WP5 Case study on genetic resources in food and agriculture

concrete conclusions on trends in the genetic diversity of livestock breeds and cropvarieties, or to make reliable comparisons between Member States, thus data collectionon livestock breeds and crop varieties and monitoring of their trends have to be improvedand harmonised between all Member States. Especially conservation of animal breeds hasto be subject of international coordination beyond national borders such as thedevelopment of joint conservation management plans, as many breeds exist in severalcountries, and cooperation as well has cost-benefits. Criteria for the categorisation andprioritisation of breeds and varieties should be standardised. Efforts have to be made formore coordination between regions within Member States (e.g. Germany) concerningprotection efforts and related AEMs, linking of herdbooks, and building up a nationalprogramme for cryoconservation.International exchange of information and coordination of conservation activities is animportant target of Regulation (EC) No.870/2004. This includes:• The development of a web-based, permanent and widely accessible network ofnational inventories on crop genetic resources as well as of animal geneticresources.• Information exchange on methods, techniques and experiences of on-farmactivities, including utilisation and marketing concepts• Establishment and co-ordination of permanent European ex-situ collections forcrops and cryo-conserves for animal genetic resources based upon the existingnational or institutional ex-situ collections• Characterisation and evaluation of crop and animal genetic resources used orpotentially useful for food and agriculture• Establishment and co-ordination of a European network of conservation anddemonstration fields/gardens of endangered and under-utilised crop geneticresources, as well as of ‘Ark farms’, rescue-stations and farm animal parks forendangered European farm animal breeds• Establishment of a standardised European performance testing regime for animalgenetic resources in agriculture, and documentation of characteristics ofendangered farm animal breeds and populations; development of common crossnationalbreeding programmesImproving framework conditionsAn important aspect in this respect is a review of policies impacting on genetic resources(as it is done in England), an identification of specific administrative, structural andnormative restraints and possibly an adaptation of legal conditions in order to removeobstacles for the use and distribution of genetic resources (e.g. restrictive legislationconcerning breeding of livestock or for circulating seeds from plant genetic resources;marketing and food quality requirements).Support of in-situ conservation39