The Gentile di Puglia is a local Italian sheep breed with origins dating back to Roman times. Celebrated in Latin literature for the exceptional quality of its wool (Ciani et al., 2015), this breed once supported thriving pastoral economies based on long-distance transhumance between the grasslands of Apulia and Abruzzo. For centuries, its fine wool was prized for textiles. 

The Terceira Pony is an autochthonous breed originating from the Azorean archipelago of Portugal. Its origins trace back to the 15th century, when the first settlers brought horses from mainland Portugal to the islands. 

Malawi has valuable indigenous livestock, particularly the Malawi Zebu cattle, which are well adapted to local climates, disease challenges, and low-input systems. However, these genetic resources are increasingly threatened by indiscriminate crossbreeding, shifting production practices, and limited conservation efforts.

The Uruguayan livestock system, particularly in the north, is based on extensive grazing and strongly influenced by climate. In 2024, the country recorded approximately 11.8 million beef cattle, underscoring the sector’s economic importance. 

Cika cattle (cikasto govedo) are the only preserved indigenous cattle breed in Slovenia. The breed originates from the Bohinj region in the Julian Alps and was developed within traditional alpine dairy farming systems. In the late 19th century, the solid-coloured cattle w...

Developed by Dr Muhammad Sajjad Khan, then Professor of Animal Breeding and Genetics at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), UniGold was created to meet the needs of smallholder poultry producers operating under semi-scavenging and low-input conditions in Pakistan. The goal was to strengthen national self-reliance in poultry genetic resources through a hardy, productive, and locally adapted alternative to imported layer strains that often perform poorly in rural environments.

Across the vast plains and rangelands of the Turkmen Sahra in northeastern Iran, the Turkmen camel represents a little‑known yet highly valuable national genetic resource. For centuries, this indigenous breed has been central to local livelihoods and an integral part of the cultural identity o...

The Faroese horse, one of the world’s rarest equine breeds, has faced a critical conservation challenge for decades. By the 1960s, the population had collapsed to just four mares and a single stallion, placing the breed on the brink of extinction. This extremely narrow genetic base created severe long-term risks and triggered sustained preservation efforts.

Campero Bonaerense INTA is a dual-purpose synthetic population undergoing a stabilization process, derived from crossing males and females of the three-way hybrid Campero Casilda. It was primarily developed as a resource for family agriculture programs through a network of multipliers. Additio...

Preserving genetic diversity in livestock is crucial for sustainable breeding programs worldwide. This diversity serves two critical purposes: it drives long-term improvements in productivity and functional traits, while also ensuring...

May 13, 1971, was a very sad day for the Tux-Zillertal community—fittingly marked by the number “13.” The last cow of the breed was slaughtered, and it was believed that the breed had become extinct. At the House of Nature in Salzburg, this so-called “last” Tux cow from the stable of Josef Brugger (“Kirmer-Zuhäusl”) in Stummerberg was taxidermied and put on display. Thankfully, this turned out to be a misjudgment.

The FAO Division for Animal Production and Health is currently developing an AI-based software application to help identify cattle breeds in the field. The accuracy of the results will depend...

The thirteenth session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture will be held from 20 to 22 November 2024. The meeting will take...

The Black Castellana breed is a Spanish indigenous breed of laying hens recorded both in the Official Catalogue of Livestock Breeds of the Ministry of Agriculture of Spain and in FAO’s Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS). GANECA is the breeders a...

Every 10 years the FAO prepares a report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, based on information provided by countries. The previous report...

The local cattle population, known as Campuzano, lives in the desert regions of the Guajira peninsula (Colombian Caribbean region); Its ability to thrive in desert conditions is, along with the local populations of goats and hair sheep, of great importance, due to its provision of protein sust...

The 75th Annual Meeting of European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) will be held from 1 to 5 September 2024, in Florence, Italy. The general topic of this Congress will be...

The local goat population in Tunisia is composed of a mosaic of phenotypes and genotypes that remains fundamentally represented by the autochthonous "Arbi" goat breed. The Arbi is more concentrated in the marginal zones, where it is exclusively reared under extensive breeding systems. The Arbi...

Originally from Central steppes of Asia, the Barbarine sheep breed was introduced to Tunisia by the Phoenicians around the fourth century B.C. By the year 1050 A.D. it had become the permanent unique and "noble" breed that is represented in the sacrifices scenes and the religious ceremonies of...