Issue 1
November 2004
People
and
Livestock
Inside
·
Booroola sheep
gene patented 2
·
ALive platform for
livestock research
launched 2
·
World ethnoveteri-
nary congress in
Guatemala 3
·
African ethnovet
database moves 3
·
Upcoming
events 3
·
Publications 4
·
Links on animal
genetic re-
sources 4
People and Livestock
is an occasional news-
letter for those interested
in promoting socially and
ecologically responsible
livestock development. It
is produced by the
League for Pastoral
Peoples with support
from Misereor.
Please send news and
contributions to the edi-
tor, Evelyn Mathias,
evelyn@mamud.com,
Weizenfeld 4, 51467
Bergisch Gladbach,
Germany
Design & layout:
Paul Mundy,
paul@mamud.com
The opinions expressed
do not necessarily reflect
those of Misereor.
league for
pastoral peoples
www.pastoralpeoples.org
People and Livestock is
also available online at
www.lifeinitiative.net
Socially and ecologically responsible development
Local breeds of cattle,
sheep, chickens and other
livestock still form the ba-
sis of livelihoods and cul-
ture in many parts of the
world. They also represent
a vital reservoir of biodi-
versity for livestock
breeders. But these local
breeds are under threat
along with the livelihoods
of the people who raise
and manage them. Their
future looks bleak unless
action is taken immedi-
ately.
Threats to breeds and
livelihoods
·
Industrialized animal
production is expanding
rapidly. Smallholders and
pastoralists vital for con-
serving livestock genetic
diversity are being
crowded out. The global
livestock sector is in dan-
ger of consolidating into
"livestock monocultures".
·
Rapid advances in bio-
technology may lead to a
total reorientation of ani-
mal breeding in the com-
ing decades.
·
Urgent questions about
intellectual property
rights over animal genetic
resources remain unre-
solved.
At the same time, bio-
technology and gene
technology are advancing
rapidly in livestock. Pres-
ently this is happening in a
legal vacuum. Firms have
started patenting genes of
breeds originating from
the South (see news clip
below).
Focus: Treaty on animal genetic resources
Will we wait until it's too late?
The need for a treaty
An international agree-
ment on animal genetic
resources is urgently
needed. Such an agree-
ment should ensure free,
open access to animal
genetic resources, and
should guarantee live-
stock keepers a fair and
level playing field in their
interactions with animal
industries.
But international agree-
ments are not enough to
ensure that pastoralists
and smallholders can con-
tinue their role as guardi-
ans of local breeds. They
can do this only if they
have secure access to
grazing lands, water, and
other key resources such
as markets and education.
National and local gov-
ernments must ensure
that they have access to
these resources.
Crops have been in the
centre of attention for
more than two decades.
An International Treaty on
Plant Genetic Resources
for Food and Agriculture
has recently come into
force. Livestock and poul-
try have been left aside for
far too long.
The long and winding
road
In the late 1990s, the
Food and Agriculture Or-
ganization of the United
Nations (FAO) warned
that local breeds were
threatened: they esti-
mated that breeds disap-
pear at a rate of two every
week.
FAO found that about a
quarter of all livestock and
poultry breeds were
threatened. Nearly two-
thirds of the endangered
breeds were in the devel-
oping world.
To verify these estimates,
an Intergovernmental
Technical Working Group
under the guidance of
FAO asked all countries to
collect data on the breeds
in their country in order to
compile a State of the
World report. This report
is due in 2005.
Preliminary analysis of the
country reports shows that
local breeds are being
replaced even faster than
was thought. This makes
it even more urgent to
start negotiations on an
international agreement.
Ducking the issue
During the 9
th
Session of
the Commission on Ge-
netic Resources for Food
and Agriculture in 2002,
non-government organiza-
tions and representatives
of livestock communities
called for such a treaty.
But the Commission re-
ferred the issue to the In-
tergovernmental Technical
Working Group on Animal
Genetic Resources.
