Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, D-24098, Kiel, Germany.
Department of Organic Agricultural Sciences, Section Animal Breeding, University of Kassel, Nordbahnhofstraße 1a, D-37213, Witzenhausen, Germany.
Animal. 2019 Dec;13(12):2922-2931. doi: 10.1017/S1751731119001447. Epub 2019 Jun 26.
Many local breeds have become endangered due to their substitution by high-yielding breeds. To conserve local breeds, effective development strategies need to be investigated. The aim of this study was to explore conservation and development strategies based on quantified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) for two local cattle breeds from Northern Germany, namely the German Angler (GA) and Red Dual-Purpose cattle (RDP). The data comprised 158 questionnaires regarding both breeds' SWOT, which were answered by 78 farmers of GA and 80 farmers of RDP. First, data were analysed using the SWOT-Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, which combines the qualitative strategic decision tool of SWOT analysis and the quantitative tool of AHP. Second, prioritised SWOT factors were discussed with stakeholders in order to form final conservation and development strategies at breed level. For GA prioritised strengths were daily gain, meat quality, milk production and the usage of new biotechnologies, weaknesses were genetic gain in milk production and inbreeding, opportunities were organic farming and breed-specific characteristics and threats were milk prices and dependency regarding the dairy business. Consequently, three conservation and development strategies were formed: (1) changing relative weights and the relevant breeding goal to drift from milk to meat, (2) increasing genetic gain and control the rate of inbreeding by the implementation of specific selection programs and (3) selection of unique and breed characteristic components on product level, that is, milk-fat and fine muscle fibers. For RDP defined strengths were robustness, high adaptability for different housing systems and a balanced dual-purpose of milk and meat, weaknesses were inbreeding, breed extinction, genomic selection with young bulls and milk yield, opportunities were organic farming and dual-purpose aspects and threats were milk and decreasing beef cattle prices. Thus, three conservation and development strategies were identified: (1) adjust relative weights and the relevant breeding goal to balance milk and meat yield, (2) increasing genetic gain and avoid extinction by implementing targeted selection programs and (3) selection of unique and breed characteristic traits on breed level, that is, environmental robustness. Quantified SWOT establish a basis for the exploration of conservation and development strategies at breed level. Explored strategies are promising even if the stakeholder approach was limited for small populations regarding a small number of stakeholder groups. The used approach reflects farmers' individual convenience better than existing quantitative strategy decision tools on their own.
许多地方品种由于被高产品种取代而变得濒危。为了保护地方品种，需要研究有效的发展策略。本研究的目的是探索基于德国北部两种地方牛品种的力量、弱点、机会和威胁（SWOT）的保护和发展策略，这两种品种分别是德国安格斯（GA）和红兼用牛（RDP）。数据包括 158 份关于这两个品种的 SWOT 的调查问卷，由 78 名 GA 农民和 80 名 RDP 农民回答。首先，使用 SWOT-层次分析法（AHP）对数据进行分析，该方法将 SWOT 分析的定性战略决策工具和 AHP 的定量工具相结合。其次，与利益相关者讨论优先考虑的 SWOT 因素，以便在品种层面上形成最终的保护和发展策略。对于 GA，优先考虑的优势是日增重、肉质、产奶量和新技术的应用，弱点是产奶量和近交的遗传增益，机会是有机农业和品种特异性，威胁是牛奶价格和对奶制品业务的依赖。因此，形成了三种保护和发展策略：（1）改变相对权重和相关的育肥目标，从牛奶转向肉类；（2）通过实施特定的选择计划，增加遗传增益并控制近交率；（3）在产品层面上选择独特和品种特征成分，即乳脂和细肌肉纤维。对于 RDP，定义的优势是健壮、对不同饲养系统的高度适应性以及牛奶和肉的平衡两用，弱点是近交、品种灭绝、使用青年公牛进行基因组选择和产奶量、机会是有机农业和两用方面，威胁是牛奶和牛肉价格下降。因此，确定了三种保护和发展策略：（1）调整相对权重和相关育肥目标，平衡牛奶和肉产量；（2）通过实施有针对性的选择计划，增加遗传增益并避免灭绝；（3）在品种层面上选择独特和品种特征性状，即环境健壮性。量化的 SWOT 为品种层面的保护和发展策略的探索提供了基础。即使对于小种群而言，由于利益相关者群体数量较少，利益相关者方法受到限制，所探索的策略仍然具有前景。所采用的方法比现有的定量策略决策工具更能反映农民的个人便利性。
