This project with a budget of €2.6 million is being jointly funded by the European Commission FP7 "Capacities"* Programme : "Research for the benefit of SMEs". It groups fifteen partners (including seven public research institutions, five associations of SMEs and three SMEs) from seven European countries : France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Rumania, Croatia and Greece.
The goats' cheese market is seeing considerable growth, not only in Europe but also in the USA and elsewhere. EU countries produce 17% of all goats' cheese in the world, and this is one of the most dynamic sectors in the cheese market. Goats' milk cheese is appreciated as being a healthy product that offers more protein and less cholesterol than cheeses made with cows' milk. It is also more digestible and less allergenic.
French goats' milk production is unable to meet market demands: 90 million litres were thus imported in 2009. This is due to the seasonality of production, the principal technical challenge faced by livestock farmers. To meet growing market demands, solutions need to be found that will enable the production of goats' milk throughout the year.
At present, the main method by which farmers can assure milk production outside the natural reproductive period is to induce ovulation by hormone treatments. However, use of these hormones is strictly regulated in Europe (Directive 96/22 EC) and will be totally banned in the near future. Furthermore, consumer demand for high-quality, organic or AOC cheeses is steadily growing, and the use of hormones in banned in the specifications for these products.
In order to meet this growing market demand while complying with regulatory constraints, it is necessary to find solutions for the European goats' milk industry in terms of :
- Optimising the quality and quantity of milk produced,
- Ensuring a constant supply of goats' milk throughout the year,
- Ensuring high-quality health status of the herd,
- Diversifying supply via organic farming,
- Using sustainable and ecological livestock farming techniques.
Of the reproductive techniques available at present, the use of artificial insemination (AI) for all or part of a herd enables farmers to :
- Produce milk on a regular basis throughout the year,
- Improve milk quality and quantity thanks to genetic selection,
- Ensure an optimum health status for the herd.
However, AI is not applied by most goat breeders in the European Union because of various problems :
- The cost of AI,
- The lack of expertise in AI (and particularly the assessment of genetic advances) in several European countries,
- The dependence of AI on hormone treatment (incompatible with organic production).
The aim of FLOCK-REPROD is therefore to develop ecological and economically-viable AI techniques for the goats' milk sector. These techniques, based on using the "male effect" and photoperiodism, will ensure the regular production of goats' milk throughout the year without recourse to hormones. These novel, hormone-free methods enabling the conversion of all breeders to the organic production of goats' milk will allow the European market to increase the production of organic goats' cheeses both during and out of season. Furthermore, through the development of a programme for training and information dissemination, and the creation of a European technical group, FLOCK-REPROD will ensure that these AI methods are accessible to goats' milk producers throughout the EU. FLOCK-REPROD will therefore provide the tools necessary for the European goats' milk industry to enhance its competitiveness.
*The "Capacities" Programme: the aim of projects under this programme is to improve the innovation capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Europe and increase their contribution to the development of products and markets based on novel technologies. The programme will help them to outsource research, intensify their research efforts, extend their networks, better exploit research results, acquire technological know-how and fill the gap between research and innovation.
FLOCK-REPROD website : http://www.flock-reprod.eu/
Project coordinator
Pascal BOUÉ
Directeur de Capgènes
http://www.capgenes.com/
Capgènes Organisme et Entreprise de Sélection caprin multiracial
Agropôle
2135, Route de Chauvigny
86550 MIGNALOUX BEAUVOIR
Tel : +33 (0)5 49 56 10 75
Scientific leader :
Maria-Teresa PELLICER RUBIO
UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements
INRA de Tours
37380 NOUZILLY
Tel: +33 (0)2 47 42 79 03
Maria-Teresa.Pellicer@tours.inra.fr
Project manager :
Marie WEISS
UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements
INRA de Tours
37380 NOUZILLY
Tel: +33 (0)2 47 42 77 00
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