Stakeholders’ perception of the local breeds’ sector in six European countries - a survey by the GEroNIMO project

Abstracts.

As part of the European multi-actor project GEroNIMO (Genome and Epigenome eNabled breedIng in MOnogastrics) a survey was conducted with actors and stakeholders (breeders, advisers…) of the local pig breeds’ sector to collect their perceptions. The objective was to describe the farms, their levels of productivity, their economic viability and the breeding programs. It also aimed to identify stakeholders’ concerns about the future of local breeds and the overall impact of the sanitary crisis on them. A dedicated online survey was designed in seven languages including English, with emphasis on six European countries: Croatia, Italy, France, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. In some cases, faceto-face interviews were also conducted. A total of 374 responses were collected, of which the most complete (n=337) were included in the analysis. Results show that local pig breeds are mainly reared on small farms, using outdoor rearing, locally available feed resources and natural mating. Preserving genetic diversity and maintaining breeds’ standard characteristics are the main motivations stated by the surveyed stakeholders. For one third of the surveyed breeders, activities related to local breeds are economically unbalanced, with deteriorating profitability due to the sanitary crisis. Genetic evaluation is performed in very few local breeds, but stakeholders demonstrated their interest for selective breeding, especially for reproductive traits. They expect the public authorities to protect the use of breed names and introduce incentives to increase productivity. A similar survey was also conducted for local chicken breeds.