Despite pressure from
Botswana, Kenya and
Uganda to start negotia-
tions, the Working Group
ducked the issue. At its 3
rd
session in 2004 it post-
poned further discussions
until the State of the World
report was published.
People
and
Livestock
Page 2 of 4
The Boorola gene is an
important precedent:
it is the first gene from a
Southern livestock
breed to be patented.
But the fact that genes
can be patented is
questionable: especially
genes from breeds de-
veloped over centuries
by livestock keepers!
The Booroola gene is
one of several genes for
prolificacy identified by
AgResearch, a biotech
firm in New Zealand.
The firm claims the gene
has a large effect on the
litter size of sheep: "It is
additive, so one copy of
the gene means an extra
100 lambs born per 100
ewes lambing, and two
copies inherited from both
parents means an extra
150 lambs born per 100
ewes lambing."
The Booroola gene in
Australia can be traced
back to Bengal sheep
which were imported from
Calcutta in 1792/3 and
crossed with Merinos.
Booroola gene of sheep patented
ALive: Partnership for
Livestock development,
Poverty Alleviation and
Sustainable Growth is a
multi-partner programme
initiated by the World
Bank.
ALive is a platform dedi-
cated to a shared and
harmonized vision for the
livestock sector in Sub-
Saharan Africa. Around 50
ALive platform launched in Paris
In 1993, the discovery of a
genetic marker for the
Booroola gene made it
possible to identify carri-
ers of this gene.
Research in Israel has
confirmed the gene's eco-
nomic potential. Between
1996 and 2000, the De-
partment of Animal Pro-
duction of Agricultural Re-
search Organisation under
Israel's Ministry of Agricul-
ture and Rural Develop-
ment introduced the
Booroola gene into
Awassi, Assaf and Ger-
man Mutton Merino
sheep.
The experiments resulted
in a new Awassi strain
called "Afec" which pro-
duces about 2.0 lambs
born per ewe lambing.
A study by the same de-
partment found "under the
range of economic pa-
rameters tested, introduc-
tion of the Afec into
Awassi flocks managed
under semi-intensive con-
ditions would be profitable
in most scenarios." Re-
cently the gene has been
found to occur in sheep
elsewhere in Asia.
In 2003, researchers from
New Zealand and Austra-
lia have obtained a patent
for the Booroola gene. It is
registered in the USA un-
der application no.
10/169,051.
AgResearch website:
www.agresearch.co.nz/
representatives of various
stakeholder groups at-
tended the constitutive
meetings held in Paris on
31 May1 June, 2004.
Members of the General
Assembly welcomed the
initiative that seeks to re-
vive interest and funding
for livestock development.
Some pointed out that
several of the 13 projects
proposed for funding du-
plicated existing efforts.
The NGO members were
concerned that a number
of the measures were un-
suitable to reach the poor
directly rather than through
trickle down.
More information:
www.oie.int/eng/press
/en_040720.htm
Grabbing the bull by
the horns
An earlier opportunity to
get this issue onto the
agenda is the 10
th
Com-
mission session, coming
up on 812 November
2004. We can only hope
that the Commission will
not again defer discus-
sion. Experience with the
crops treaty showed that
negotiations are a long
process. Many breeds will
be lost before a treaty
comes into force.
Can we really afford to
lose more time?
It can take a decade or
more to negotiate a
treaty on animal genetic
resources.
Do we have the time?
People
and
Livestock
Page 3 of 4
The Second Workshop
and First International
Congress on Ethno-
veterinary, Ethno-animal
Husbandry and Related
Sciences took place in
Guatemala on 2829 Sep-
tember 2004.
The workshop and con-
gress were organized by
the Facultad de Medicina
Veterinaria y Zootecnia.
Institutions such as "Vet-
erinarians without Bor-
ders", Heifer Project Inter-
national and universities
from Guatemala, Nicara-
gua, Cuba and Mexico
collaborated.
