16 New Indigenous Breeds of Livestock

Why in News?

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) officially registered 16 new breeds of indigenous livestock and dogs.

• The recommendation happened during the 14^th meeting of the Breed Registration Committee (BRC).
• This expansion raises the total number of scientifically documented and registered animal breeds in India to 262 (comprising 258 indigenous and 4 synthetic breeds). 
• Geographic Spread - The 16 newly registered breeds span 9 distinct animal species distributed across 13 States and 1 Union Territory (Jammu & Kashmir).

Newly Registered Breeds

About ICAR-NBAGR

• The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBAGR), based in Karnal, Haryana.
• It serves as the nodal institute for registering livestock and poultry breeds in India.
• It evaluates phenotypical and genetic characterization data submitted by researchers, assigns official accession numbers, and maintains the national repository of animal genetic resources.
• Breed registration is sanctioned by the Breed Registration Committee (BRC), chaired by the Deputy Director General (Animal Science), ICAR.

Reference

Times of India | 16 new breeds of indigenous animals