Form A General description of cryoconservation, related to breeding with AI of local cattle breeds (institutional background) 1) History and major developments a) History of AI in France First French AI Centre is created in 1946. In 1952 there were already 46 AI Centres federated in the UNCEIA (national union of AI cooperatives). In 1948 the straw 1ml is created by Cassou, also the straw 0,50 ml in 1965 and mini straw 0,25 ml in 1969. Frozen semen is experimented in 1960 and used extensively after this date, specially since 1965. IMV Technologies is a French company founded by Cassou supplying worldwide straws and material for AI. In the Fifties artificial insemination is expanding very quickly. In 1956, 25% of the cows were inseminated. In the Seventies 80% of dairy cows were inseminated. b) History of organization of AI The current organization for breeding and genetic improvement was built up in the Sixties (1966) as a national project aiming at the improvement of the genetic level of French breeding animals. Public authorities were thus deeply involved in the organization of breeding by regulating it, by managing it and by supplying means, in particular subsidies. The role of the public authorities had been crucial in building up the system : 1/ through approving any body in charge of one of the functions contributing to the genetic improvement, primarily based on the ‘’département’’, the French basic administrative entity. Each organisation was granted with a monopoly of territory and was designed to meet the needs of very numerous farmers managing small herds; 2/ through a strong partnership with the breeding industry and research, in particular the framework of National Commission of Genetic Improvement (CNAG). c) Changes in farming system Changes in farming occurred at the end of the Fifties and beginning of the Sixties. Many traditional farms disappeared. In south of France working oxen and cows were replaced by tractors. Often with the tractor, new types of cattle were introduced in the farms. In the same time farms became bigger and more specialized. In some regions, farms were abandoned. 1955 : 2 280 000 farms, 1 791 000 with less 20 ha, 95 000 with more than 50 ha, mean : 14 ha 2000 : 664 000 farms, 325 000 less 20 ha, 200 000 with more than 50 ha, mean : 42 ha 2005 : 545 000 farms, 237 000 less 20 ha, 200 000 with more than 50 ha, mean 47 ha. After 1968, in mountains areas, small abandoned farms were bought by new farmers, mainly from urban origin. Now we have bigger farms but small farms remain in some regions managed by part-time farmers or by farmers who try to sell their products directly to the consumer. France counts 7 800 000 cows in 2007 (32% are Holsteins and 21% are Charolais), 48 % in dairy herds (97 000) and 52 % in suckling herds (130 000). In 2007 there was 51% herds less than in 1991 and 14% cows less. Since 1990 the number of cows from rare breeds (11 breeds) increased of 310 % and number of herds 378%. Between 2004 and 2005 number of cows and herds increased of 4,5%. In 1970, 7 285 143 cows were inseminated ; in 2006, 4 080 000 cows (% / 2005 = -2,81% ; % / 1986 = -35,96). AI probably will continue to decrease next years. We can imagine than in next years interest for rare breeds will continue to grow slightly with full time farmers, part time farmers and hobby breeders. The challenge shall be to maintain technical assistance to these breeds. 2) Major policies, policy changes and regulatory framework a) Former organisation Since 1950 and with the formalisation of the ‘’loi sur l’élevage’’ (law for breeding) of 1968 AI Services Centres are in charge to carry out AI to all farmers within an exclusive area. Their obligations are: 1/ to organise the service only with licensed inseminators; 2/ to invest in selection programs; 3/ to guarantee regular supply of semen doses of proven bulls; 4/ to provide the farmers with semen from any AI centre, as long as bulls and their semen fulfil regulation requirements. All AI services and production centres are federated in the UNCEIA (National Union of AI Centres) working closely with French department of agriculture, INRA and ‘’Institut de l’Elevage’’-technical institute for ruminants. So there were three categories of bulls in AI depending on the size of the breed. 1/ Bulls of large breeds with genetic improvement programs. If breeding values are negative after progeny-testing all semen must be destroyed. 2/ Bulls of small breeds. It is possible to progeny-test some bulls and it is necessary to preserve genetic diversity in the breed. There is no obligation to destroy semen of bulls with negative breeding values. 