Project description
This project contributes to maintaining genetic diversity in Schleswig-Holstein, Belgium and Luxembourg by establishing state-of-the-art breeding methods and innovative phenotypes in Rotbunt DN populations in a long-term and sustainable manner. In addition to partners from Germany, partners from Belgium are involved in the project. The practical implementation of genomic selection, a selection method in which breeding values can already be estimated for very young animals with sufficient certainty, has led to an almost doubling of worldwide genetic progress in the last 10 years. A disadvantage of this innovative method is that only very large populations, such as Holstein Friesian or Fleckvieh, can use this selection method. Thus, the pressure on small populations, such as Rotbunt DN, is growing. The loss of such populations represents an irretrievable loss of genetic diversity. The conservation of endangered breeds is desirable for cultural reasons on the one hand, and on the other hand, they contribute to genetic diversity with their gene pool. In addition, endangered breeds are often associated with local, high quality products.