Webinar recordings: Genomic assessment of genetic variation and the future of the breed concept
18 August 2025

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 our breeding animals can adapt and thrive in changing environments. The genetic differences between breeds aren't just academic curiosities – they're...

Reference database for cattle breed images
02 January 2025

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 on the quantity and quality of the breed images. A large number of images per breed are required to train...

13th Session of the ITWG on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (2024)
20 November 2024

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 place in person, starting on Wednesday, 20 November 2024, at 10:00 a.m. Sessions will be conducted in Arabic, Chinese, English,...

Regional capacity building workshops on Animal Genetic Resources
04 June 2024

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 second) was published in 2015. In July, the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture requested FAO...

The 75th EAAP Annual Meeting (2024)
26 February 2024

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 "Global quality: environment, animals, food". Sessions will be organized by the eleven EAAP Study Commissions to cover various areas of...