Actuality 1/2010
		SAVE Foundation and SAVE Network
Home Actuality SAVE Foundation Monitoring Institute Projects Publications Conferences SAVE Network / links Board of Directors Support Downloads Contact Deutsche Version Version française Ark Network Agrobioversity.Net Epidemics		=> Link to the SAVE eNews archive (former editions of 'actuality')   eNews: March 12, 2010   Rescue of the Buffaloes in Transcarpathia Buffalos have been a part of the agricultural scenery in the Danubian basin and the southern Carpathians for thousands of years. They are the most northerly representatives of their species. Their hooves are hard, adapted to the stony ground of the mountains. Their coat is long, to protect them in the harsh winters. A compact and bulky body makes the Carpathian Buffalo a robust survival act. These features clearly differentiate it from its southern colleagues. The Carpathian Buffalo has enormous stamina as a draft animal and the milk and meat produced are delicious. The break up of the Soviet Union led to the collapse of a coordinated breeding strategy for the animals in Transcarpathia (Carpato-Ukraine), the stock numbers declined rapidly and they were in danger of extinction. The main problems faced were, as with other species, the old age of the farmers and the difficulty finding suitable breeding stock, in this case bulls, to ensure future generations of stock. Representatives of the SAVE Foundation have been keeping a careful eye on stock numbers in Transcarpathia since 1998. At that point in time there were still to be found at four locations with, between them, 65 animals. Ten years later there were only 38 animals in three places. In 2009, together with very engaged and dedicated local partners from a new association "Conservation of Agro-Bidiversity in the Carpathians" (supporting association in Germany: www.karpaten-bueffel.eu) it was possible, inspired by the ELBARN project, to build up an Ark and Rescue Centre in Transcarpathia in a disused collective farm and, thus, create a conservation programme for Carpathian Buffalos. That the project met an urgent need can be seen in the rapidity of its development: Phase 1: four breeding bulls were chosen and bought. These were put to use for interested farmers to service their female animals. Phase 2: female animals were bought that would have otherwise been sold away from the breeding area or even sold for slaughter. Phase 3: animals could be returned that were sold years ago to a zoo outside the area. These animals and their offspring provide a valuable expansion to the genetic basis of the breeding group. By the end of 2009, the Rescue Centre Saldobosh in Steblivka reached the substantial number of 19 animals - without endangering but enforcing the breeding activity in the surrounding area. The Ark and Rescue Centre Saldobosh can be seen as a perfect example of how the rescue of endangered breeds can take place. The project was a success because a few, highly motivated people and organisations collaborated ideas and strengths and, also, found adequate funds in time to finance the purchase of animals that would have otherwise been lost. SAVE Foundation thanks for the support of STAB Foundation Zurich and many donators contributing to the buffalo fundraising in autumn 2009. SAVE wishes further success to the dedicated group at Saldobosh Rescue Station (see www.arca-net.info, Ukraine). => Further support is highly appreciated on the account of SAVE Foundation, DE-Konstanz; Postbank Hannover, IBAN: DE81 2501 0030 0648 4643 00, BIC: PBNKDEFF, ("buffalo")   Balkan Network for endangered livestock breeds: International Workshop for Breeders and the Rare Breed Atlas Background Between 2004 and 2006 the SAVE Foundation documented and assessed the situation, occurrence and need for action for live conservation of the autochthonous livestock breeds of the Balkans (SAVE eNews 1/2007). Search tours, emergency planning and also vertical, horizontal and cross-border networking of the active on the ground keepers were, along with action for the individual breeds and stock groups, the main focus of the project. Many small populations of autochthonous livestock breeds have survived despite the wars and often massive economic and structural problems. Alongside the urgent actions for some breeds, first steps were taken to create a network of people responsible or interested in the conservation work. Balkan-Network 2007-2009 In the follow-on project "Balkan Network for endangered autochthonous livestock breeds; International Workshop for Breeders and the Rare Breed Atlas" the main focus was placed upon the strategies of live conservation, information and knowledge exchange between stakeholders on a horizontal and vertical level. As a reference point the shorthorn cattle (Busha, Illyric dwarf cattle, Rhodopian, Brachyceros), was chosen