A New Way of Thinking to Protect Local Breeding of Livestock and Poultry

Data show that in the past hundred years, 450 local cattle breeds have become extinct in the world, and more than 70 sheep breeds have become extinct or on the verge of extinction in the past 60 years.

Similarly, improved breeds of livestock and poultry in many parts of our country are also being impacted by foreign high-yield varieties, and some of them are even endangered. Take beef cattle as an example, the contradiction between supply and demand of beef in China has been difficult to solve, a large number of exotic cattle and beef influx, constantly squeezing the living space of local cattle breeds. Recently, it has been reported that the stock of purebred Luxi yellow cattle in Liaocheng, Shandong Province is only 200, which is on the verge of disappearing.

Gold is easy to get, but a kind is hard to get. What caused the endangerment and extinction of local livestock and poultry breeds? After its potential value has been excavated, how to protect it?

First of all, large-scale farming is the main reason why improved breeds of livestock and poultry are abandoned by farmers in many places. For farmers, economic benefits are the first. When choosing farmed varieties, they will prefer improved varieties with fast growth rate, short culture cycle and high production capacity, resulting in the gradual elimination of local improved varieties in the passage of time.

Some experts say that the competition in animal husbandry will be a genetic competition. Therefore, the importance of species conservation is self-evident. But how to protect the seed? Who's going to protect it? It is not enough to build an improved seed farm and make up some money. "Revival" is still needed after seed conservation, and the main force of "revival" lies in the people.

Secondly, the original seed farm only preserves the genetic genes of a variety, and it may be difficult to keep the local improved varieties out of the embarrassing state of survival by raising live populations alone. Moreover, whether it is the original seed farm or R & D institutions, it is impossible to expand the population with limited subsidy funds. At this time, should we consider allowing enterprises to participate in the implementation of industrial management, so that local varieties to the market? Moreover, after the participation of enterprises, it is also very necessary to establish an appropriate incentive and subsidy mechanism, which will help to stimulate enterprises to carry out brand development and promotion in the later stage.

In addition, the local government has established local standards for improved breeds of local livestock and poultry and applied for geographical indication certification, hoping to preserve the uniqueness of the improved breed. However, after applying for certification, many places do not know how to use it, and enterprises have no right to apply for certification, resulting in the stagnation of the promotion of improved varieties.

The role of aquaculture enterprises in seed conservation has been underestimated, so we can consider adopting policy subsidies to encourage farmers to breed local improved varieties, so as to drive more people to participate. Enterprises can establish original seed farms, apply for geographical indication certification, and extend the industrial chain. Only by developing large-scale breeding and allowing more people to participate in the process of protection, breeding, group expansion and development, can we save the endangered local livestock and poultry breeds.