News

EFFAB is pleased to announce that UNCEIA (Union Nationale des Coopératives Agricoles d’Insémination Animale) have adopted Code-EFABAR® as an umbrella organisation. UNCEIA (www.unceia.fr) is a professional animal breeding umbrella organisation representing animal insemination and breeding organizations in cattle, sheep and goats in France.

The EFFAB Steering Committee are happy to announce the new Aquaculture Steering Committee member Ashie Norris of Marine Harvest, who has taken over the position from Pierrick Haffray of SYSAAF.

EFFAB is pleased to announce that Danish Pig Research Centre has adopted Code-EFABAR®. Pig Research Centre is in charge of the pig breeding programme, research and development tasks related to the live pig and of communicating knowledge obtained through these activities. Pig Research Centre is part of the joint industrial organisation The Danish Agricultural and Food Council which is representing Danish farming and food industry.

EFFAB have provided answers to European Commission questions on animal cloning. In general, we agree with the European Commission that the progeny of clones are outside the scope of the novel foods directive as they are derived from conventional breeding practices and are normal animals.

Cloning is a technology that has some uses in agriculture for example the protection of rare individuals, or in the conservation of diversity through bio-banking, but currently the technology is very expensive and we see no justification for any widespread use of clones as production animals.

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EFFAB is pleased to announce that Hubbard Breeders have adopted Code-EFABAR®. Hubbard (www.hubbardbreeders.com) is an international poultry breeding organisation developing and marketing breeding stock for conventional and alternative markets.

EFFAB and the Food and Agriculture Organisation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Animal Genetic Resources to discuss collaboration opportunities for supporting alignment of global animal breeding management with conservation of Animal Genetic Resources.

EFFAB is pleased to announce that Hendrix-Genetics has adopted Code-EFABAR® as an umbrella organisation. The certificate has been handed out to Servé Hermans at the annual ISA – Hendrix-Genetics conference. Hendrix-Genetics (www.hendrix-genetics.com) are a multi species breeding company with divisions specialising in layer breeding, pig breeding, turkey breeding and poultry distribution.

The EFFAB annual meeting have adopted the proposed updates of Code-EFABAR that were proposed by the working group consisting of Stéphane Barbier, Pierre Cherel, Christos Petrou and Arne Storset. Every three years a team of four breeders, one for each species group, relook into all the Code-EFABAR documents and propose amendments to adjust the general and guiding documents to the latest developments and insights. The changes will be implemented from 1 January 2011. The next update will be in 2014.

EFFAB has a new website! Find everything you need to know about farm animal breeding and reproduction.

EFFAB recognise the importance of international comparability of animal health data. As part of the EADGENE project (www.eadgene.info), EFFAB have organized the mapping of animal health data gathering in pig, cattle and poultry in a number of European countries. The aim was to assess opportunities for more interoperability between countries on animal health data. This is important to improve the animal health status in Europe but also to provide phenotypic data for genomic selection, and to be able to independently show the changes and improvements over time of animal health and welfare developments in farm animal breeding and production. The latter is important to show the improvements over time in an independent way to the general public.  Animal health data collection is fragmented and lacks harmonisation. However there are structures and systems in place that contain very valuable information, if it were possible to access and consolidate these data on the European and/or species level. This would create a significant increase in the quantity and quality of the already collected and stored data. At two workshops the knowledge and technical input from experts of different bodies dealing with subjects of animal health data collection on notifiable diseases was brought together. They made clear there is added value for all species to build animal health data systems but with differences between species on implementation and application. Therefore species specific working groups were set-up to define the way forward. For all sectors involved there is an interest in the development of better coordinated systems for animal health related data. This can only be obtained by good involvement of stakeholders from the start with a bottom-up approach. Small pilot studies can show the benefits and can be expanded up to European wide harmonisation of animal health related data.

The EFFAB members in the patent watch have agreed on a new year of watching patent proposals on broad patent proposals and patent proposals on already running business.