as this type was originally widespread throughout the area and is now found in highly endangered small populations in each country. With the external organisation of the SAVE Foundation, a crossborder exchange of knowledge and opinions took place between representatives of all three levels of the conservation work - government, university, private/NGOs. Important results of this exchange are: Molecular genetic research on the Busha population Development of a breeding standard Breeding register and herdbook keeping as a prerequisite for subsidies (state or private) Development of breed associations Knowledge exchange, promotion of live conservation through product marketing Publicity in the individual countries as well as cross-border. On the website 'Balkan Network for Agrobiodiversity' more than 70 stakeholders are listed. Under the 'Tope Networks' specific articles and information about shorthorn cat-tle and buffalos can be found (see www.agrobiodiversity.net/balkan/). The network is also effective outside of the Balkan peninsula. Synergies with other projects, such as the pan-European concerted action ELBARN (European Livestock Breeds Ark and Rescue Net, www.elbarn.net) have led to a more insightful approach to the whole of the South East European region. In the Arca-Net, the European network for places that keep rare breeds and plants and are open to the public (www.arca-net.info), 17 places in the Balkan region fit the criteria and could be published in the web. Atlas of Livestock Breeds The recently published database "Rare Breeds and Varieties of the Balkan; Atlas 2009" offers an overview of the 139 breeds and varieties found in the Balkan countries (see http://www.agrobiodiversity.net/balkan/). A version of this documentation can also be downloaded as a .pdf. Coaching Tour Alongside the active networking of the keepers and people responsible through meetings and workshops, it is also necessary to look at and discuss the situation on the ground. It became clear that the special requirements relating to conservation in small populations were often not taken into account. Even government agencies and universities were not aware of the need to spread the population geographically to minimize the risk of loosing important stock and to work with a wide genetic basis in order to ensure long-term conservation. Future Perspectives The 'Balkan Network for endangered autochthonous livestock breeds' has developed into a sustainable stakeholder network that is prepared to work across the political, ethnic and religious differences in the region. Through the conscious networking of the three pillars of conservation work - the governmental bodies, the universities and the private keepers - trust was built up within countries. The live conservation of autochthonous livestock breeds can play a vital role in the Balkan countries, as these locally adapted breeds can live in marginal conditions and still produce. With the use of high-performance breeds, farmers are not only placed in the spiral of economic dependencies, genetic diversity built up over generations gets lost. The need for regular meetings and workshops with an external moderator is great and helps to bridge the fragile political situation in some regions of the Balkans. Rescue Stations are hardly to be found in the Balkan countries. In the case of epidemics or natural catastrophes - or, simply, because an old farmer dies - the animals cannot be brought quickly to another place. It is urgently necessary to set up a system of rescue and conservation stations. The complete activity report can be downloaded from SAVE website: www.save-foundation.net/deutsch/PDF/Balkan_Schlussbericht_09.pdf. SAVE Foundation thanks Heidehof Stiftung, Stuttgart, for the support of the project.   DAGENE - A Regional NGO of the Danubian Countries DAGENE (Danubian Countries Alliance for Conservation of Genes in Animal Species) was established in 1989 at Bugacpuszta Hungary. The main focus of the activities are the exchange of knowledge and best practice of the Danubian countries like Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria. The activities of DAGENE are: Conferences and workshops in combination with the biannual General Assembly. During these conferences, field trips of local autochthonous breeding groups like Podolian Cattle in Croatia, Tzigai sheep in Hungary, Mangalitsa in Romania etc. Discussion of actual questions like conservation of rare breeds in small populations, breeding goals, selection criteria, cross-border herdbook systems, legal aspects and responsibilities, data collection and databases, also in the view of cross-border collaboration takes place. Publications of rare breeds in the member countries are supported by knowledge exchange. During the decades of collaboration, the number of country publications increased