# LIPH4SAS: The French nationally distributed research infrastructure for livestock phenotyping

Jean Pierre Bidanel, Mouna Loucif, Yvon Billon, Stéphane Ingrand

► To cite this version:

Jean Pierre Bidanel, Mouna Loucif, Yvon Billon, Stéphane Ingrand. LIPH4SAS: The French nationally distributed research infrastructure for livestock phenotyping. EU-LI-PHE Midterm Stakeholder Meeting, Prof. Luca Fontanesi, university of Bologna; Prof. Tomas Norton, KU Leuven, Jul 2025, Leuven (BE), Belgium. **hal-05235924**

HAL Id: hal-05235924

https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05235924v1

Submitted on 2 Sep 2025

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access
archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci-
entific research documents, whether they are pub-
lished or not. The documents may come from
teaching and research institutions in France or
abroad, or from public or private research centers.

L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est
destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents
scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non,
émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de
recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires
publics ou privés.

<figure><img src="image_1.png" /></figure>

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
<figure><img src="image_2.png" /></figure>

LIPH4SAS

<figure><img src="image_3.png" /></figure>

Livestock phenotyping for sustainable agroecological systems

# The French nationally distributed research infrastructure for livestock phenotyping

Jean-Pierre Bidanel, Mouna Loucif, Yvon Billon, Stéphane Ingrand

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /></figure>

RÉPUBLIQUE
FRANÇAISE

Liberté
Egalité
Fraternité

INRAO
> What is a Research Infrastructure (RI) ?

RI = facilities, resources and services that are used by the research communities to conduct research and foster innovation in their fields. They include :

- major scientific equipment (or sets of instruments),

- knowledge-based resources (collections, archives, scientific data...)

- e-infrastructures (data & computing systems, communication networks ...)

- any other essential tools to achieve excellence in research & innovation.

(from ESFRI roadmap - https://www.esfri.eu/esfri-

roadmap)

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /></figure>

ESFRI = European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructure created in 2002 by the EU's council of Ministers to **identify, prioritize, and support** the development of **pan-European research infrastructure** of strategic importance.

ESFRI regularly produces a Roadmap (currently 2021 roadmap) that includes :

<figure><img src="image_6.png" /></figure>
# What is a Research Infrastructure (RI) ?

## National Roadmaps (NR)

* The European Commission and ESFRI encourage Member States and Associated Countries to The development of NR for RIs.

* NR are vital blueprints : 1) to set national priorities and: 2) to earmark funds for both national and pan-European RIs including ESFRI ones

<figure><img src="image_7.png" /></figure>
> LIPH4SAS: objectives

**LIPH4SAS** is a national distributed research infrastructure dedicated to the phenotyping of farm animals,

**LIPH4SAS** implements experiments and collects phenotypes and samples for the scientific communities in animal science, with the objective of promoting the **transition** to a more sustainable food and agricultural systems, based on **agroecological principles**.

<figure><img src="image_8.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_9.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_10.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_11.png" /></figure>
> LIPH4SAS: origins

LIPH4SAS has been created in 2021.

Its implementation has benefited from :

* the existence of 3 INFRA-IA projects :

* The development of :

* A functional exploration platform (PIXANIM)

* An information & computing network for livestock phenotyping

LIPH4SAS is currently an INRAE RI managed by 2 INRAE divisions

<figure><img src="image_12.png" /></figure>
> LIPH4SAS: a distributed research infrastructure

12 entities since 2025 :

* Four experimental units dedicated to **ruminants**
(HERBIPÔLE – UEP – PAO – P3R);

• Two **porcine** experimental units (3P – GENESI );

• Two **poultry** experimental units (PEAT – EASM);

* An experimental unit (PEIMA) and an experimental installation (IE NUMEA) for fish farming;

* A **functional exploration platform** dedicated to medium to large animals (PIXANIM);

* A network of computer specialists in charge of data management and the development of phenotyping tools (SICPA)

<figure><img src="image_13.png" /></figure>
<figure><img src="image_14.png" /></figure>

# LIPH4SAS: key features

## Contrasted environments and farming systems

<figure><img src="image_15.png" /></figure>

Diverse and accurately characterised environmental and farming conditions, enabling the study of GxE interactions or animal responses to environmental variations.

LIPH4SAS

Distributed research infrastructure<sup>de</sup>
<figure><img src="image_16.png" /></figure>

# LIPH4SAS: key features

Access to a large genetic diversity and original genetic resources

- Different cattle breeds (HO, NO, JE ...)

