Diversity of breeding practices is linked to the use of collective tools for the genetic management of the Corsican sheep breed

Abstract

For breeding schemes based on a diversity of production systems, there is a growing challenge in combining standardised tools for the collective genetic improvement of a breed and the selection of a flock able to respond to the specific constraints of the farm and the farmer’s objectives. In order to progress on this question, it is necessary to gain better knowledge of how farmers who use one or several of these tools select the future breeding animals of their flocks, and the conditions under which they use these collective tools. We took the example of dairy sheep farming in Corsica (France) and of two collective tools for the Corsican breed’s management: the use of milk recording data within and outside of the breeding scheme and the buying of rams from the breeding scheme’s cooperative. The tools’ use and perception were described by means of interviews with farmers (n = 40). Cross-analysis of farms’ descriptors and the use of collective tools was performed by statistical analysis using available databases on dairy sheep flocks in Corsica. A diversity of breeding practices was associated to the use of milk recording data and to the purchase of rams sold by the breeding scheme’s cooperative. Flock size, milking method and type of land use influenced these breeding practices and the adoption or mistrust of a collective genetic improvement tool. Dissemination of genetic progress through rams from the breeding scheme is possible, provided that a diversity of breeding practices and production environments is represented in the nucleus flocks.

Highlights

• Participating in the breeding scheme of the Corsican breed did not hinder the use of various replacement and culling practices in dairy sheep farms

• Modalities of use of the milk recording tool are multiple and driven by work organisation, perception of the breeding scheme and the farm project

• Rams sold by the breeding scheme’s cooperative are present in several commercial farms with varying characteristics

Keywords:

• Breeding practices
• local breed
• milk recording
• breeding scheme

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the farmers and the members of regional support structures who were interviewed as well as Jean-Yves Gambotti for his help in the data collection process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 For Corsica, the System of Information in dairy sheep farming (SIEOL) is managed by the Regional Association of Services for Livestock Organizations (ARSOE Soual) and includes the monitored dairy sheep farms of Corsica (all nucleus flocks and a part of commercial flocks): farms under OMR, farms under SMR, farms under single technical support, farms under single scrapie genotyping.

Additional information

Funding

This work was conducted within the framework of the Arimnet DOMESTIC project, with the support of the CPER (five-year programme co-financed by the national government and the regional council) and the Arimnet2 PERFORM project. The PhD thesis scholarship of the first author was funded by the Collectivité Territoriale de Corse.