered breeds.
Immediate genetic material collection: Safeguard breeds and their genetic diversity through gene bank collections (ex situ conservation):
Semen collection: Rapid collection of semen from at-risk flocks is essential before potential contamination. Collecting epididymal semen is a viable option for quick field procedures. For reference, recommendations for in-field procedures and general presentations on ex situ conservation for small ruminants can be consulted here.
Funding for conservation: Funding for the mid-term and long-term cryopreservation of semen and embryos should be established for all endangered breeds.
Legislative derogations:
For the purpose of establishing and using gene bank collections, derogations in national animal health laws may be needed. Guidelines for developing national animal health regulations for material intended for gene banks are available here as well as a brief summary.
Exceptions from preventive culling for endangered breeds are possible and should be implemented in national animal health legislations.
Are you part of a breed society working to safeguard the future of endangered animal breeds? Join our expert-led webinar series designed to equip you with practical tools and strategies for developing balanced, sustainable breeding programmes.
What to Expect
Led by specialists from the European Union Reference Centre for Endangered Animal Breeds (EURC-EAB), this series will increase your understanding on:
Monitoring and managing inbreeding and genetic diversity
Applying effective strategies to reduce inbreeding risks
Designing breeding programmes that combine conservation with long-term sustainability and genetic progress
🖥️ Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/gWtmeuF4HZ
Webinar 1: Measuring and Monitoring Inbreeding
Date: 27 May 2025
Time: 12:00–12:45 CEST
Experts: Mira Schoon, Jack Windig
Agenda:
What is Inbreeding? Why it Matters – Mira Schoon
How to Measure and Monitor Inbreeding – Jack Windig
Intro to Strategies for Reducing Inbreeding – Mira Schoon
One of the first tasks of EURC-EAB is a mapping process to show the status of implementation of Regulation (EU) 2016/1012, in particular the breeding programmes for endangered breeds.
All National Competent Authorities for Animal Breeding, the National Coordinators for Animal Genetic Resources and all breeding organisations at national level (including associations of breeding organisations) for equids, bovines, porcines, ovines and caprines were invited to take part in the survey.
To briefly introduce the EURC-EAB and to explain the background, the intention and the expected outcomes of the survey, and to give guidance how to fill the questionnaire, the EURC-EAB offered webinars to the respective target groups.
Lately, significant accomplishments related to Animal Genetic Resources have occurred in Europe. Following the publication of the Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe in 2021, an Animal Genetic Resources Strategy was released by the European Regional Focal Point. Meanwhile, the European Commission selected a consortium led by Wageningen University and Research to set up the EU Reference Centre for Endangered Animal Breeds (EURC EAB), starting January 2023. In this event, we presented the main orientations of the AnGR Strategy as well as the consortium and plan of action of the EURC EAB.
The Animal Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe, and the recently established EU Reference Centre for Endangered Animal Breeds were presented in a side event during the FAO Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources (18-20 January 2023). The side event was chaired by Montserrat Castellanos (Spain), president of the Steering Committee of the European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources (ERFP). On behalf of ERFP, Danijela Bojkovski (Slovenia), presented the main orientations of the AnGR Strategy for Europe. She was followed by Sipke Joost Hiemstra (The Netherlands), director of the European Union Reference Centre for Endangered Animal Breeds (EURC-EAB), who presented the consortium and its plans for the next two years.
The webcast of the live event can be viewed via this link.