Held from 13-15 December 2006, at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture reviewed the first draft of “The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture,” which represents the most comprehensive assessment of global farm animal genetic diversity attempted so far.

According to the draft, which is based on data from 169 countries, some 60 breeds of cattle, goats, pigs, horses and poultry have been lost over the last five years. “Maintaining animal genetic diversity will allow future generations to select stocks or develop new breeds to cope with emerging issues, such as climate change, diseases and changing socio-economic factors,” the secretary of FAO’s Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, José Esquinas-Alcázar, said. Approximately 20 percent of domestic animal breeds are currently at risk of extinction, with a breed lost each month due to a globalization of livestock markets, which favors high-output breeds over a multiple gene pool that would be vital for future food security.

Links to further information
UN press release, 15 December 2006
Meeting website
Meeting documents