The objective of the National Bank of Animal Germplasm is to constitute a permanent and closed collection of reproductive material of all the breeds of the Catalog of Cattle Breeds of Spain, which allows it to act as a security element in the event of a loss of genetic variability of the same, and even in case of its extinction. Through […]
The objective of the National Bank of Animal Germplasm is to constitute a permanent and closed collection of reproductive material of all the breeds of the Catalog of Cattle Breeds of Spain, which allows it to act as a security element in the event of a loss of genetic variability of the same, and even in case of its extinction.
Through this material, a ‘backup copy of the reproductive material’ is established, which is collected by breeders’ associations and deposited in other germplasm banks, generally supervised by the Autonomous Communities, thus guaranteeing that any of our communities can be fully recovered. breeds, even in the hypothetical case that their genebank of origin disappeared.
Along these lines, in the last year 8,927 new doses of sperm have been incorporated into the National Animal Germplasm Bank, the number of male donors has increased by 123 and 5 breeds have contributed material for the first time. Currently, this organism has 89,060 doses of sperm from 1,150 donors from 59 different breeds of cattle —Spain has 166 breeds or varieties of indigenous cattle—, in addition to 364 embryos from three breeds of cattle. Although in quantitative terms it is a small collection, it accumulates the greatest livestock genetic biodiversity at the national level and one of the most important at the European level.
National Bank of Animal Germplasm
The National Bank of Animal Germplasm, dependent on the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, was established in 1998 and is currently managed by the Animal Selection and Reproduction Center of Colmenar Viejo (Madrid), belonging to the Madrid Institute for Rural, Agrarian Research and Development and Food (IMIDRA) of the Community of Madrid.
To maintain and increase the heritage and livestock wealth of Spain, one of the largest in Europe, the Ministry develops, together with the autonomous communities, the National Program for the conservation, improvement and promotion of livestock breeds, whose actions consist, on the one hand, in in situ conservation —animals that are found in the natural environment in which they are traditionally raised— and, on the other, ex situ conservation, which is carried out outside that environment, fundamentally through the constitution of collections of reproductive material in banks of germplasm to guarantee the conservation of a breed or variety in the very long term. Through these collections the stored material is protected, not only from genetic erosion caused by the abandonment of livestock breeds, but also from natural disasters and epidemics that can decimate them.
Summary
Qualification
New donors and breeds for the National Animal Germplasm Bank
Description
The objective of the National Bank of Animal Germplasm is to establish a permanent collection of reproductive material of all the breeds of the Catalog of Cattle Breeds of Spain, which allows it to act as a security element in the event of a loss of genetic variability, and even in the event of extinction.
Author
Gastronomy Journal