EFFAB provides important information on broiler breeding and welfare to European Food Safety Authority 

The EFFAB broiler breeders, in cooperation with European Poultry Breeders, gathered available public data, literature and reports and other information and sent this to EFSA in October 2009.This information was for use in the TOGA project and for consideration by the expert panel preparing opinions on Broiler genetics and welfare. Furthermore, answers were provided to the 19 specific questions asked by EFSA, with relevant data to illustrate the answers. The publicly available data confirm that animal welfare has improved over the years, whilst production has increased. The few public data on animal health and breeding (Canada) show that disease incidence has decreased over the last 15 years as well. Especially leg conditions have greatly improved. It is clear that the policy of the broiler breeders to implement balanced breeding, adding many traits in the breeding programmes over at least 25 years, has led to a significant increase of the welfare of the birds, whilst decreasing the environmental impact of poultry production, and increasing production level (growth and efficiency) of the birds. The companies will continue developing broad port folios of animal products, providing birds suitable for the various markets and circumstances. They also provide detailed supporting management guides for the poultry producers, to raise the birds in the best possible ways, and will continue to do so.

EFFAB is pleased to announce that Aqua Gen has certified Code-EFABAR®. Aqua Gen is a selective breeding company which develops, produces and delivers genetic material to the global sea-farming industry. Through a market-oriented research and development Aqua Gen has achieved a leading position as a provider of fertilised eggs of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout.

EFFAB has been recognised as a Non Govermental Organisation by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Through the FABRE Technology Platform, EFFAB is actively involved in the Animal Task Force, a collaborative action of the animal technology platforms FABRE (sustainable animal breeding and reproduction), Global Animal Health (vaccines), EUFETEC (feed), EAAP, BKTN and major research bodies like INRA, WUR, SAC, University of Bonn and other research partners to enter the ATF shortly.

EFFAB through the FABRE Technology Platform actively participates in the joint actions of the Bioeconomy Technology Platforms. Via an EC funded project BECOTEPS they are preparing a White Paper on the Bioeconomy and research and business.

The EFFAB Steering Committee are happy to announce the new Cattle Steering Committee member Xavier David of UNCEIA, who has taken over the position from Margareta Håård of VikingGenetics.

EFFAB is pleased/happy that the important opportunities of improving animal production, animal health and welfare through balanced selection and reproduction are being recognised via the inclusion of research on genetics in farm animals in the report on EU agriculture and climate change ((2009/2157(INI)); Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development; Rapporteur: Stéphane Le Foll), that the European Parliament is preparing.

EFFAB is pleased that the Advisory Council report on the Welfare Quality project has been successfully finalized and presented at the final Welfare Quality conference at 10 October 2009 in Uppsala, Sweden, by Henri de Thoré. Integration of animal welfare as an integral part into running practices and schemes is important, as well as involvement of the animal sector in the development, feasibility and acceptability, taking into account the balance of animal breeding and production in a sustainability, economically feasible concept. Crucial will be the inclusion of economic reality, and purchase based improvements.

EADGENE & SABRE Industry days 2009 in Rome
The EADGENE and SABRE Industry days on the 3th & 4th of June in Rome were very successful.
The goal of the EADGENE & SABRE Industry days was to present before industry the major results of interest for the industry, and to further encourage the integration of research and industry. Several presentations concerning new technologies and innovative research projects were held. These days we very good for expanding and creating new networks and finding mutual interests between the breeding industry and research companies. For the presentations of the days, please look at www.eadgene.info > Events > Industry Days 2009 or www.sabre.info > News & Events > Industry Days 2009

During the annual meeting of 2009 in Rome, the chair position of the EFFAB Steering Committee was handed over by Margareta Håård (VikingGenetics) to Gerard Albers (Hendrix-Genetics). Margareta Håård has taken on this position for several years. EFFAB have much appreciated Margareta's chairmanship, and are glad the Steering Committee can still profit from her experience for some time. We look forward to  collaborating with Gerard Albers.

FAO-EFFAB meeting in Rome
At 3 June2009  the EFFAB members have met with the Animal Health and Production Division of FAO to exchange views and get acquainted. The Access and Benefit Sharing dossier of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was discussed. Moreover, the mutual interests were explored. FAO and EFFAB will work on a Memorandum of Understanding.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation have hosted the EFFAB annual meeting and SABRE EADGENE industry days in June 2009. We would like to thank FAO for their hospitality.

The EFFAB Steering Committee are happy to announce the new Pig Steering Committee member Ingela Velander of Danish Pig Research, who has taken over the position from Roland Aumüller. Roland will continue in the Steering Committee as treasurer.

