The annual meeting of the In Situ Working Group of the European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources was held virtually on 31 May 2021 with 27 participants chaired by Danijela Bojkovski (Slovenian National Coordinator for Animal Genetic Resources at FAO).
The overall objective of this WG is to improve in situ conservation (on-farm conservation) and valorisation of Animal Genetic Resources to provide a basis for its sustainable use.
Experiences on different initiatives with sharing of information among countries about implemented and planned activities related to on-farm conservation, success stories and projects need to be exchanged.
An important achievement of the group this year is a Europe-wide survey on national support measures for the conservation of local breeds. Each country has its own policies, strategies and programs for the conservation, sustainable use and management of local breeds. Financial support for farmers keeping local breeds can be part of the national Rural Development Programs (RDP). Data were provided by 14 countries (including 4 non-EU countries). Data on how countries calculated their national payments was collected through the online survey and an assessment is given of the extent to which these measures have strengthened in situ conservation programs. This report provides a solid basis for opening discussions at national level for the implementation of the new measures in the national CAP strategic plans to start in 2023.