In the Netherlands, and other developed countries, animals breeding, and especially farm animal breeding, has developed to a professional industry with modern technologies, large scale data collection, and analyses. This has resulted in very efficient and effective breeding programs, producing many thousands of genetically improved animals for different parts of the world. However, for this large scale animal breeding a big infrastructure is required, combined with high quality data collection, large computing capacity, and highly educated people to run the breeding program. This level of organisation is not available in all parts of the world (yet). Especially in developing countries the situation is similar to the way it was in Europe before the Industrial Revolution (that started around 1750). In those developing countries animals are kept for multiple purposes: to produce food, labour (traction power), warmth, for their hides and/or wool, their manure is used as fertiliser for the land and also as fuel for the fire, as savings account (sell an animal when needed), and to increase social status (more is better). The surplus of animals or animal products are sold on the market. Also in developing countries efforts are made to improve the productivity of the animals to increase the welfare of people of their, usually poor, owners. For us it is self-evident that animals of a certain breed are uniform in type and performance, that selective breeding usually is well organised and structured, and that the required infrastructure is present. In many developing countries this is not the case (yet). However, an increasing number of selective breeding programs has been developed in a large range of countries, and many are quite successful. The increasing level of education in those countries is an important factor in that success.
Algemeen
Inhoud
Integraties