3/ Bulls of rare breeds. It is not possible to progeny-test the bulls. b) New organisation Since 2004 a general outline of reform has been set up, being effective in 2007. The state will be devoted primarily on its strategic missions and will entrust to the farmers’ organisations much responsibilities in the operational management of the system. For that it is created a ‘’French Genetics Inter-profession of the ruminants’’ (FGE), which , recognized by the state, will be able to set up rules being binding to all operators and will be able to possibly raise contributions to finance the collective tasks shared between all the actors of the System. It will indeed be necessary to find shifts with the public subsidies if they come to reduce. State regulation will become less important and will be often limited at the level requested by the Community. With the effective new framework there are some changes : 1/ For large breeds with progeny test or performance test, AI Centre are no more obliged to destroy all the doses of semen of non improver bulls. 2/ Small or local breeds are in the same category than rare breeds. The adaptation to this new context will inevitably involve a reorganization of the organisations of the whole sector. This is why one will see appear new types of breeding companies, the task of which will be to create (Breeding Organisation, about 30) or distribute genetics (AI Service Centre, about 40). The most important changes are that breeding companies are authorized to collect semen whatever the breed, as far as their respect sanitary and zootechnical rules and given that AI Service Centre have no more monopoly area. So, competition will appear in the field of the AI services. Physical or practical work is now realised by three entities : 1/ Collecting Centre, were semen is collected (about 30), 2/ Storage Centre were semen is stored, 3/ Semen Depot were semen is deposited before to be used. Semen from semen depot cannot return to storage centre if not used. For example Génoé is a Breeding Organisation with two Collecting Centres and four Storage Centres. 3) Organisations involved and their roles and status (research, AI and gene bank n. and geographical distribution trade, farmers organisations) In a national and collective organisation, steering and regulating authorities have a very important role. In addition to the ministry for Agriculture, one can mention the INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research) in charge of research on methodologies for genetic evaluations of breeding animals and Technical Institutes by species to which important functions are delegated like control of proceedings and interface between INRA and breeders organisations (AI Centres and Herd-Books). Breed societies called UPRA are in charge to defend and promote each breed and to keep herd- books. At the level of each ‘’département’’, there is an approved body (EDE) in charge of identification, parentage certification and performance recording. 4) Policy objectives for cryopreservation activities a) Rare breeds The objective is to allow the reproduction in purebred for the long term maintaining as possible the genetic diversity present in founders and useful animals whatever the number of cows and its evolution. Management has to avoid genetic drift. Except for the Bretonne Pie-Noire breed, there is no systematic planning system. Only recommendations and genealogical information are given the farmers. We need an important number of bulls to be used in the same time to avoid bottleneck and in a long time to have long generations intervals. Furthermore, if the number of straws per bull is huge (in France 3000 doses by bull), the breed is less depending on funding and can be maintained even if there is no new financing for several years. For example, in the breed Villard de Lans a study show that with the 27 bulls and straws number available (without adding any new bulls), we can maintain 100/200 cows during 100 years with the same level of relationship between cows and even decreasing the average inbreeding if mating planned (Colleau, Avon). b) Local breeds The objective is to allow the reproduction in purebred of the population associated with the aim to have some genetic improvement. 5) Organisation of cryoconservation programme (decision makers, management, steering committee, operational, etc) In the early Seventies some people and associations helped to be conscious that we were losing breeds and diversity and reaction occurred. In 1976 first conservation program started with small ‘’Bretonne Pie-Noire’’ (Black and White Brittany) breed being threaten by crossing and substitution with Friesian. Students and professor of Superior Beauvais agricultural school made a breed survey and helped to rebuild a breed society. Ministry of agriculture gave some money. From 1977 onwards new programs started. Surveys were made by ITEB (now Institut de l’Elevage) and CNAG gave favourable advice to Ministry of Agriculture to reserve some money to conservation programs.