Welcome

It is imperative that a research infrastructure of substantial merit is created and aggressively maintained, in order to serve the future requirements of our vibrant industries. This is a shared responsibility between government and industry itself.

An essential component of a successful livestock industry is the ready availability of a diverse pool of genetic resources. From such a pool, experiments, improvements and refinements are possible, to adapt to changing environmental and economic circumstances.

To this end, the Foundation will concentrate its efforts on the conservation of Minor Breeds that historically gained regional reputations for excellence, but have been eased aside by stocks with more universal appeal, supported by strong marketing organizations. These Minor Breeds represent a strong "fall-back" position for our industry; they are the repository of an untapped genetic reservoir.

While one can lament the fact that many of these stocks have already disappeared for all time, the Foundation’s mandate is to ensure that the attrition ceases.

You are urged to join the crusade now, and to influence others to do likewise.

Sincerely yours,
Donald McQ. Shaver, O.C., D.Sc.
Chair

Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Support back to top

The Canadian Farm Animal Genetic Resources Foundation is grateful for the support provided by the Hon. Lyle Vanclief in funding under the Canadian Adaption and Rural Development (CARD) for the Foundation’s Communication Plan. This $61,000.00 will support the Foundation and its industry partners to move forward with plans for a web-site, additional technical and educational information, a quarterly newsletter, display materials and other initiative to further the mission, goals, and objectives of the Foundation.

Future newsletters will outline and contain many of the activities provided with this support. .

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAQ) of the United Nations has embarked on a process to describe the genetic diversity of the world’s farm animals. Individual countries have been invited to summarize the situation of farm animal genetic diversity in Country Reports, which will be condensed into regional reports and finally into a World Report, expected to be complete by 2005. As of January 2002, nearly 100 countries had accepted to participate in this process. In their reports, the FAQ would like each country to describe the present situation, changes to farm animal genetic resources in the last 10 years, and expected changes in the next 10 years. This look at the future is designed to encourage the development of national plans to maintain genetic diversity in farm animal populations. To this end, FAQ has asked that all stakeholders be involved in preparing the report.

In Canada, an ad hoc committee of stakeholders has been formed, with Roy Crawford as Chair and S. K. Ho as Secretary. Dian and I have agreed to draft the document with input from the ad hoc committee or other sources as appropriate. Dr. Shaver represents the Canadian Farm Animal Genetic Resources Foundation on this committee. In addition to providing written and oral input at a November meeting in Saskatoon, Dr. Shaver has ensured that Dian and I have the report on Canada’s Livestock Animal Genetic Resource, prepared under the supervision of Larry Milligan, to help us in preparation of the draft document. ~Other committee members have provided input either at the Saskatoon meeting or in subsequent communications.

A first draft of Canada’s report should be complete for circulation to ad hoc committee members by the end of April. Input from committee members is an integral part of the Country Report. We expect it to go through several revisions before it can be presented to the Canadian government, represented by the Sub-committee on Genetic Resources of the Interdepartmental FAQ Committee, for approval. We hope to be able to submit Canada’s Report by the end of August of this year to allow FAQ to keep to its schedule. Once the report is submitted to FAQ, the hope is that stake-holders in the farm animal genetic resources in

Canada will proceed with implementing the plan for the future. .

Canada’s Livestock Animal Genetic Resource; back to top
Need for a National Conservancy

[In late 2001, the Foundation commissioned a study of Canada’s animal genetic resources and the need for a conservancy strategy, led by Dr. Larry Milligan, from the University of Guelph. The following is a much-shortened version of his report.]

FAQ is leading an international initiative to address the issue of conservation of livestock genetic resources and Canada is a participant in these discussions.

Canada has considered its livestock animal genetics as an economic venture exporting large volumes of semen, and embryos throughout the world. However, like the rest of the world, Canada has only recently begun to understand and focus upon the need to conserve and preserve its current genetic pool.

The conservation effort is particularly important as livestock and livestock products account for approximately 35% of the world’s total agricultural revenue. The intensification of livestock production to meet this demand is creating international uniformity and a much less diverse genetic pool.

With respect to federal government funded livestock research, the allocation of dollars does not at all reflect the reality of Canada’s Agriculture revenues which over the past decade have approximated 55% livestock products and 45% from plant products.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada however funds research atthefollowing levels.

Its mandate is very broad and its funding, limited. Thus it has been unable to provide detailed advice with respect to the development of a national conservancy action plan including a research component. Although Agriculture and Agri-Food

Canada will provide a snapshot of our current livestock animal genetic resource for Canada’s Country Report, more is needed in terms of planning, research and facilities dedicated to resource conservation.

