THE RESULTS OF WORK PROJECT TCP/RER/3604 “CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF DUAL-PURPOSE CATTLE BREEDS IN EASTERN EUROPE”
Authors: Szucs T. , Raizman E. , Rozstalnyy A. , Polupan Yu. P. , Rieznykova N. L. , Vysochanskii Y. S. , Pryima S. V. 
Published: July 2023

Introduction. Brown Carpathian cattle is the breed of world heritage with its valuable triats of adaptability to specific environment, quality of milk and cheese of it. That's why the International Organization FAO was interested in the facilitating the conservation of it. Since 2017 there was initiated the project TCP/RER/3604, which aimed the conservation of some local brown dairy breeds of Eastern Europe. Three countries participated in the project: Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia.

Research materials and methods. Work on the project in each of the countries was carried out according to the work plan defined by the contract: during the field work, the employees of the service provider (the institution designated to carry out work under the contract in the country) had to visit at least 100 farms of Brown Carpathian cattle (or Brown Caucasian in other participating countries), collect information on 300 cows and 20 bulls and their productive environment and collect genetic samples from at least 100 unrelated cows and 20 bulls.

The basis for assigning animals to the breed was a phenotypic examination and compliance with the main features of the breed: uniform color, a lighter belt along the back, a black nose mirror with light hair around it, black hoof horn and tips of the horns, lighter "glasses" around the eyes, thick lighter ear hair shells.

To form a genetic passport of the population, hair was collected from the tail of the selected phenotypically animals using equipment provided by FAO and sent to the laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria. DNA was extracted from the samples obtained in the laboratory in the Siebersdorf district, where the genetic diversity of the populations, the degree of inbreeding and the effective number of populations, the kinship between the populations, and the genetic structure and the level of influence of other breeds were evaluated.

In general, during February-June 2019, scientists of M.V. Zubets Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics and other contracting organizations examined 265 heads of adult cattle from 31 villages in 5 districts of the Transcarpathian region, phenotypically assigned to the Brown Carpathian breed, among which there were 6 breeding bulls of mating age (1.5–2 years). Each animal was photographed, linear and descriptive features of the exterior were evaluated, the necessary body measurements were taken with the help of appropriate tools, live weight and constitutional features were determined, and samples were taken for genetic testing.

Research results. The analysis of the genetic parameters of the diversity of populations shows a rather low inbreeding coefficient of Brown Carpathian breed and a rather high effective population size compared to European breeds, which, as the authors of the report note, may be the evidence of a rather limited practice of using artificial insemination and indicates the absence of selection among bulls.

To estimate the share of influence of the Swiss breed onto the studied populations, the coefficient of the "blood share" of the Swiss breed in the Brown Carpathian and Brown Caucasian populations was calculated. More than 90% of the cattle in these three populations had less than 25% Swiss breed heredity. When analyzing the Kostromska breed population, which was taken for comparison, the presence of Swiss breed genes was noted at the level of 50–62.5%.

On the basis of genomic analysis of populations, consultations with project participants, reports of service providers of each country, an international consultant on animal genetic resources, Krista Egger-Danner, head of the ICAR working group on functional traits, formed a selection program for the studied populations. The selection program included proposals for further selection work, calculation of the main selection and genetic parameters, the effect of selection, the number of bulls and heifers for the selection nucleus, the number of doses to maintain the genetic diversity, the cost of restoring the population, establishing the breeding work of the selection center, and a work plan for 5 years.

The formation of the breeding program for the Brown Carpathian breed in Ukraine was based on the data of the previous expedition survey of the mountainous and foothill regions of the Transcarpathian region: Volovetskyi, Mizhhirskyi, Rakhivskyi, partially Tyachivskyi and Khustskyi. In order to find the lowland type, the animals of the Uzhhorod, Mukachiv, Berehiv and Vynohradiv districts were examined. During the expedition survey, a general idea of the situation in the breed and the availability of livestock was formed.

According to surveys of farmers who keep the Brown Carpathian breed in Ukraine, the yield of animals of this breed for the first lactation varies within 10 kg per day, for the higher one – 13 kg, the percentage of fat according to separate individual measurements during the project – 3.65–3.72%.

The importance of breeding records (to reduce costs, according to the ICAR “B” method) with the maintenance of a centralized database, the exchange of information with farmers and the connection of relevant laboratories for quality assessment is given a separate place in the selection program, as the only quality records make the breeding work with the herd possible at all and the work on identifying record cows in particular. Regular visits by the monitoring organization to check indicators are also important. Productivity recording for the studied populations was not established in any of the participating countries. In Ukraine - due to the lack of breeding herds of the studied breed and in the vast majority of cases, the lack of cooperation between dairy products manufacturing, laboratories and farms, which has not been established.

An expedition survey in Ukraine under the project proved the possibility of forming farms from the point of view of the presence of promising genetic resources of livestock, enterprising owners and premises. However, further support for the establishment of this work and a centralized organization are necessary.

For a more complete characterization of the population during the survey, the responsibilities of service providers included surveying farmers regarding the conditions of functioning of the breeds and their productive environment, the socio-economic status of the owners, the role and employment of women, men and children in the performance of daily work, weak and strong sides of this livestock, etc.

The data of previous studies proved that 28% of the entire labor force employed in agriculture is employed in the production of agricultural livestock products in Ukraine. The average size of the family engaged in farm serving, as the survey testified is 3.6 in Ukraine.

An analysis of the engagement of men and women in daily farm maintenance revealed that both men and women are involved in daily operations depending on the season and availability (often one is employed abroad) and take care of livestock.

Conclusions. FAO funds initiated and facilitated a massive survey of Brown Carpathian cattle was carried out in Ukraine, the number of cattle of the breed was assessed, hair samples with hair follicles from the tail were taken, and the productive environment of the cattle was evaluated according to a questionnaire formed by international experts.

For the genetic analysis of the samples, a total of 554 hair samples were selected, the genetic diversity of the populations was assessed and compared with some European dairy breeds.

The analysis of the genetic diversity of the populations proved a rather low inbreeding coefficient of the Brown Carpathian breed and a rather high effective population size compared to European breeds.

Analysis of genetic differentiation and kinship between populations, principle component analysis and determination of admixture of other breeds proved the uniqueness of the Brown Carpathian breed from a genetic point of view.