=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2030/HAICTA_2017_paper78
|storemode=property
|title=Priority Innovations for European Sheep and Goat Industry Members
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2030/HAICTA_2017_paper78.pdf
|volume=Vol-2030
|authors=Daniel Martín Collado,Gus Rose,Clara Diaz,Konstantinos Zaralis,David Yañez-Ruiz
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/haicta/ColladoRDZY17
}}
==Priority Innovations for European Sheep and Goat Industry Members==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2030/HAICTA_2017_paper78.pdf
Priority Innovations for European Sheep and Goat
Industry Members
Daniel Martin-Collado1, Gus Rose2, Clara Diaz3, Kostantino Zaralis4, and David
Yañez-Ruiz3
1
Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain, e-mail:
danielmartincollado@gmail.com
2
Aristotelio Panepistimio Thessalonikis, Greece, e-mail: gus@gusrose.com
3
Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Spain, e-mail:
cdiaz@inia.es
4
The Organic Research Centre, United Kingdom, e-mail:
Kostas.z@organicresearchcentre.com
5
Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Científicas, Spain, e-mail:
david.yanez@eez.csic.es
Abstract. Innovation and innovative practices can improve the sustainability
of sheep and goat sector, however, they are not extensively used, tested or
validated. In this context, iSAGE project aims to explore the potential of key
innovations that may contribute increase the sustainability of sheep and goat
production system in Europe. Key innovations were identified using a survey
and 2 workshops with 18 European industry and science organizations.
Industry partners then selected 35 innovations to test on farms. The main
reason for industry partners to test these innovations was related to economic
sustainability. However, direct and indirect social and environmental benefits
of the selected innovations will also be explored using farm data, surveys and
interviews. Some remarkable innovations were related to the development and
implementation of genomic selection and individual recording technologies,
and to the increase social sustainability of sheep farming by boosting the
generational turnover and support new entrants.
Keywords: innovations, sheep, goats, iSAGE, industry, sustainability
1 Introduction
The sheep and goat sector in Europe is very diverse with different stages of
development and diversity across and within counties and among breeds (De
Rancourt et al. 2006). This diversity applies to many elements such as feed resources
and feeding systems, breeds, types of farming (milk and/or meat), types of products,
production intensity, and importance of the farming to the area. In general, sheep and
goat sector is less developed than pig, poultry and cattle sectors, which are usually
less diverse. Still, innovations are being developed for intensive sheep and goat
systems; however, there is a significant proportion of farms that operate using very
652
similar technology and knowledge used in last decades. This lack of technical and
innovative development may be reducing the effectiveness and sustainability of
sheep and goats systems.
Innovations and innovative practices that have helped farming systems evolve
include practices and technology related to feed and drugs, animal breeding, product
marketing, infrastructural and organizational operations. Recent development of
information and precision technology, data management and genetics and genomics,
have led to a whole new set of farming innovation that have been, or are planned to
be introduced into farms (Caja et al., 2014). In many cases these innovations are still
being developed and tested and their potential being explored for sheep and goat
industry (Dubeuf, 2014). In addition, the innovations need to be tested on various
farming systems to understand their relevance, benefits, and trade-offs (Dubeuf and
Sayadi, 2014). However, the testing and spread of innovations on sheep and goat
farms is challenging due to its heterogeneity.
Other challenges for introducing innovation into sheep and goat production
systems are:
1. Relative to other agricultural sectors, sheep and particularly goat technology
has remained relatively stagnant and neglected from the mainstream
research.
2. Low sector incomes. Increasing input costs, combined with inadequate
farm-gate prices and poor monetization of by-products have made incomes
among the lowest in the agricultural industry and heavily dependent on
public support.
3. Lack of skilled workers. The sector productivity is hampered by a lack of
technical services and training. Declining rural populations creates a
shortage of skilled workers.
4. High farmer age and lack of generation transfer. Sheep and goat farmers are
older than farmers in other sectors. Elderly farmers are often reluctant to
make changes and young people are not interested in the business.