BECOTEPS
The BECOTEPS (Bio-Economy Technology Platforms) project started its activities on 1 March 2009. BECOTEPS is a coordination and support action funded by EC DG Research  under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (226526) of the Knowledge Based Bio-Economy Network (KBBE net).
FABRE TP is one of the nine participating technology platforms in BECOTEPS. Three workshops will be organised on Food Feed chain (September 2009, Newcastle upon Tyne), Non Food Chain (October 2009, Brussels) and Sustainability (November 2009, Brussels). The results of the workshops will become input into a White Paper on KBBE.
Through FABRE TP, EFFAB has an important contribution to creating opportunities for a strong business climate for the European Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction Industry.

EFFAB moved office and a change in staff.
2009 comes with two changes for EFFAB.
The office moved to Wageningen and Marjolein Neuteboom is the successor of Angela van der Sanden.
Since the foundation of EFFAB in 2005 the office was based in the Institute of Pig Genetics (IPG) building of in Beuningen, the Netherlands. For EFFAB as a one-man organisation a good place to start. However, an independant and growing organisation representing many breeding companies should one day move forward to a more independant location. Therefore, since the 1st of January our new office is in Wageningen.
Not only the location of EFFAB is changing but also a staffmember is moving forward. After several years of hard work Angela van der Sanden has decided to pursue a new career path in February. The successor of Angela is Marjolein Neuteboom. She graduated in Animal Breeding and Genetics at Wageningen University and started working for EFFAB at the 1st of December.

Gerard Albers (Hendrix-Genetics), a new EFFAB Poultry Steering Committee Member.
We welcome Gerard Albers as the new EFFAB Poultry Steering Committee Member. He replaces Ken Laughlin (Aviagen) per 1 October 2008, who will retire.
Gerard Albers is the Director of the Hendrix Genetics Research & Technology Centre and a member of the Management Committee of the company. The Research & Technology Centre supports the Hendrix Genetics breeding divisions for layer chickens (ISA), turkeys (Hybrid) and pigs (Hypor) with up to date expertise and technologies that are shared between the genetic selection programs of the various species. These technologies include molecular genetics, statistical genetics and bio-informatics, reproduction technology and breeding information technology. The Centre runs collaborative projects with major academic institutions and companies around the world.

Viking Genetics has adopted Code-EFABAR®
If you wish to know more about the Code, please click here

EFFAB is pleased that CRV have adopted Code-EFABAR® as an umbrella organisation.

EFFAB established a 150% increase of EC funding for the breeding sector
EFFAB has made itself strong for its members. In Brussels EFFAB is representing its members for over 10 years already, indicating their needs and requests. This work was clearly succesful if we analyse the course of the funding level dedicated by the European Commission. The EC clearly recognises the importance of animal breeding and reproduction in the European society. EFFAB certainly has played and is still playing an important role in this. Keeping animal breeding and reproduction on the EC's agenda.

EFFAB is pleased to announce that Aviagen has adopted Code-EFABAR®. The Aviagen Group is a major global player in poultry genetics. Aviagen develops pedigree lines for the production of commercial broilers and turkeys under the Arbor Acres, Ross, L.I.R., Nicholas and B.U.T. brand names. In addition, the company also is number one in research and development and a pioneer in the development and implementation of progressive biosecurity programmes for chickens and turkeys.

Sperm sexing concerns cleared off by the Code of Good Practice
One of EADGENE members has been questions by a Dutch political party. This political party was concerned about the sperm sexing activities of this member. The Dutch Minister of Agriculture has indicated its trust in the Dutch breeding organisation in question, as it has adopted the Code of Good Practice. Code-EFABAR. This Code sets out the goals of animal breeding organisations, the way in which these goals are pursued, and the rules or standards that govern the activities of breeders. The Code is a tool that can be used by breeding organisations to provide insight in how they work. The adaptation of this Code by the breeding organisations answered the questions of the political party, by taking away their concerns.

At Wednesday 16 April 2008 the FABRE-TP Society Meeting took place. The meeting was attended by over 55 attendees and followed by the internet by 30 people, with a top of 45 people.
During the meeting the following topics in relation to Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction were discussed: Social Responsibility and Competitiveness, Diversity and Distinctiveness; Biotechnology, Genetics and Reproduction; Knowledge base - biotechnology, genetics and reproduction. The meeting ended with a discussion panel on these topics. All presentations are available from  the FABRE website.