SUMMARY CONFERENCE 3
The appropriateness, significance and application of biotechnology options in the animal agriculture of developing countries
Conference 3 of the FAO Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and
Agriculture took place from 12 June to 25 August 2000. The summary documents provide a synopsis of the main arguments and concerns discussed. All messages posted are on the Forum website.
I. Summary Document (Short Version) - Conference 3
Conference 3 of the FAO Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and
Agriculture was entitled "the appropriateness, significance and application
of biotechnology options in the animal agriculture of developing countries"
and ran from 12 June to 25 August 2000. A total of 235 Forum members
registered for the conference and 42 messages were posted, roughly half of
which came from participants living in developing countries. Messages were
submitted by 26 different individuals (11 % of all registered), the majority
of whom had extensive experience of development projects in developing
countries.
Two major types of biotechnologies were considered in the Background Document
to the conference. The first were reproductive technologies, such as
artificial insemination (AI), embryo transfer (ET), in vitro maturation and
fertilisation (IVM/IVF), sexing of semen or embryos and cloning of embryos or
adult animals. The second were DNA-based technologies, applied to a range of
diverse areas such as disease diagnosis or vaccine development; development
of genetically modified (GM) animals or GM rumen microorganisms; use of
molecular markers for genetic improvement through marker-assisted selection
(MAS) or for estimating genetic distances of breeds; and the development of
recombinant hormones.
In the conference, discussions touched on a wide range of biotechnologies,
both reproductive and DNA-based. Unlike Forum conferences for the crop,
forestry or fisheries sectors, the debate was not dominated by the topic of
genetic modification. Of the different animal sectors to which
biotechnologies might be applied, there was more discussion about their
application for genetic improvement and characterisation/conservation of
genetic diversity than for animal health, and very little on their use for
animal nutrition and growth. Specific comments about the animal health sector
emphasised the large potential that biotechnology represents in vaccine
development, disease diagnosis and in improving genetic resistance of
livestock.
There were many comments on the appropriateness, significance and application
of specific biotechnologies in developing countries, particularly AI and ET.
This is probably because these technologies have been available for some
years now and have already been used for a wide range of species and in many
different circumstances in developing countries. This compares with newer
technologies, such as IVM/IVF, sexing, MAS or genetic modification, which
were also discussed, but which would generally be considered as potential
tools for the future in developing countries.
Discussions on AI dealt primarily with the problems associated with
application of the technology, the reasons for its relatively moderate uptake
and whether it was a viable alternative to natural service. ET is a more
advanced reproductive technology and is less widely used than AI in
developing countries. Participants discussed their experiences with ET as
well as the advantages (e.g. potential to disseminate female crossbred dairy
embryos) and disadvantages (e.g. increased technical capacity required)
compared to AI in developing countries. For successful use of both
technologies, the importance of good animal husbandry, nutrition and
management standards was emphasised. There was little debate on GM animals,
although participants who discussed them felt they offered large potential
and that testing them before release was important. Mixed opinions were
expressed about the potential benefits of adult cloning or MAS for developing
countries.
There were also many comments on broader issues, not related to individual
biotechnologies. For example, there was much discussion about why
biotechnology is used relatively little in developing countries. Participants
argued that a major reason was the low level of educational and basic
infrastructural (water, roads etc.) standards in these countries, since the
vast majority of new technologies require a highly developed physical, social
and educational infrastructure. In developing countries, there is also little
knowledge about agricultural biotechnology and low capacity to use it. In
addition, it was argued that, in many cases, there were few economic
incentives for farmers to produce for profit, so they were not interested in
investing in biotechnology. Another reason was that biotechnology was often
introduced through externally funded development projects and once they
finished, and financial resources were exhausted, the biotechnology
activities were not continued locally.
Another issue given much attention was the impact of biotechnology on
livestock biodiversity in developing countries. Ironically, the same
biotechnologies, depending on how they are used, can have either positive or
negative impacts. For example, reproductive technologies such as AI and ET
can cause breed loss, when used to introduce foreign genetic material for
crossing with local breeds, or they can promote breed preservation, when used
for storing genetic material of endangered breeds. Participants highlighted
the positive impacts of using molecular markers to study livestock
biodiversity, noting the importance of international collaboration in such
initiatives. The negative impacts highlighted were those of genetic erosion
resulting from the use of reproductive technologies for crossing adapted
indigenous animals with introduced breeds unsuited to the environment.
Another issue addressed in the conference was the relationship between
biotechnology and other components of animal agriculture. It was argued that
it was appropriate to consider whether the resources required for
biotechnology could be used more effectively on other areas, e.g. extension
services, in developing countries. Several participants emphasised the fact
that biotechnology, and genetic improvement in particular, cannot be
considered in isolation from the other components of animal agriculture and
that when using biotechnology other important aspects, such as general animal
husbandry, should not be overlooked.
The importance of genotype by environment interactions, where the genetic
superiority/ranking of animals is dependent on the environment they are in,
was highlighted on a few occasions. They were discussed in the context of
introducing breeds from developed countries, as the interactions mean that
the animals have often been unsuccessful in the environment of developing
countries, and when running genetic selection programmes in developing
countries, to ensure that the selection environment should reflect the
farmer's normal production environment.
Some of the other issues discussed included which traits to target for
genetic improvement in developing countries, specific applications of
biotechnology to improve animal feeds, application of biotechnology in
peri-urban areas and the role of animal scientists in the biotechnology
debate.
For those with access to the web, further information on what the
participants said can be got by viewing the actual messages they posted (
http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/c3logs.htm ) or by reading the Long Version
of the Summary Document
( http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/C3/summary.htm ).