Therefore, the iSAGE project aims to identify and explore the potential of key
innovations that may contribute increase the sustainability of sheep and goat
production system in Europe.
2 Methods
We identified innovations that the European sheep and goat industry think are
important to increase sustainability. These innovations were found with help from
the EU funded iSAGE project (isage.eu) consortium which includes 18 partners
representing the sheep and goat industry. These industry institutions are among the
most relevant and representative of sheep and goat farmers in the Finland, France,
Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and UK.
We identified and explored key innovation for sheep and goat sector using two
steps:
1) Identification of key sector innovations. Research and industry partners
identified the most relevant innovations in their countries using an online survey
653
and two project workshops. The online survey asked, which innovations the
partners thought would benefit and impact sustainability of the sheep and goat
sector. All 18 iSAGE industry partners answered the survey. The results of the
survey were shared with all partners and discussed with industry partners in two
project meetings in Thessaloniki in April 2016 and Zaragoza in June 2016. A list
of key innovations for European sheep and goat farming was produced as the
outcome of the workshops.
2) Test and exploration of selected innovations. Industry partners chose, from
the identified innovation, the most interesting and feasible innovations for their
needs and status of their specific industries. Innovation case studies were then
defined and protocols designed to test and explore the potential of selected
innovation. Case studies were designed to understand (i) how and why do farmers
use (or not use) innovations and innovative practices to make their farms
sustainable, and (ii) under what conditions are innovations and innovative
practices applicable.
3 Results and Discussion
3.1 Identification of key sector innovations
The industry partners identified fifty-two innovations and innovative practices. These
innovations fit into different categories: individual recording, animal handling
equipment, pasture and forage management and improvement, drug alternatives,
health and welfare tests, reproduction, breeding and genetics, and marketing. Due to
the diversity of farming system, some innovations were only relevant or applicable in
some countries, while other had a wider relevance. We categorized these potential
innovations into dairy or meat (D/M), sheep or goat (S/G) and intensive or extensive
farm types (INT/EXT). Innovations were also rated according to their applicability
for case studies (Low, Medium and High). The innovations identified cover the
diversity of sheep and goat systems in Europe. Therefore, the benefits of the
innovations potentially apply to all European sheep and goat industries. Table 1
shows innovations which were considered highly applicable and of general interest to
European sheep and goat industries.
3.2 Test and exploration of selected innovations
Industry partners selected 35 innovation case studies about reproduction (8), farm
technology; which included individual data recording (6) and handling technology
(1), breeding and genetics (6), forage and feeds (4), health and welfare (3), pastures
and grazing (2), products and marketing (2), and others (3). The main reason to
choose most of those innovation was to increase economic sustainability of farms.
Therefore, profitability appears to be the main incentive for farmers (and industry
institutions) to voluntarily introduce and assess innovations on their farms.
654
Despite economics being the main driver of innovation selection, in many cases
there were indirect environmental (through increased efficiency) and social benefits,
which farmers were also interested in identifying and assessing. To do so, case
studies included the analysis of farm data, and farmer interviews and surveys
Table 1. Potential innovations applicable to the European sheep and goat industries.
Dairy or Sheep INTensive or
Type Innovation
Meat or Goat EXTensive
Pasture Improve grazing practices D/M S/G EXT
management Improve pasture quality D/M S/G EXT
Better use of by-products D/M S/G INT
Improve meeting animal requirement and supply D/M S/G INT
Animal health More sound and scientifically proven use of D/M S/G INT/EXT
and welfare antibiotic alternatives in feeding
More regionally integrated plans in place D/M S/G INT/EXT
Use of sensor RFID ear-tags as welfare indicators D/M S/G INT/EXT
Cortisol Hair analysis D/M S/G INT/EXT
Reproduction Improved fertility through better quality of frozen D G INT
semen
Assisted reproduction techniques D G INT
Better use of rams and reproduction plans D/M S/G INT/EXT
Breeding and Routine data collection (recording programmes) D/M S/G INT/EXT
genetics Use of elite flocks (link to AI) D/M S/G INT/EXT
New traits to increase resilience and hardness D/M S/G INT
(longevity, fertility, health)
Development of genomic selection D/M S/G INT/EXT
Farm On-farm data collection linked to animal ID D S/G INT
technology Animals stress automatic sensors D/M S/G INT
Electronic microchip readers and automatic milk D S/G INT
recording systems for individual milk production.
