Norwegian breeding strategies. of Long-Term Benefits. Photo: Geno

Transcription

1 Norwegian breeding strategies A Success Story of Long-Term Benefits

2 Norwegian Breeding Strategies A Success Story of Long-Term Benefits Geno Sustainable Breeding Strategy Norwegian Red The guiding principles for Norwegian breeding organizations were formulated around 196 and were epressed as such: Genetic progress for the many (the farmers, heavily involved in recording data for the breeding organisation, have the right to share a part of the outcome of genetic progress) The farmer s right to be consulted (= involvement, ownership) Utilizing scientific improvements (= utilizing new knowledge) The present national and international success of Norwegian farm animal breeding is a result of these guiding principles and the continuous investments in animal breeding and genetics ever since. The close link between the breeding industry, genetic/ breeding research and education has been one of the key elements of this development. The success of a breeding organization depends on the genetic improvement created, and this genetic improvement in turn depends on scientific inputs. Norwegian breeding organizations are highly organized, show high AI percentages (high selection intensities and efficient use of males), have interested and motivated breeders and practice openness of the breeding systems, including documentation of genetic level and progress. The success of Norwegian fish farming (especially salmon) was also based on the same breeding philosophy and developed by the same scientific groups linked to our department and to the scientists within the breeding organisations. Norwegian breeding is characterized by wide breeding goals including many traits, a strong emphasis on fertility, health and survival in addition to production efficiency. A key element in obtaining genetic progress in low heritable traits has been the strong emphasis on field recording systems and health records. It is my belief that such breeding strategies create long term, sustainable breeding results and animals with genetics suitable for a wide range of future production environments. Odd Vangen Professor dr. agric., dr. scient. Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences. Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Member of the Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board Member of the Advisory Board for the Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre Former chairman of the Norwegian Committee on Farm Animal Genetic Resources Editor in Chief, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavicae, Sect. A, Animal Science The breeding program in Norwegian Red is run by Geno, a cooperative breeding and AI organization owned by 15. dairy farmers. The vision of Geno is «Sustainable breeding for the ultimate cow». Breeding Norwegian Red for the future More than 95 % of the dairy cows in Norway are Norwegian Red. The Norwegian Red population consists of approimately 26. cows, of which 98 % participate in the Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System and the breeding program. Norwegian Red is characterized by a high milk yield potential, good fertility, good disease resistance, easy calvings and viable calves. The breeding philosophy in Norway has been to improve the entire cow, not just production. Health and fertility traits have been included in the breeding goal since the 7s. Today the functional traits have more weight in the selection than the production traits. Concern about future genetic variation is taken into account by also including relationship in the selection decision. The effective number of animals in the population today is 27. The design of the breeding program is well adapted to handle low heritable traits. There is documented genetic gain in milk yield, mastitis resistance, female fertility, calving ease and survival of calves. Changes in the breeding goal are always decided upon by the members of Geno = the dairy farmers. Genetic trends Norwegian Red Inde Increasing eport Year of birth, daughters Geno eports Norwegian Red to more than 2 countries. Crossbreeding eperiments with Norwegian Red are taking place in Ireland, Northern Ireland, USA, Canada, Hungary and Iran. The aim of this research activity is to find the effect of crossing Holstein with Norwegian Red in different environment conditions and at different production levels. These projects are carried out in cooperation with universities and research people in the actual countries. Fertility Mastitis resistance Protein, kg