Ethnovet congress in Guatemala
There were 17 presenta-
tions, several demonstra-
tions, plus posters from
Taiwan, Pakistan, Hol-
land, Uganda, India and
Guatemala.
Topics ranged widely from
indigenous knowledge
related to beekeeping and
wild animals to shrimp
farming, animal testing,
medicinal plants and their
use, "good farming prac-
tices" in the pharmacology
industry and ethno zoo-
technology and endoge-
nous livestock keepers
development.
A follow-up conference is
likely to be held in 2005.
More information: Dr.
Dora Elena Chang de Jo,
Facultad de Medicina
Veterinaria y Zootecnia e-
mail: dorachang@ hot-
mail.com, or contact: plan-
tasmedfmvz@yahoo .com
[Ellen Geerlings]
Saving the Camel and
People's Livelihoods
An international confer-
ence to build a multi-
stakeholder platform for
the conservation of the
camel in Rajasthan, In-
dia, will be held on 23-25
November 2004 in Sadri,
Rajasthan. The confer-
ence is hosted by Lokhit
Pashu-Palak Sansthan.
More information:
www.pastoralpeoples.org
or contact Hanwant Singh
Rathore, Director, LPPS,
lpps@sify.com
6th Global Conference
on Domestic Animal
Genetic Resources
Originally scheduled for
2730 September 2004,
in Bloemfontein, this con-
ference has been post-
poned to April 2005. De-
tails will be announced at
www.lifeinitiative.net
Conference on horse
genetic resources
Biodiversity of horse
genetic resources, its
characterization and con-
servation: International
conference, 1820 No-
vember 2004, Kaunas,
Lithuania.
Global Pastoralist
Gathering
On 28 January1 Febru-
ary 2005, pastoralist
groups from all over the
world will gather in a pas-
toralist area of East Africa
to converse, find common
ground and create alli-
ances. Supporters from
first nations groups, gov-
ernments, the United Na-
tions, universities and
other organizations will
also attend.
The gathering will be co-
hosted by pastoralists
from East Africa, The
Horn of Africa Pastoralist
Communication Initiative,
the World Initiative for
Sustainable Pastoralism
and the Institute of Devel-
opment Studies, UK.
Accommodation will be in
traditional houses or safari
tents. The facilitation will
use African approaches,
where small meetings and
big gatherings take place
under shady trees.
More information: Contact
Daoud Tari Abkula and
Sarah Wilson, globalpast
oralistgathering@yahoo.
co.uk.
Animal genetic re-
sources at CGRFA
A key body governing ani-
mal genetic resources will
meet in Rome on 812
November 2004.
The Commission on Ge-
netic Resources for
Coming up
Food and Agriculture
(CGRFA), will meet at
FAO.
NGOs are pressing for
animal genetic resources
to be discussed at this
meeting. See the focus
article, Treaty on animal
genetic resources, on
page 1 for details.
African ethnovet
database moves
The PRELUDE Database
on African ethnoveter-
inary medicinal plants
has moved. See the link
below for the new address
at Metafro.
The database contains
1500 plant species used
in human and animal
medicine in sub-Saharan
Africa. The information
has been compiled from
sources covering the pe-
riod 19002000.
www.metafro.be/
collections/prelude_
keywords.txt/view
More information: Jean
Lehmann, lehmann@ fy-
nu.ucl.ac.be
People
and
Livestock
Page 4 of 4
Production and man-
agement of camels
by Bakht Baidar Khan,
Arshad Iqbal and Mu-
hammad Riaz, Dept of
Livestock Management,
University of Agriculture,
Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Written in question-and-
answer format, this book
covers almost all aspects
of the camel.
More information: Arshad
Iqbal, drarshad_iqbal@
hotmail.com
The political economy of
international develop-
ment and pro-poor live-
stock policies: A com-
parative assessment
by David K. Leonard.
PPLPI Working Paper 12.
