Successful IMAGE session at the 10th Intergovernmental Technical Work Group

Successful IMAGE session at the 10th Intergovernmental Technical Work Group on Animal Genetic Resources

Presenting innovations and ethical issues for the cryoconservation of animal genetic resources

Highlights of the IMAGE project were presented at a side event held in conjunction with the Tenth Session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITWG-AnGR10), held on 27 June in Rome, Italy.

Featuring talks from Michèle Boichard-Tixier from INRA in France and Sipke-Joost Hiemstra from the Centre for Genetic Resources in the Netherlands, focused on the state of pay of the IMAGE project at its midterm and the ethical issues raised by cryoconservation. Harvey Blackburn from the National Animal Germplasm Program of the United States of America, who is a scientific advisor to IMAGE, chaired the session and discussion.

The audience comprised of wide variety of professions and nationalities – participants were from governmental institutions, NGOs, extension services, universities, and genebanks; from USA to Vanuatu, and from Norway to Ghana. The enthusiastic participants were involved in a discussion with the speakers and chair about, among others, the choice of breeds, trade-offs between in situ and ex situ conservation; ethics of the funding model; decision-making processes; and consideration about innovative technologies for tissue cryopreservation. Moreover, they reflected their opinions in the survey IMAGE developed on “Innovations and ethical issues for the cryconservation of animal genetic resources”. Keep an eye on our website if you wish to learn about the results!