successfully. Projects: recently a cross-border project on the Murinsulaner horse breed started with support of the ERFP (European regional Focal Point). Data of 92 mares and 11 stallions were collected within the four participating countries Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia and selected for the registration in the first volume of an international register. The effective contact with the national cold blooded horse breeds is an important aspect of this project with emphasis on the differentiation from Noriker, Posavina, Haflinger, Freiberger and other cold blood breeds. The activities of DAGENE took certain impact to the function of governments in order to subsidize more or less the maintenance of valuable, endangered genetic resources of domestic animals as part of the national heritage. But there are still several open questions to discuss in context with the conservation of rare breeds in the Danubian countries. DAGENE will stay active. The next DAGENE meeting takes place at Brazi (Transylvania), Romania, 15-17th April 2010. According to the UN year of Biodversity the main topic is: "Biodiversity is life - Agrobiodiversity is our life". More information: radnoczil@ommi.hu   Public Consultation: Questionnaire for stakeholders on possible approaches to a new EU Animal Health Law The legal framework of the new Animal Health Strategy of the EU (2007-2013), referred to as the Animal Health Law, needs to address some key cross-cutting issues high-lighted in the strategy: assigning responsibility to the different players and providing incentives for prevention, identifying priorities for EU intervention and categorising diseases, preventing disease, 'biosecurity', linking animal health policy to other relevant Community policies, in particular on ani-mal nutrition, animal welfare, zootechnics, food safety and public health, converging with international standards (OIE). Several problems with the current legislation have been identified. The main ones are the need for a more prevention-driven approach to the Community Animal Health Policy (CAHP) and the complexity of the legislation. A tentative set of potential responses to these problems is included in this question-naire. SAVE has responded to this questionnaire end of 2009. The response is based on the ELBARN Guidelines on Rescue in the Case of Disease (see www.elbarn.net): The situation across Europe varies widely - people keep animals for different reasons. From this point of view it would make sense to provide a framework of minimum requirements within the new law for states to base their national policy on. Many hobby and small scale farmers do not wish to be registered for various reasons. In some of the new member states and in more remote areas of Europe, there are literacy problems and a large amount of suspicion about administration. This issue needs to be tackled in order for the legislation to work effectively. It should be clear that there are benefits to registering and notifying and that this will not automatically lead to loss of animals in the event of disease. Disease prevention is only effective if all the animals and their places are known to the authorities, this requires the active and willing involvement of all stakeholders. Incentives to provide and take part in veterinary training should be given. Guidelines for this training should be provided, especially for the new member states. The indigenous livestock breeds of Europe are protected under international agreements but there is no provision under the OIE standards for a special status for these animals. In a state of emergency caused by disease, there is a high risk that genetically important livestock can be lost. Any officially designated veterinarian in a decision-making position should be aware of the risk status of the various livestock breeds of the member state and allowances regarding e.g. preventative culling should be made accordingly. This information can be obtained through close collaboration with the relevant national stakeholders. Alongside this, the EU should use its lobbying position within the OIE to request a special status for genetically important stock. The protection of rare breeds ("breeding nucleus animals of susceptible species indispensable for the survival of a breed") is already contained within various regulations e.g. EC 2003/85 on Foot and Mouth but this is not known or acted upon. The Continuing Professional Development of veterinary staff should also include a module about traditional livestock breeds of the nation state, their risk status and, also, needs within an emergency situation. The information required for this can be obtained from the relevant stakeholders in the country. The names and contact details of the officials in charge need to be published, at present the information chain does