1. Application of Technology Platforms to Horse Breeding
Andrea Rosati and Nicoletta Miraglia
(EAAP – European Federation of Animal Science)

2. Technology Platforms: Central Concept
Framework to unite stakeholders around:
a common “vision” for the technology concerned
mobilisation of a critical mass of research and innovation effort
definition of a Strategic Research Agenda

3. Role of the TPs
Give inputs to EC about research needs for future actions
TPs are not an official bodies of EC
TPs are a group of interested stakeholders that, on European basis, furnish needs and comments to EC
Produce the Strategic Research Agenda for the research topics of the next 25 years (!)

4. Format of the TPs TPs are “industry driven”
Main groups participating to TPs:
Industries
Research communities
Public organizations
Others (funding organizations, civil societies, consumers, …)

5. Technology Platforms: Three Stages
Stage 1: Stakeholders get together
Stage 2: Stakeholders define a Strategic Research Agenda
Stage 3: Stakeholders implement the Strategic Research Agenda

6. Current Situation
There are around thirty-five TPs for most of the scientific and technology fields
EC gave support to some TP to establish a Secretariat and to achieve stakeholders involvement
Most of the TPs developed the SRA
Themes for FP7 are influenced by the SRAs

7. FABRE Technology Platform
Role of Europe in the world livestock production: € 122 billion/year gross product
The historical role of Europe in global animal genetic improvement
Part of European animal breeding in the annual income: € 1,83 billion/year

8. Objectives To produce quality and healthy food of animal origin
To consider environmental sustainability and economic efficiency of animal farming
To improve the efficiency and competitiveness of European animal farming and the related industry

10. Industries
Pratically none in Small Ruminants (only in swine, poultry and aquaculture)
Mainly Family farms usually organized in a co-operative form
Animal feed industry, pharmaceutical sector, very few A.I industry

11. Research Sector Research Institutes of Animal Science
Laboratories of large private enterprises
Research institutes of animal breeders
Research Associations

12. Governmental Bodies FAO and other international governmental agencies
Agriculture Ministries
National Research Organizations
Veterinarians Services

13. Civil Society Consumer associations Environmentalists
Farmers associations
Animal protection organizations …

14. Current Situations Increase utilization of food of animal origin
Use of advanced technologies

15. Perspective for a sustainable improvement
Healthy food production
Healthy and robust animals, adapted to new environments
Well planned improvement and consideration about biodiversity
Accurate management of natural environments

17. Three Stages Process
Emergence and set up = strategic Vision document, initiated by industry
Definition of Strategic Research Agenda: research and technological developments for medium to long term - wide (?) range of stakeholders
Implementation of Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) along EU research

18. Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2012
Some major points:
Better knowledge of stallion and mare physiology
Tools for diagnosis and therapy of fertility problems
Increased availability of quantitative and molecular tools for the selection of fitness traits
To model and to understand the biology of horses

19. Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2012
Some major points:
Improve information on horse genome
Create, develop and maintain public genome databases
Identify genes for the main genetic diseases
Management of biodiversity of equines
Improvement of chilled transported sperm and of frozen sperm

20. Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2012
Some major points:
Identification and parentage control using modern tools and European identification system (UELN)
Record precise phenotypes by conventional and new tools
Define reliable objective traits focused on performance, behaviour, health resistance
Genetic analysis of selected traits
Analysis of interactions between genotype and environment

21. Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2022!
Identification of genes, which are responsible for differences in performance, temperament, fertility, growth development
Identify genes for the main genetic diseases
Development of early and reliable predictors for longevity
Development of basic knowledge in the main biological functions to decipher muscle, skeleton and nerve development and physiology

22. Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2022!
Development of breeding systems including new traits (biomechanics, performance, temperament, growth and fertility ability)
Improvement of efficiency of oocyte freezing techniques
Increase of research in pregnancy and neonatal period to minimise neonatal disease
Identify genes for fertility traits

23. Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2022!
Improvement of reproduction efficiency
Improved knowledge and understanding of technologies for semen sexing and cloning
Understanding of the influence of the non-expressed part of the genome
Detailed knowledge relevant to understanding the biology of horse specie

25. Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2032!!!
Produce horses devoid of genetic diseases
Include molecular information in horse selection
Genetic monitoring of horse breeding at the stud and breed levels
Integration of epigenomics in equine genetics

26. Strategic Research Agenda for Horses - up to 2032!!!
Improved definitions of welfare and wellbeing for horses
Progress towards modelling the likely impact of new mutations
Full understanding of the implementation, impact and consequences of genetic modification

27. Thanks!