Product Freeze drying for longer storage and exportation to D S/G INT/EXT
processing China
New dairy products and meat cuts D S/G INT/EXT
Products Promote fresh sheep and goats products D/M S/G INT/EXT
marketing Better use of the environmental and social aspects D/M S/G INT/EXT
of sheep farming in the marketing of sheep meat.
Improve labelling and product recognition D/M S/G INT/EXT
New recipe books D/M S/G INT/EXT
Explore alternative markets (Middle East and D/M S/G INT/EXT
China)
655
One case study which aims to increase social sustainability is the assessment of
the UK Ambassador Program. This program aims to boost the generational turnover
and support new entrants to sheep farming. The initiative provides an opportunity for
young farmers from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to attend
practical training delivery sessions throughout one year on a number of sheep topics
such as farm/livestock management and business planning. The case study will
collect mostly qualitative data through interviews with present and past participants
in the Ambassador Programme. This is an important case study because lack of
generation turnover is a common problem of sheep and goat industries across
Europe. Therefore, the results of this case study will show the potential of
implementing similar programmes in other countries.
There were two innovations which will be tested across countries:
a) Genomic selection. The across-country case study on genomics will explore
the potential, drivers and constraints of genomic selection in the sheep and goat
sector. The case study involves research and industry partners from France,
Greece and Spain, It has two main aims. Firstly, to evaluate the potential
contribution of genomic selection to genetic gain by simulating scenarios using
real data structures of each population involved and creating scenarios of
implementation. In addition, the case study will also use economic data to
evaluate if the potential benefits of this tool pay off the investment in genotyping.
Secondly, the case study will explore the impact of using genomic selection on
current breeding programmes implementation. This awareness will be recorded
by surveying and interviewing farmers about their awareness of genomic
selection and their perception on the economic and organizational constraints for
its implementation in breeding programmes.
b) Individual data recording technologies are at different stages of
implementation in several countries and their full potential and development of
individual recording has not been reached as compared to more developed
systems (i.e. pig, poultry and cattle). Partners from France, Greece, Spain and
Turkey have designed case studies focusing on different aspects of individual
data recording systems, from technology developments to extension activities.
Partners will work together to find a general overview of the state, needs,
potential and constraints of data recording technologies and systems for sheep
and goat industry in Europe.
4 Conclusion
iSAGE innovation case studies have just started and will be completed across the
next two years. The 35 selected case studies will explore and show the potential
impact that innovations have to improve the economic, environmental and social
sustainability of sheep and goat farms. Case studies of success are expected to be
relevant to the sheep and goat industries in Europe because innovations were chosen
by industry members who are a large representation of the sector across Europe.
656
References
1. Caja, G., Carné, S., Salama, AK., Ait-Saidi, A., Rojas-Olivares, MA., Rovai, M.
and Alshaikh, MA. (2014) State-of-the-art of electronic identification techniques
and applications in goats. Small Ruminant Research, 121, p.42-50.
2. De Rancourt, M., Fois, N., Lavín, M. P., Tchakérian, E., and Vallerand, F.
(2006). Mediterranean sheep and goats production: An uncertain future. Small
Ruminant Research, 62, p.167-179.
3. Dubeuf, JP. (2014) Science, technology, innovation and governance for the goat
sectors. Small Ruminant Research, 121, p.2-6.
4. Dubeuf, JP., and Sayadi, S. (2014) Multi-functionality issues for small ruminants:
What changes are needed in territorial public policies and training?: Report of
two round tables on territorial issues and training for the development of goat
farming. Small Ruminant Research, 121, p.136-145.
657