Ag Group Calls for Protecting Genetic Diversity of Food Animal Livestock

According to a new publication by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), the genetic diversity of livestock and poultry is declining, leaving one-third of the world’s protein supply at risk to extreme weather and disease outbreaks. CAST warns that “up to 25 percent of global livestock breeds are either at risk of being lost, or have already been lost.” The report discusses the risks associated with reduced access to genetic traits and recommends actions to protect remaining breeds that build on current conservation practices such as cryopreservation and germplasm repositories. “By losing breeds we make finding potential solutions to future production demands much more difficult, and recent history indicates that predicting future demand is problematic. Conserving breeds saves these options and keeping them in the agricultural landscape is a reminder that these options exist.”      
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news