Application of Technology Platforms to Horse Breeding

Andrea Rosati and Nicoletta Miraglia(EAAP – European Federation of Animal

Science)

Technology Platforms: Central Concept

Framework to unite stakeholders around:

• a common “vision” for the technology concerned

• mobilisation of a critical mass of research and innovation effort

• definition of a Strategic Research Agenda

Role of the TPs

• Give inputs to EC about research needs for future actions

• TPs are not an official bodies of EC• TPs are a group of interested stakeholders

that, on European basis, furnish needs and comments to EC

• Produce the Strategic Research Agenda for the research topics of the next 25 years (!)

Format of the TPs

• TPs are “industry driven”• Main groups participating to TPs:

– Industries– Research communities– Public organizations– Others (funding organizations, civil societies,

consumers, …)

Technology Platforms: Three Stages

Stage 1: Stakeholders get together

Stage 2: Stakeholders define a Strategic Research Agenda

Stage 3: Stakeholders implement the Strategic Research Agenda

Current Situation

• There are around thirty-five TPs for most of the scientific and technology fields

• EC gave support to some TP to establish a Secretariat and to achieve stakeholders involvement

• Most of the TPs developed the SRA• Themes for FP7 are influenced by the SRAs

FABRE Technology Platform

• Role of Europe in the world livestock production: € 122 billion/year gross product

• The historical role of Europe in global animal genetic improvement

• Part of European animal breeding in the annual income: € 1,83 billion/year

Objectives

• To produce quality and healthy food of animal origin

• To consider environmental sustainability and economic efficiency of animal farming

• To improve the efficiency and competitiveness of European animal farming and the related industry

Industries

• Pratically none in Small Ruminants (only in swine, poultry and aquaculture)

• Mainly Family farms usually organized in a co-operative form

• Animal feed industry, pharmaceutical sector, very few A.I industry

Research Sector

• Research Institutes of Animal Science

• Laboratories of large private enterprises

• Research institutes of animal breeders

• Research Associations

Governmental Bodies

• FAO and other international governmental agencies

• Agriculture Ministries

• National Research Organizations

• Veterinarians Services

Civil Society

• Consumer associations

• Environmentalists

• Farmers associations

• Animal protection organizations

• …

Current Situations

• Increase utilization of food of animal origin

• Use of advanced technologies

Perspective for a sustainable improvement

• Healthy food production

• Healthy and robust animals, adapted to new environments

• Well planned improvement and consideration about biodiversity

• Accurate management of natural environments

Three Stages Process

• Emergence and set up = strategic Vision document, initiated by industry

• Definition of Strategic Research Agenda: research and technological developments for medium to long term - wide (?) range of stakeholders

• Implementation of Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) along EU research

Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2012

• Some major points:– Better knowledge of stallion and mare physiology– Tools for diagnosis and therapy of fertility problems– Increased availability of quantitative and molecular

tools for the selection of fitness traits– To model and to understand the biology of horses

Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2012

• Some major points:– Improve information on horse genome– Create, develop and maintain public genome

databases– Identify genes for the main genetic diseases– Management of biodiversity of equines– Improvement of chilled transported sperm and of

frozen sperm

Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2012

• Some major points:– Identification and parentage control using modern

tools and European identification system (UELN)– Record precise phenotypes by conventional and

new tools– Define reliable objective traits focused on

performance, behaviour, health resistance– Genetic analysis of selected traits– Analysis of interactions between genotype and

environment

Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2022!

• Identification of genes, which are responsible for differences in performance, temperament, fertility, growth development

• Identify genes for the main genetic diseases• Development of early and reliable predictors

for longevity• Development of basic knowledge in the main

biological functions to decipher muscle, skeleton and nerve development and physiology

Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2022!

• Development of breeding systems including new traits (biomechanics, performance, temperament, growth and fertility ability)

• Improvement of efficiency of oocyte freezing techniques

• Increase of research in pregnancy and neonatal period to minimise neonatal disease

• Identify genes for fertility traits

Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2022!

• Improvement of reproduction efficiency• Improved knowledge and understanding of

technologies for semen sexing and cloning• Understanding of the influence of the non-

expressed part of the genome• Detailed knowledge relevant to understanding

the biology of horse specie

Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2032!!!

• Produce horses devoid of genetic diseases• Include molecular information in horse

selection• Genetic monitoring of horse breeding at the

stud and breed levels• Integration of epigenomics in equine genetics

Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2032!!!

• Improved definitions of welfare and wellbeing for horses

• Progress towards modelling the likely impact of new mutations

• Full understanding of the implementation, impact and consequences of genetic modification

Thanks!