Animal breeding and the conservation and sustainable use of Animal Genetic Resources as a Strategic Component of the Future EU Livestock Strategy
Submitted to the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food – June 2026
Introduction
The European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources (ERFP), representing the European network of National Coordinators for Animal Genetic Resources and supporting the implementation of the FAO Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to develop a future-oriented EU strategy for the livestock sector.
ERFP considers this initiative as a timely opportunity to recognize and highlight the essential role of animal breeding and to stress the urgency of strengthening national and EU strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR). These efforts are crucial for ensuring a resilient, competitive and sustainable future for the European livestock sector.
Europe possesses one of the world’s richest reservoirs of livestock diversity. This diversity includes highly productive international breeds, regional transboundary breeds and numerous local breeds that have evolved over centuries and are specially adapted to diverse environmental, climatic and production conditions. Together, these resources form the biological foundation upon which future breeding progress, adaptation and innovation depend.
As climate change, emerging diseases, resource constraints and evolving societal expectations increasingly shape livestock production, maintaining livestock genetic diversity – and making full use of the genetic diversity that exists within livestock species and breeds and within these breeds across different production systems and environments – becomes not only a biodiversity objective but also an agricultural, economic, cultural heritage and food security imperative.
Animal Genetic Resources are often perceived primarily through the lens of biodiversity conservation. While conservation remains essential, livestock genetic diversity delivers a much broader range of benefits to European society.
Animal Genetic Resource diversity supports:
- Adaptation to climate change and environmental pressures;
• Resistance and tolerance to emerging diseases;
• Long-term breeding progress and innovation;
• Animal health and welfare;
• Sustainable use of natural resources;
• Rural livelihoods and cultural heritage;
• Food security and strategic (regional) autonomy.
Current and future resilience of European livestock systems depend on maintaining sufficient genetic diversity within and among breeds to respond to future challenges that cannot yet be fully anticipated.
The essential role of locally adapted breeds
Across Europe, locally adapted breeds continue to provide valuable services in agricultural systems that are often less suitable for highly specialized commercial breeds. These populations contribute to sustainable livestock production in marginal areas, support nature conservation and landscape management, provide ecosystem services, utilize local feed resources efficiently and preserve valuable adaptive traits.
Many local breeds demonstrate characteristics increasingly relevant under changing climatic conditions, including heat or cold tolerance, robustness, longevity, fertility under challenging environments, disease resistance and lower dependence on external inputs.
ERFP emphasizes that local breeds should not be viewed as alternatives to modern commercial breeding programmes but as complementary components of a diversified and resilient livestock sector.
Therefore, local breed conservation and sustainable use must be considered together. Conservation without use is unlikely to be sustainable, while sustainable use provides the strongest incentive for long-term maintenance of genetic diversity.
Breeding for Resilience and Sustainability
European livestock breeding has achieved remarkable progress in productivity and efficiency over recent decades. Future breeding strategies should build upon this success while broadening breeding objectives to address emerging societal and environmental challenges.
ERFP supports sustainable breeding approaches that integrate:
- Productivity and efficiency;
• Animal health and disease resistance;
• Fertility and longevity;
• Adaptation to climatic stressors;
• Animal welfare;
• Environmental performance;
• Maintenance of genetic diversity.
The future competitiveness of European livestock production will increasingly depend on the ability to combine productivity with resilience, sustainability and societal acceptance.
A European Framework for Animal Genetic Resources
The ERFP Animal Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe highlighted the need for stronger integration of Animal Genetic Resources into European agricultural, environmental and climate policies.
A coherent European approach should strengthen:
- Monitoring and characterization of livestock diversity;
• In situ and ex situ conservation programmes;
• European gene bank networks and cryoconservation infrastructure;
• Genomic characterization and research;
• Data sharing and interoperability;
• Capacity building and knowledge exchange;
• Cooperation among breeding organizations, research institutions and public authorities, also on transboundary level.
Existing European coordination mechanisms, including ERFP and the European Genebank Network (EUGENA), have demonstrated their value by supporting cooperation among countries and facilitating implementation of shared objectives. These structures should continue to be supported and strengthened.
In addition, the EU Animal Breeding legislation (2016/1012) provides an essential legal framework for animal breeding and for the conservation and sustainable use of endangered livestock breeds. In this context, the EU Reference Centre for Endangered Animal Breeds (EURC-EAB) has been launched and has been operational since 1-1-2023, supporting National Competent Authorities, breed societies and other stakeholders in the implementation of Regulation EU 2016/1012.
Recommendations to the European Commission
ERFP respectfully recommends that the future EU Livestock Strategy:
- Explicitly recognize the essential role of animal breeding and the conservation and sustainable use of Animal Genetic Resources for food security, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable livestock production.
- Integrates livestock genetic diversity into EU climate resilience, biodiversity and agricultural policies.
- Promotes breeding objectives that balance productivity with resilience, health, welfare and environmental sustainability.
- Supports the conservation and sustainable use of local, regional and endangered breeds.
- Strengthens European infrastructure for Animal Genetic Resources, including conservation networks, gene banks and data systems.
- Increases investment in genomic technologies, phenotyping, characterization and innovation relevant to both mainstream and local breeds.
- Improves access to innovation and breeding tools for small breeding organizations and livestock keepers.
- Recognizes the contribution of well adapted local breeds to ecosystem services, rural development and high-value agricultural products.
Conclusion
Europe’s livestock genetic diversity is not merely a heritage from the past. It is an essential resource for the future.
The challenges facing European agriculture require livestock populations capable of adapting to changing environmental, economic and societal conditions. Maintaining and sustainably using Animal Genetic Resources is therefore fundamental to ensuring the long-term resilience, competitiveness and sustainability of the European livestock sector.
ERFP stands ready to support the implementation of these objectives within the future EU Livestock Strategy, by contributing decade-long developed expertise, experience and a well-established and cooperating European network.
On behalf of the European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources (ERFP)
ERFP Chair : Danijela BOJKOVSKI