Livestock Breeding and Legislation Flashcards
Livestock Breeding and Legislation
Areas of legislation
Animal genetic resources Artificial Breeding (AI and ET) Trade Animal Health and Welfare
Livestock Breeding and Legislation
Regulations and Rules
Terms and Conditions of Sale Codes of Practice Legislation Health Schemes Breed Society Regulations
Farm Animal Genetic Resources
As one of 150 signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the UK has an international obligation to look after its FAnGR.
The FAO Global Strategy for the Management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources, which the UK is party to, is the international mechanism through which action recommended by the CBD is taken
Convention on Biological Diversity
Three main goals:
• to conserve biodiversity;
• to promote the sustainable use of biodiversity; and
• to promote the sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way.
UK Government has agreed to:
“…………to consider and promote, as appropriate and subject to national legislation and international law, the mainstreaming of agricultural biodiversity in their plans, programmes and strategies with the active participation of local and indigenous communities and the inclusion in the communities’ plans, programmes and strategies on conservation, development and use of agricultural biodiversity, and to recognise and support the efforts of local and indigenous communities in conserving agricultural biodiversity;…”
UK Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) Breed Inventory
- updated annually for most breeds
- reports number of breeding females per breed
- cryogenic stocks held by each breed society
- identifies ‘Breeds at Risk’
- priority given to Native breeds
Data also used to:
1 Enhance knowledge of population size and prevent the loss of breeds
2 Support strategic planning for the sustainable utilisation of animal genetic resources
3 Improve priority setting for conservation programmes
4 Enhance knowledge of cross-border genetic linkages
5 Raise public awareness
Breeds at Risk
These farm animal and poultry breeds are at particular risk in the event of an outbreak of exotic disease in the UK.
For a breed to be included it must:
•be a native breed
•be eligible for inclusion in the UK National Breed Inventory
•have a population of registered breeding females below 3000 (1500 for pigs; 1000 for poultry)
Breeds at risk may be granted a derogation from compulsory culling for the control of a notifiable exotic disease (e.g. FMD) at the discretion of the CVO
Breeds that fall within this category should have a contingency plan developed with their Vet.
Zootechnical rules and standards
There are rules and standards you must follow if you trade purebred breeding animals, hybrid breeding pigs or germinal products like semen or embryos.
These rules apply if you’re a recognised:
•breed society for purebred breeding animals
•breeding operation for hybrid breeding pigs
UK legislation has been recently introduced to fall in line with EU rules and standards
Zootechnical - rules and regulations
The requirements of UK Animal Breeding legislation include:
- controls on activities of recognised breed societies - including periodic inspections by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
- a zootechnical certificate for cattle, pigs, sheep and goats and a new equine certificate
- the need for all breeding organisations to create and publish a breeding programme for each breed they support
If your breed society or studbook trades with societies within the EU or Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland, this is considered EU trade.
Zootechnical standards - checks
- APHA and DAERA checks on breed societies
- When you import or export animals
- Influences your ability to register a purebred animal
- Zootechnical certificates for individual animals
• name of the issuing body
• name of the breeding book
• name of the breed
• sex and details about ascendants
• results of any performance tests - where relevant
Breeding and Welfare
“Natural or artificial breeding or breeding procedures which cause or are likely to cause suffering or injury to any of the animals concerned must not be practised.
This provision shall not preclude the use of certain procedures likely to cause minimal or momentary suffering or injury, or which might necessitate interventions which would not cause lasting injury, where these are allowed by national provisions.”
“No animal shall be kept for farming purposes unless it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype or phenotype, that it can be kept without detrimental effect on its health or welfare.”
Artificial insemination legislation
Minimum standards for semen collection centres – licensed by APHA Must meet standards to export semen from the UK
Cattle
- each bull must have a licence
- health tests must be carried out by Vet
- collection centre must be licensed or unlicensed centres can apply for a 3 month approval
- must be licenced if semen is to be traded within EU
Boars
Sheep and goats - laparascopic AI must be carried out by a veterinary surgeon. SVS code of practice
Horses – can be carried out by trained lay person. BEVA code of practice
Bovine semen regulations
Devolved but similar instruments throughout UK
Purpose- to minimise the animal health risks that are potentially associated with the collection, processing and storage of bovine semen for the domestic (UK) market
Control the collection, processing and storage of semen eligible for trade in UK and with other member States of the European Union.
It also ensures the health status of donor animals.
- Collection centres regulated
- On-farm collection permitted – but trade is limited to frozen semen
- Storage and labelling of semen and record keeping
Embryo Transfer regulation
Livestock and equine embryo collection and storage centres must be licensed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to operate.
Veterinary Surgeons Act and Animal Welfare acts regulate embryo transfer
Embryo Transfer - Sheep regulation
Sheep:
Treatment of ewes using hormones to produce multiple embryos and subsequent embryo transfer must be carried out only by a veterinary surgeon.
Embryo transfer is an act of veterinary surgery.
Embryo Transfer - Cattle regulation
Embryo collection and transfer may only be undertaken by someone who is a member of an approved embryo collection team and acting under the authority of the team veterinarian;
Before embryo transfer takes place, the recipient cow must be clinically examined by a veterinary surgeon to certify it is suitable to receive the embryo.
Embryo transfer and embryo collection may only be made if the animal concerned is given an appropriate anaesthetic (usually an epidural);