Pro-Poor Livestock Policy
Initiative, FAO, Rome.
Publications
Suggested ways to sup-
port the interests of poor
livestock producers in de-
veloping countries.
www.fao.org/ag/againfo/
projects/en/pplpi/docarc/
wp12.pdf
Livestock keepers'
wronged
by Patrick Mulvaney. eco,
11(1) p. 16. May 2004
How the USA is blocking
the recognition of livestock
keepers' rights at FAO.
www.ukabc.org/eco_cop7-
11.pdf
Livestock keepers'
rights: Conserving
breeds, supporting live-
lihoods
by the League for Pastoral
Peoples
Outlines the case for sup-
porting the rights of live-
stock keepers in order to
conserve animal genetic
diversity.
www.pastoralpeoples.org/
docs/livestockkeepers
rights1.pdf
The black sheep of
Rajasthan
by Ellen Geerlings. Seed-
ling, October 2004. pp 11-
16.
A study of the Raika, one
of the largest groups of
livestock herders in India.
www.grain.org/seedling_
files/seed-04-10-3.pdf
Relevance of access
and benefit sharing for
farm animal genetic re-
sources
by Lucia Kaal-Lansbergen
and Sipke Joost Hiemstra.
North-South Policy Brief
2003-5, Wageningen Uni-
versity
www.north-south.nl/
webfiles//Policy%20Brief
%20Farm%20Animal%20
Genetic%20Resources-
2003-5.pdf
The Abundant Herds:
A Celebration of the
Nguni Cattle of the Zulu
People
by Marguerite Poland,
David Hammond-Tooke
and Leigh Voight. Fern-
wood Press
Examines the role played
by cattle and cattle-related
imagery in the oral tradi-
tion of the Zulu people.
Order from ww.nhbs.com/
xbscripts/bkfsrch?search=
144632
Commission on Genetic
Resources for Food and
Agriculture
The forum where govern-
ments negotiate on ge-
netic resources for food
and agriculture
www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/
default.htm
Convention on Biologi-
cal Diversity
International agreement to
conserve and use biodi-
versity sustainably, and to
share benefits fairly.
www.biodiv.org/default
.aspx
DAGRIS Domestic Ani-
mal Information System
Source of information on
indigenous livestock
breeds. Focus on Africa.
dagris.ilri.cgiar.org/dagris/
Links on animal genetic resources
FAO-DAD-IS
Database covers 5300
breeds of 35 livestock
species from 180 coun-
tries.
http://dad.fao.org/
FAO Pro-Poor Livestock
Policy Initiative
Promotes policies and
institutional changes to
improve the livelihoods of
livestock keepers
www.fao.org/ag/againfo/
projects/en/pplpi/
home.html
GTZ Agrobiodiversity in
Rural Areas
A project to enhance the
long-term conservation
and use of plant and ani-
mal genetic resources.
www.gtz.de/agrobiodiv/
english/index.html
Intermediate Technol-
ogy Development Group
Advocates defending the
global commons.
www.itdg.org/?id=global_
commons
League for Pastoral
Peoples
NGO that supports the
rights of pastoralists and
small-scale livestock
keepers.
www.pastoralpeoples.org/
The LIFE initiative: Local
Livestock for Empow-
erment of Rural People
Network to promote com-
munity-based conserva-
tion and development of
indigenous livestock
breeds and species.
www.lifeinitiative.net/
LinKS Biodiversity Gen-
der Knowledge
FAO project on gender,
biodiversity and local
knowledge in four coun-
tries in southern Africa.
www.fao.org/sd/LINKS/
Rare Breeds
International
International NGO aiming
to prevent the loss of di-
versity in global farm ani-
mal genetic resources.
www.rbi.it/
SAVE Foundation:
Safeguard for Agricul-
tural Varieties in Europe
European organization
promoting the conserva-
tion of endangered breeds
and cultivated plants.
www.save-foundation.net/