not function well. This could be improved if more information was shared openly. Many stakeholders have declared themselves, within the context of the ELBARN project (see www.elbarn.net), interested and able to provide this information. Biosecurity plans should be compulsory for large scale farms, for which trade is important. Small scale and hobby farmers will find it very difficult to come up with workable biosecurity plans which meet the requirements of the OIE standards. From this point of view, it is questionable whether farms that are not involved in import-export trade really need to be so strongly influenced by these considerations. Local markets and small scale operators should be protected from unnecessary costs and administration. In order to prevent spread of disease, some biosecurity plans do need to be in place - however, especially in the case of genetically important livestock, a special status is required that would allow for e.g. protection through vaccination without this having an effect on trade. Therefore, it is again suggested that the EU uses its valuable lobbying position within the OIE to request for a special status for genetically important livestock (especially including indigenous breeds). Hobby keepers of genetically important stock should be registered and should take part in the surveillance programme. However, it is to be assumed that there will be some resistance on the part of the hobby keepers; therefore the surveillance programme should take part within structures that they already know and trust. Sur-veillance networks of endangered livestock breeds can be set up by the relevant national organisations or e.g. mandated to the SAVE Foundation. The need for a kind of "rescue centre" for indigenous breeds, with a special status under animal health law, has been highlighted by SAVE Foundation for a number of years. Without some kind of systematic emergency response system in place, there is an increased risk that livestock breeds that are protected under international agreements will be lost in the event of a disease. An emergency response system is a prerequisite to the fulfilling of the "Global Plan of Action" (FAO 2007). Through the project European Livestock Breeds Ark and Rescue Net, this idea has been discussed with stakeholders throughout Europe. There is a general consensus that the indigenous livestock breeds need a special status in the event of disease. It is also clear that some holdings will also need a special status - how many holdings required depends on the amount of breeds per country, the risk status of these breeds and also their geographical distribution and whether or not a breeding organisation is in existence. A number of holdings which are prepared to take on a special status have already been identified and contacted. A list of these holdings will be available by May 2010. The exact nature of the status they will have is still to be clarified. The OIE concept of "compartmentalisation" seems to be the most relevant in the case of genetically important indigenous livestock breeds. Furthermore, it was stressed that: EU standards are high and should remain so; it is impossible to build a consistent strategy based on inconsistent terminology.   Q-Fever in the Netherlands The Q-fever (Q = query) was described scientifically for the first time in 1937 at slaughterhouse workers as a disease of unknown cause in Australia. Q-fever is an acute febrile disease triggered by the bacterium Coxiella Brunetii. Natural reservoir of the bacteria are cattle, sheep, goats, cats, wild animals and ticks. Infected animals often show no symptoms but excrete the pathogens in large quantities especially at births and at spontaneous miscarriages. Infection in humans occurs by inhalation of bacteria in dust and direct contact with infected animals or animal products. Recently in the southern Netherlands, increased cases of Q-fever occurred. The authorities partially reacted very strict and ordered the killing of pregnant goats and sheep in the affected regions. These killings took place regardless of stocks of endangered indigenous breeds. On February 25th 2010 a conference on the Q-fever, organized by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, the University of Wageningen and the National Animal Health Service was held in Breda, the Southern Netherlands. General results of this conference were: Q-fever is a general underestimated, underlisted and underdiagnosed zoonosis in the whole world. Q-fever is present in all kind of animals, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, pigs, cats, dogs, wildlife and humans. Can be spread by ticks. Most human infections are related to sheep, goat, cattle and cats (Canada) Further harmonisation of monitoring and reporting of Q-fever in Europe is necessary. EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) is