Outreach, society, policy

Preparation of the Third Report on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

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Abstract

Animal genetic resources (AnGR) provide the biological basis for world food security and rural livelihoods. These resources are under threat, resulting in decreasing genetic diversity of the world's livestock populations. To assess this situation, every decade the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) undertakes a global assessment and prepares a Report on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Resources. The assessments and reports are based on information from FAO member countries, international organizations working with AnGR, regional networks of countries, and technical inputs from scientists and other AnGR experts. In addition, breed population data are extracted from the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS). The first of these reports was published in 2007 and the second in 2015. For the third report, the process of data collection was initiated in late 2023 with the distribution of questionnaires to countries, followed by international organizations and regional AnGR networks. Preliminary results were published in 2024, and a second opportunity was offered in early 2025 for new submissions or updating of previous responses. Questionnaires were received from 112 FAO member countries (representing all global regions and levels of economic development), 17 international organizations, and 3 regional networks. Analysis of these data has resulted in several key observations. FAO member countries report 9226 breeds, an increase of nearly 500 in the past ten years. In addition, knowledge about the status of these breeds has increased substantially; 56% of national breeds now have population-size data, compared to 42% ten years ago. However, a greater proportion of breeds (29 vs. 17%) are now classified as being at risk. A notable development in the last 10 years is the availability of data on cryoconservation. Currently, this information is available for 58% of breeds, although material is actually banked for only about 16% of breeds, and for only 7% of breeds is this quantity sufficient to allow their reconstitution, if necessary. Progress has been reported in the establishment of breeding programmes, but for only about half of the world's breeds are formal approaches applied. Breed conservation programmes are now reported by 87% of countries, a slight increase since 2015; 60% of countries undertake some gene-banking. Nearly all countries report the use of reproductive biotechnologies, particularly artificial insemination (96%); more than two-thirds of countries have applied embryo transfer, at least on a research basis. Overall, implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, the international policy for AnGR, is partially complete. The greatest level of implementation has been in establishing the national institutional framework for AnGR, whereas action on conservation has lagged. Funding for AnGR related activities remains low. Publication of the third report is foreseen in 2027.

Keywords: 2026

How to Cite:

Ajayi, P., Baumung, R., Boettcher, P., Leroy, G., Vaccari, G. & Van der giessen, L., (2026) “Preparation of the Third Report on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture”, World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production Digital Archive 2026(1): 2286573. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/wcgalp.24053

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