EURC for Zootechnics

Interbull Centre designated as European Union Reference Centre from 1 November 2018

The European Commission's decision to designate the Interbull Centre as the European Union Reference Centre for the “scientific and technical contribution to the harmonisation and improvement of the methods of performance testing and genetic evaluation of purebred breeding animals of the bovine species” was published in the Official Journal of the European Union Issue L204/78, 5.8.2017.

The Interbull Centre

The Interbull Centre is a section of the Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics (HGEN) of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and acts as the operational unit for Interbull and Interbeef, a permanent subcommittee and a working group of the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR), respectively.

The Interbull Centre is responsible for the monitoring of the national genomic and genetic evaluations of dairy and beef cattle from altogether 35 countries, and also conducts international genomic and genetic evaluations for these countries. As such, Interbull Centre supports the dairy and beef industry with accurate genetic information on bulls for use by importers and exporters, thereby facilitating selection of best genetics worldwide.

EU Animal Breeding Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/1012)

The new European Union Animal Breeding Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/1012) has come into force on 1 November 2018. This Animal Breeding Regulation addresses:

a)      zootechnical and genealogical rules for trade in breeding animals and their germinal products, and for their entry into the European Union;

b)      rules for the recognition of breed societies and breeding operations and for the approval of their breeding programmes;

c)      the rights and obligations of breeders, breed societies and breeding operations;

d)      rules for the entry of breeding animals in breeding books and breeding registers and for the acceptance for breeding.

The European Union Reference Centre

Since 1996 Interbull Centre has taken up the role of European Reference Laboratory. Today, 1 November 2018, Interbull Centre is taking up its duties as the EU Reference Centre to ensure continuity in this field.

Details of these activities will be provided on this page in due course.