preparing a scientific opinion on the significance of Q-fever, and on risk factors and control options in animal populations. Vaccination of ruminants with Coxevac (CEVA) is very efficient. It reduces the number of abortions in a herd and also reduces the amount of shedding during lambing. Hygienic measures are in place, like carefully destroying afterbirth material, births in confined locations, disinfection of these locations afterwards and treating the manure with lime or calcun cyamide and later not spread in windy conditions. People that are at risk like farmworkers, abattoir workers, vets and people living in rural areas can be protected by vaccination (Australia). Only in The Netherlands culling has been used as an measure to prevent the spreading of Coxiella Brunetii (Q-fever) bacterias. It is hoped that the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture based on this information, the situation on motions and appeals received by the farmers and other ways to prevent this zoonosis is as before.   Newsflash 4th European Seminar on AgroBiodiversity and SAVE Meeting 2010 The Annual Meeting of SAVE Foundation and the SAVE Network will take place at Castle Criewen, northeast of Berlin, 3-5 September 2010. It is combined with the 4th European Seminar on AgroBiodiversity (topic: "AgroBiodiversity - a crucial part of Biodiversity") and is organized in collaboration with SAVE partner VERN e.V. and the German-Polish Academy Castle Criewen at National Park Lower Oder Valley, Brandenburg (detailed information in the next SAVE eNews). Excursions will lead to the famous Variety Garden of rare cultivated plants of VERN e.V. at Greiffenberg and the spacious Ark Farm Liebenthal, where they keep also feral breeds as the Liebenthal feral horse (for more information see www.wildpferdgehege-liebenthal.de). UN Year of Biodiversity The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. The world is invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity. Con-cerning AgroBiodiversity several actions will take place throughout Europe. See: http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome.   Film "DIVERSEEDS: Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture" This film was released in May 2009. It shows the importance of agricultural diversity in crops as a safeguard for global food security. The DVD includes a 50 min. documentary plus 15 short films on different topics (e.g. landraces, ex-situ conservation, Svalbard Global Seed Vault, fertile crescent). Please have a look at: http://www.diverseeds.eu/DVD. In case you are interested, you can order the DVD directly at: http://www.diverseeds.eu/DVD/order_DVD.html ELBARN Questionnaire for Identification of Rescue Centres: The ELBARN questionnaire was distributed amongst European stakeholders between December 2008 and May 2009. The purpose of the questionnaire was to identify potential Ark and Rescue Centres throughout Europe and to gain an overview of the state of European agrobiodiversity. The Ark Centres suggested by participants are being verified through online research and contact. Once they have been verified as suitable for inclusion as an Ark Centre, the details will be entered into the database, which can be searched on both www.elbarn.net and also www.arca-net.info. The potential Rescue Centres are being verified by direct contact. Once it has been verified that the centre exists and that they agree to be used as a Rescue Centre, the contact details will be added to a list. This list will be made available to those people who will need to deal with emergency situations. It is still possible to send details of potential Ark and Rescue Centres! If you know of one, please send the details to elli@elbarn.net. The full report of the results: http://tinyurl.com/yhya5cl New logo selected for all EU organic products The "Euro-leaf" design shows the EU stars in the shape of a leaf against a green background. It is a very straightforward sign containing two clear messages: Nature and Europe. The new organic logo will come into force 1st of July 2010. Source: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/logo/index.htm     Important Dates (excerpt): 19 March: Research meeting on "Strewing Fruit Cultivation" (Streuobstanbau), Stuttgart, Germany. Contact: schmieder@uni-hohenheim.de 19-21 March: Annual General Meeting of the European Federation of City Farms, Bristol, UK. Contact: efcf@vgc.be, Web: http://www.cityfarms.org 25-27 March: "Let's liberate diversity" 5th Meeting of European Seed Initiatives in Graz, Austria. Contact: info@liberate-diversity-graz2010.org, Web: http://www.liberate-diversity-graz2010.org/ 25-28 March: European Animal Fibre Week at Santuario di Oropa, Biella, Italy. Contact: info@biellathewoolcompany.it, Web: http://www.biellathewoolcompany.it 13-15 April: 