- Different sow breeds (LW, MS) and growing pig genotypes

- Several experimentally selected lines (RFI, mastitis resistance, Microbiota composition, longevity ...)

- Trout isogenic lines

- Genome edited livestock

Diverse genetic resources

<figure><img src="image_17.png" /></figure>
<figure><img src="image_18.png" /></figure>

# LIPH4SAS: key features

A wide range of state-of-the-art phenotyping
services

<figure><img src="image_19.png" /></figure>
<figure><img src="image_20.png" /></figure>

# LIPH4SAS: Phenotyping services

<figure><img src="image_21.png" /></figure>

Feed production
& characterisation

<figure><img src="image_22.png" /></figure>

Use of feed
resources

<figure><img src="image_23.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_24.png" /></figure>

Digestibility

<figure><img src="image_25.png" /></figure>

Feed intake
<figure><img src="image_26.png" /></figure>

# LIPH4SAS: Phenotyping services

<figure><img src="image_27.png" /></figure>

UEP
Sniffer

<figure><img src="image_28.png" /></figure>

3P
Bioclimatic hall

## GreenHouse Gaz

<figure><img src="image_29.png" /></figure>

HERBIPÔLE - 3P
PAC Chambers

<figure><img src="image_30.png" /></figure>

HERBIPÔLE - UEP - P3R
Greenfeeds

<figure><img src="image_31.png" /></figure>

HERBIPÔLE - 3P
Metabolic chambers

<figure><img src="image_32.png" /></figure>
<figure><img src="image_33.png" /></figure>

# LIPH4SAS: Phenotyping services

<figure><img src="image_34.png" /></figure>
<figure><img src="image_35.png" /></figure>

# LIPH4SAS services

Technological development and innovation
Some examples

## Additional Phenotyping tools

* Automatic measurement and management of environmental information

* GPS

* Scanner, CT-Scan, Mass spectrometer

* ...

## Data management – Fair data

* Strong integration of information systems (same methods and similar tools to manage data from different species)

* Important work on the interoperability (Within LIPH4SAS databases, but also external databases)

(genomic, environmental information ...)
<figure><img src="image_36.png" /></figure>

# LIPH4SAS: what extra-value ?

## Various other missions / services

<figure><img src="image_37.png" /></figure>

**Ethics**

Promote the harmonization of Quality practices and approaches to guarantee the highest level of expertise and ethics in terms of experimentation and animal welfare.

<figure><img src="image_38.png" /></figure>

**3R rules**

Contribute to Reduce, Replace, Refine (3R) the use of animals for scientific purposes through innovation, optimization of experimental devices and reuse of animals and data.

<figure><img src="image_39.png" /></figure>

**Quality**

Ensure data quality in line with the values of science (integrity, trust, professional conduct, ethics) and promote the availability of the data produced.

<figure><img src="image_40.png" /></figure>

**Training**

Offer high-level training to promote the emergence of a new generation of scientists capable of meeting the challenges in terms of agroecology.

<figure><img src="image_41.png" /></figure>

**Data & ressources**

Facilitate the access to data and infrastructure resources by setting up common, simple and transparent access rules.

<figure><img src="image_42.png" /></figure>

**Diffusion**

Promote the dissemination, exploitation and transfer of technology by developing partnerships with the various actors in the agricultural and agri-food sectors.
<figure><img src="image_43.png" /></figure>

# LIPH4SAS: what extra-value ?

## Increased visibility

For scientific communities

LIPH4SAS

>

UEP PAO

UEF Herbipôle

3P P3R ...

For stakeholders / funding agencies

European level

<figure><img src="image_44.png" /></figure>

National level

<figure><img src="image_45.png" /></figure>

PATASEL project

Regional level

REACT-EU
<figure><img src="image_46.png" /></figure>

# LIPH4SAS: our ambition

Contribute, through **cutting-edge services**, to **high-quality and useful science** that contributes to the development of **sustainable livestock, agricultural and agri-food systems**. In particular, this means intensifying our actions on :

* Improving LIPH4SAS services

* Open science and open data

* Technological development and innovation (including 3R and alternatives)

* Ethical considerations (science, animal experimentation...)

* Impact

Helping to strengthen of a high-performance **livestock research ecosystem** at the **European level**

* LIPH4SAS has to more widely open to European livestock research community

* LIPH4SAS should be seen as the French node of a European research infrastructure (ESFRI) on livestock sciences (GENOPHENIX project)