In the US, a National Animal Germplasm Program has been funded by USDA since 1990. An Animal Germplasm repository has been established and work has begun to collect and store germplasm in it. A number of research needs have been identified, and priorities established. Industry is involved, an information system will shortly be in place, and the Program will have the capability to monitor the status of the US animal germplasm resource on an ongoing basis.

Canada has much to gain from establishing an active germplasm conservation program. Benefits would include insurance against changes in consumer demand, changes in production circumstances (disease, feed availability, etc. etc.) and many others.

This report’s recommendations include:

CLA enriched beef benefits producers and consumers. back to top

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), a fatty acid with proven anti-cancer and obesity-fighting properties, can be increased naturally in beef cattle by supplementing their diets with vegetable oil, says Dr. Zahir Mir, a researcher at the Lethbridge Research Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

"We found we could increase the CLA in meat by 600 percent over the control," Mir says. "This will benefit consumers and producers, so it’s a win-win situation we’re very excited about."

When CLA’s anti-cancer properties were discovered in 1987, it launched a frenzy of research, covering all aspects of the molecule, says Mir. Added to the potential for significant health benefits to humans who consume beef, the increased production efficiency and environmental benefits of CLA in beef production could have dramatic implications for the beef industry.

CLA is actually made up of nine different related components called isomers. One of the isomers has chemoprotectic, or cancer fighting properties. Another has an "energy partitioning effect", which has implications for obesity in humans. It also promotes the development of lean muscle and reduces the amount of fat that develops in animals.

In cattle, CLA is produced naturally in the rumen. Cattle produce more CLA when they are fed diets containing high levels of linoleic acid, a fatty acid that is essential in beef diets. The amount of CLA in North American human diets has decreased over the last 50 years from about 3 grams per day to 1 gram per day, says Mir. That may be partly because today’s beef cattle are raised on higher grain and lower forage rations, a factor that may be why recent studies are focusing on increasing the amount of CLA in beef cattle.

The new research is an extension of previous studies at the Centre, which showed that using vegetable oils as supplements could increase the CLA levels in the meat of lambs. CLA also reduced backfat and increased lean muscle mass of the lambs. Mir and Drs. Mike Ivan and Priya Mir, colleagues at the Lethbridge Research Centre, used sunflower and safflower oils, which contain about 70 percent linoleic acid, a precurser for CLA, in the cattle and lamb studies.

The increase in CLA concentration in beef alone

may not be high enough to provide anti-cancer benefits for beef consumers. However, CLA is also found in dairy products such as cheese and milk, which means the increase in CLA in cattle has the potential to have a significant effect on humans, says Mir.

CLA is also expected to reduce the amount of waste fat in cattle, because of its energy partitioning effects. With less waste fat, weaning weights will be higher and feed efficiency vastly improved. Further studies into CLA’s energy partitioning effects have implications that extend beyond the farm gate. Studies initiated at the Lethbridge Research Centre are looking at the potential positive effect of CLA on fat development and obesity in humans, using a rat model.

Use of vegetable oil rich in linoleic acid also has the potential to improve feed efficiency in cattle. The presence of this fatty acid in the rumen reduces the number of protein-hungry protozoa that live in the rumen of cattle, leaving more protein available to the animal for lean mass development. This fatty acid also captures the hydrogen in the rumen and results in less methane production, which helps mitigate an environmental concern associated with beef production.

Further studies are underway to more thoroughly investigate the benefits of CLA for the beef industry.

Another View On Priorities back to top

The Foundation seeks opinions from a variety of sources. Following is an edited version of a letter received from Dr. Rob Etches, formerly with the University of Guelph, and now Director of Research for Origen Therapeutics, a California based biotechnology company.

expensive to maintain large groups of live animals. "Thirdly, the research program should be operated by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada with high priority. It should be headed by an internationally known scientist and staffed to the caliber of an internationally recognized research centre. It should maintain working relationships with the international scientific community that leads the field of genome analysis in domestic animals.".

The Foundation consists of individual and corporate members and is operated by a Board of Directors and a series of committees.

The current Board of Directors is as follows:

Corporate Membership back to top

The Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following organizations which have provided support:

Dairy Farmers of Canada
Poultry Industry Council
Agricultural Institute of Canada
Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg & Chick Commission
Holstein Canada
Dairy Farmers of Ontario
Ontario Egg Producers
Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
Laval University
Semex Alliance