5th International Exhibition for Flower Business, Horticulture, Nurseries, Landscape design and Floristry, Kiev, Ukraine. Web: http://www.flowers-hortech.com/en/exhibition-next_general.aspx 15-17 April: International Dagene Meeting "Biodiversity is life - AgroBiodiversity is our life" at Brazi (Retezat region), Romania. Contact: ipate.iudith@gmail.com 22-23 April: 11th International Scientific Conference "Economic Science for Rural Development 2010", Jelgava, Latvia. Contact: zane.bulderberga@llu.lv, Web: http://www.ef.llu.lv/index.htm?p=2 26-29 April: IAALD 13th World Congress: "Scientific and Technical Information and Rural Development", Montpellier, France. Web: http://iaald2010.agropolis.fr 30 April - 1 May: SAVE/Amaltheia Workshop on breeding rare livestock breeds; at Schimatari, Greece. Contact: info@monitoring.eu.com or amaltheia.zoagr@gmail.com 1-6 May: 4th "Market of wool products and textile art" at Bergerie Nationale de Rambuillet, Paris, France. contact: atelier5@orange.fr, Web: http://pagesperso-orange.fr/atelier.laine 5-6 May: Globaldiv - Eureca "Livestock Biodiversity Workshop" at FAO, Rome, Italy. Contact: sipkejoost.hiemstra@wur.nl, Web: http://www.regionalcattlebreeds.eu 6-7 May: 5th Organic Forum "Processing and Trade of Organic Food, Non Food and Organic Raw Materials", Warsaw, Poland. Web: http://www.organic-marketing-forum.org 8 May: International day of the Donkey "Mobilization and Promotion for Donkeys". Contact: asstute@lantic.net, Web: http://www.donkecology.com 13-18 June: BGCI 4th Global Botanic Gardens Congress, Dublin, Ireland. Web: http://www.4GBGC.com 28 June - 1 July: Internat. Symposium "Innovation & Sustainable Development in Agriculture and Food - ISDA 2010"; Montpellier, France, http://www.isda2010.net 4-7 July: Workshop "Mountain food products: A special system of provision", Vienna, Austria. Contact: markus.schermer@uibk.ac.at 22-27 August: 28th international Horticultural Congress "Science and Horticulture for People", Lisbon, Portugal. Web: http://www.ihc2010.org 23-27 August: 61st Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production (EAAP),Heraklion, Island of Crete, Greece. Contact: info@eaap2010.org, Web: http://www.eaap2010.org 29 August - 2 September: 23rd General Meeting of the European Grassland Federation, Kiel, Germany: Contact: egf2010@email.uni-kiel.de, Web: http://www.egf2010.de 1 September: Day of prayer for the environment of the Orthodox Church (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople). Web: http://patriarchate.org/environment 3-5 September: 4th European Seminar on Agrobiodiversity: "AgroBiodiversity - a crucial part of Biodiversity"; Annual meeting of SAVE Foundation and the European SAVE-Network (together with VERN e.V.) on Castle Criewen, Brandenburg, Germany. Contact: office@save-foundation.net 13-16 September: ECP/GR Meeting "On-farm Conservation and Management WG" Madeira, Portugal. Contact: bioversity-ecpgr@cgiar.org 15-17 September: Forum Carpaticum "Integrating Nature and Society towards Sustainability", in Krakow, Poland. Contact: office@forumcarpaticum.org, Web: http://www.forumcarpaticum.org 15-19 September: Conference 2010 of the European Federation of City Farms and celebration of the 20th anniversary of EFCF at Bokkleslot City Farm, Kortijk, Belgium. Contact: efcf@vgc.be, Web: http://www.cityfarms.org 22-25 September: 2nd Conference on "Native Breeds and Plant Varieties as part of natural and cultural heritage" with international participation; at Porec (Istria), Croatia. Contact: kaps@dzzp.hr, Web: http://www.dzzp.hr/News-012010KAPS_Announcement.htm September: 6th Interdisciplinary Interuniversity Conference " The Integrated Development of Mountainous Areas", Metsovo, Greece. Contact: mirc@central.ntua.gr 27 September - 2 October: European Days of "Strewing Fruit Cultivation" in connection with the "European Cultural Village" Kirchhein, Austria. Contact: info@landobstland.org, Web: http://wwwlandobstland.org 29 September: European Agrobiodiversitäy Day EAD; Topic 2010: "AgroBiodiversity - a crucial part of Biodiversity". PR event for AgroBiodiversity with various activities of all kind of stakeholders in their respective countries. Contact: info@monitoring.eu.com 14-16 October: 7th International Symposium on Mediterranean Pig, Cordoba, Andalucia, Spain. Contact: Emiliano.DePedro@uco.es, Web: http://www.uco.es/congresos/cerdomediterraneo 27-29 October: Symposium "Animal Farming and Environment Interactions in Mediterranean Region" at Zadar, Croatia. Contact: medit.zadar2010@unizd.hr, Web: http://www.unizd.hr/zadar2010     => Further information is available from: SAVE Foundation, Head Office, Joseph-Belli-Weg 5, D-78467 Konstanz / Germany E-mail: <office@save-foundation.net>
			14-03-10
office(at)save-foundation.net SAVE Head Office Joseph-Belli-Weg 5 D-78467 Konstanz Germany