Homepage » Service » Events » Event

First LowInputBreeds Symposium

15.03.2011 - 16.03.2011
Location: Wageningen, The Netherlands

The main goal of the first symposium of the LowInputBreeds project is to identify and discuss areas of ethical concern in relation to breeding and selection in general and progress in the project in particular. The symposium will take place March 15 and 16, 2011 in Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Logo LOwInputBreeds

There will be presentations by researchers from within the LowInputBreeds project and by stakeholders from outside the project. Presenters will be provided with a focus outline for their presentations.

Central questions regarding breeding goals to be discussed at the symposium are:

  • Maintaining local breeds fitting in a concept, such as Label Rouge, Participatory Consumer-Producer systems, etc.
  • Improving ‘conventional’ efficiency/ economics/cost price. In some countries this is important for organic and other concepts as they operate on a competitive and international market.

General issues might be:

  • What is considered necessary with regard to breed development and methods used?
  • What can breeding contribute, what is possible to achieve through breeding for low input systems?
  • Another issue is, if we know how important breeding is in comparison to other solutions. Should the LowInputbreeds project follow a holistic type approach and not only focus on genetics?

More specific issues are:

  • Effects on biodiversity
  • Discarding male animals (laying hens, dairy cattle)
  • Genomic selection
  • Economic compromises

Presentations and discussions will be in plenary meetings and in parallel sessions for ruminants in one room and pigs and poultry in another room.

During the symposium, time for meetings for the work package subgroups and a general assembly for the LowInputBreeds project will be scheduled.

Further information will be provided in autumn. If you have suggestions, please send your ideas to Ferry Leenstra of Wageningen University and Research Centre. 

About LowInputsBreeds

The LowInputBreeds project unites 21 partners from Europe and further afield and will develop integrated breeding and management strategies to tackle the issue of improved animal health and food quality. It will run until 2014 and is co-funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. Veronika Maurer of FiBL is the project's scientific coordinator.

More information

Contact

Links