3 Norsvin Healthy, Efficient, Productive and Lean! Aqua Gen Seeds of Vitality and Profitability Norsvin, headquartered in Hamar, Norway, has since 1958 produced genetic progress to the benefit of pork producers, meat industry and consumers. Sustainable balance Norsvin operates a highly effective system for swine genetic improvement. Etensive animal testing and intensive selection are based on Norway s high health swine population. The current genetic evaluations include 3 traits for Norsvin Landrace and 2 traits for Norsvin Duroc. In total, 25 and 17 traits are included with an economic weight in the total breeding value for the two breeds. Sustainable balance between genetic progress and inbreeding is now maintained by utilization of the optimal contribution theory dynamic selection rules by placing a direct constraint on cumulative inbreeding. Thereby Norsvin can maintain genetic diversity and deliver input to a sustainable agriculture. In the last decade, the average annual F has been,5% and,68% for Norsvin Landrace and Norsvin Duroc respectively. Days Born alive -,2 -,4 -,6 -,8-1 -1,2-1,4-1,6-1,8-2 Live born piglets, 1., 2., 3. parity 2,5 2 1,5 1,5 -,5 May 6 Nov.5 May 5 Nov.4 May 4 Nov.3 May 3 Nov.2 May 2 Nov.1 May 1 Nov. May Genetic Progress Norsvin L Rebreeding performance days from weaning to first service May 7 Nov.6 May 6 Nov.5 May 5 Nov.4 May 4 Nov.3 May 3 Nov.2 May 2 Nov.1 May 1 Nov. May 21-day litter weight 1,5 Kg 1,5 -,5-1 -1,5-2 May 7 Nov.6 May 6 Nov.5 May 5 Nov.4 May 4 Nov.3 May 3 Nov.2 May 2 Nov.1 May 1 Nov. May 25% of the gross-turnover on applied R & D Norsvin is first in the world to apply computer tomography (CT) scanning on a continuous basis for evaluating 3,5 purebred boars annually. The new Norsvin boar test station will be operative in 28. With this new facility, Norsvin increases the number of boars tested per year by 4% without increasing the number of nucleus boars selected. Employing CT technology allows Norsvin to capture carcass data on candidate boars directly, thereby increasing selection accuracy and ensuring our customers receive the greatest genetic benefit. The new boar test, combined with a meatand fat quality evaluation platform where IMF, drip loss, fat quality and fatty acid composition are among the evaluated traits, ensures a sustainable genetic development benefiting the entire chain of value from gene to table. Norsvin contributes to the maintenance and good care of animal genetic resources for future generations! May 7 Nov.6 Norsvin Parity 1 Parity 2 Parity 3 Parity 1 Parity 2 Parity 3 Aqua Gen, headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, is a major provider of genetically improved seeds for the salmon industry in Norway, with a considerable eport also to Chile and the United Kingdom. The company s main product is fertilized eggs of Atlantic salmon and sea-running rainbow trout. Hatcheries are the net step in the value chain, where the eggs are hatched and reared to the smolt stage with subsequent transfer to marine sea cages for grow-out to harvest size. Aqua Gen, established in 1985, manages the commercial continuation of the Atlantic salmon breeding program initiated in the early 197s by livestock scientists. The base population of Aqua Gen s genetic material originates from wild Atlantic salmon from more than 4 Norwegian rivers. Selecting for 22 traits Aqua Gen is running a large scale breeding program, systematically collecting data for 27 traits from appro. 1 individuals each generation. In the aggregated breeding value for Atlantic salmon 22 traits are included. For rainbow trout the number of traits is 12. A broad breeding goal is instrumental for maintaining a sustainable fish farming industry. The theory of optimal contribution is implemented in the breeding program aiming at a minimal increase of inbreeding pr generation while maimizing genetic gain. Aqua Gen aims at maintaining a genetic diversity for the coming generations of fish breeding. Developing a more robust fish is a goal in Aqua Gen s breeding programme. Important projects include a swimming test to register capacity of the heart and circulation system, registration of new traits such as vaccination side-effects and filet yield, challenge testing for viral and bacterial diseases and developing methods for non-invasive registration of filet colour and fat content. New techology implemented Aqua Gen recently increased the number of families and breeding candidates and implemented frozen milt in the breeding program, a conservation method of genetic variability. The past 3 years the genetic gain has contributed to: A reduction of rearing time from smolt until harvest size from 24 to 14 months Increased resistance to the viral disease infectious pancreatic disease (IPN) Improved filet quality Photo: Aqua Gen Photo: Aqua Gen

4 SalmoBreed Sustainable Breeding for a Robust Salmon Fridtjof Nansen Institute Focusing on Rights to Animal Genetic Resources SalmoBreed is a Norwegian breeding company for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Both species are produced in many countries, and SalmoBreed delivers worldwide. SalmoBreed s selection programmes are developed in close cooperation with leading scientific institutions, and essential criteria for the programmes are: Develop disease resistance and tolerance to farming conditions Avoid inbreeding, keep the population strong and maintain genetic variation. Improve production traits such as growth rate and feed conversion. Maintain or improve meat quality and the health benefits of eating fish Genetics & Breeding AkvaForsk Genetics Center (AFGC) is responsible for the genetic work in SalmoBreed. AFGC is a leading provider of genetic improvement services to aquaculture industries worldwide. The main genetic base of the SalmoBreed (SB) population of Atlantic salmon originates from some of the best salmon rivers in Norway. The SalmoBreed nucleus consists of 3 full- and half-sib families. When the fingerlings reach appro. 15 grams, fish from each family are tagged, and performance tested for a series of characteristics of key importance to the salmon industry. SalmoBreed divides selection of breeders in two strategies: Selection for long term sustainable breeding in the nucleus, and selection for short term intensive breeding for production. This means that the selection pressure is dispersed on many traits when selecting broodstock for new families in the nucleus, and concentrated on few important traits for the industry, as disease resistance and growth, when selecting breeders for production (table 1). Figure 1 shows a result of this strategy after selection for resistance to ISA: considerable response to selection when selecting breeders direct for production and lower but notable response to selection in the nucleus. Table 1 Divided breeding in SalmoBreed: Traits given selection pressure in nucleus and in production. Growth Sea and Fresh water Reduced early maturation Better resistance for diseases IPN, ISA, Furunculosis Higher yield Slaughter and filet Better carcass quality Pigmentation, reduced fat contents Better eternal epression Regular shape, skin colour, reduced susceptibility for malformations Better survival Nucleus Production Photo: SalmoBreed The Fridtjof Nansen Institute is a private, non-profit research institute specialising in law and political science linked to the field of natural resource management. Legal and political issues related to genetic resources and biological diversity have been major areas of research for more than a decade, with a particular focus on analysis of different legal and policy instruments and treaties. Intellectual property rights are important for the work on animal genetic resources, in particular patents applied to the animal breeding sector. A recent trend in the international animal breeding sector is that companies apply for patents for breeding methods as inventions. This trend presents a number of difficult legal challenges that need to be dealt with at a policy level by governments and international organisations. Since the patent system is open for granting these patents for breeding methods, these legal systems are highly relevant for the breeders and farmers, as they might be met by patented breeding methods. The cooperative structure in the Norwegian breeding associations is an interesting model to develop from a legal point of view, since it ensures the rights of and the participation by individual farmers. Currently, the United Nations Organisation for Food and Agriculture (FAO) is discussing the future work plan for developing international instruments for the echange, sustainable use and conservation of Animal Genetic Resources. The Norwegian cases might serve as interesting models for the upcoming work, both at the international and the national level. For further reading on legal analysis: Tvedt, Morten Walløe, Sipke Joost Hiemstra, Adam G. Drucker, Niels Louwaars and Kor Oldenbroek. Legal Aspects of Echange, Use and Conservation of Farm Animal Genetic Resources. FNI Report 1/27. Lysaker, FNI, 27, 34 p. #animal_genetic_resources Photo: Norsvin Figure 1 AFGC: Selection for better resistance to ISA: offspring on selected parents Survival, ISA (%), offspring Mean survival offspring = 49,% Selected breeders, production Selected breeders, nucleus y =, ,121 R 2 =,84 Response, survival ISA (relative to mean in offspring) Nucleus +3,9% Production +9,9% EBV for survival, ISA (%), selected parents

5 The Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre The Key to Sustainable Use and Conservation of Our Biological Heritage Photo: Norsvin The Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre was established in 26 by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to coordinate national activities related to genetic resources in farm animals, crops and forest trees. The centre is a part of the Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute. The work on farm animal genetic resources focuses both on the conservation and sustainable use of old, native breeds as well as on maintaining a continuous dialog with the Norwegian breeding associations regarding their emphasis on running sustainable breeding programmes. It is with great pride that the Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre coordinates this presentation of the ecellent and innovative breeding work carried out by the Norwegian breeding associations to an international audience. Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre a part of the Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute Pb 115, NO-1431 Ås T: (+47) F: (+47)