Pan-European projects
Arca-Deli Award
Award for delicacies and innovative services from owners and breeders of indigenous breeds and varieties.
The Arca-Deli Award is a prestigious award with market value but no prize money. Since 2011 it is awarded annually by SAVE Foundation. The Arca-Deli Award label can be used to add value on products and services. Niche products associated with locally adapted breeds and varieties become, on a small scale, more competitive and more economically viable.
Products and services must meet the following conditions:
- Product or service (PoS) must originate from a farm that is connected either to the European Ark Network „Arca-Net„, the „Variety-Savers“ Network or by explicit approval through the respective SAVE partner organisation.
- PoS must serve the in situ/on farm conservation of the autochthonous breed or variety.
- PoS must be qualitatively above the average
- PoS must be recommendable as a model or example of good practice.
Submission:
Products and / or documentation regarding services can be submitted once a year to the judging committee of the SAVE Foundation. For this a call for proposals is launched in time before the Annual Meeting of SAVE Foundation and the SAVE Network. SAVE staff are excluded from entering this award.
Judging:
The Arca-Deli awards are given by the Board of Directors of SAVE Foundation, following the recommendations of a judging committee. The decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Awards:
Each winning entry will be awarded with a certificate and the right to use the Arca-Deli logo on their winning product/s or service/s.
Arca-Deli®Awards Chronik
A short description of the Arca Deli Awards is mentioned in a Flyer „Labelling diversity in Europe: 3 examples“ of the H2020 project DYNAVERSITY
IMAGE – Innovative Management of Animal Genetic Resources
„Raising awareness about the value of animal gene banks will contribute to popularising them in the society as a whole, since they represent both a heritage and a resource for the future.“
IMAGE was a project funded by the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme of the European Union. It started on March 1st, 2016 for four years and united 28 partners, including three SMEs, three NGOs, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), nine research institutions, 11 higher education and research institutions, and INRA Transfert, a subsidiary of INRA, the coordinating partner. 13 EU countries have been involved, together with Switzerland and four non-European countries: Argentina, Colombia, Egypt and Morocco. The main goal of the project was to demonstrate the benefits brought by gene banks to the development of more sustainable livestock farming systems.
SAVE was involved in the workpackage WP1 “Multi actor participation and knowledge exchange”. The contribution to the general objective was to understand and formalise the expectations of stakeholders regarding gene banks and to identify gaps or needs. Thus, IMAGE WP1 addressed the needs for communication and knowledge exchange between all stakeholders regarding the management of animal genetic resources.
In this frame SAVE organised together with partners four so called Dialogue Fora: The IMAGE Dialogue Fora were run as a platform to involve all stakeholders in the discussion about the future of genetic management of farm animals. This included scientists, government officials, NGOs and industry representatives, as well as breeding/farmer’s associations.
The annual meetings took place in association with big scientific conferences like EAAP and ERFP. Topics of the meetings were:
1. Farm animal genebanks: Conservation priorities and future perspectives
2. Sanitary Regulations: Possibilities and hindrances for the exchange of genebank material for breeding and science”
3. Economics of Conservation – View and experiences
4. ABS rules in the EU
Donkey Breeds in Europe
Donkey keeping in Europe has undergone a fundamental change. In South and Southeast Europe donkeys as „Tractor of the common man“ are not highly valued. The stock numbers in the southern European countries are falling dramatically. For example the stock numbers fall continuously in Greece – despite the import of donkeys for milking in recent times. In Northern and Central Europe the hobby keeping increases: The donkey has in some places become a status symbol. This does hardly keep the decline in stock numbers in Europe because the increase in the North is less than the loss in the South. Furthermore except a few special breeds like the Poitou Donkey breeding hardly takes place. Especially in the North little emphasis is placed on selection.The Domestic donkey,its requirements and needs are today barely familiar.Misunderstandings and prejudices continue to be mentioned about this intelligent, durable and versatile Livestock. Even among the veterinaries knowledge of the treatment of donkeys is diminishing. Thus, barely veterinary books for the treatment of donkeys exist. Donkeys are not just horses with long ears, they show important differences like for example one lumbar less than a horse, their blood cells are larger, but less than in horses. In general donkeys are far too less researched. There are still many surprises to discover behind the long eared bats.
Therefore, SAVE Foundation has set up a database on the occurrence and use of donkey breeds in Europe and collected a lot of additional information:
The ecological value of feral livestock populations in Europe
In many parts of Europe, horses, cattle, goats and sheep have been left to themselves – sometimes due to migration away from war zones or disadvantaged rural areas. These feral or semi-feral populations have often been more or less ignored. Unless, of course, they disturb forestry or agriculture through disease, damage, cross-breeding, fodder or water competition. Nature protection bodies view these populations ambivalently: on the one hand, these livestock populations have a massive impact on the eco-system balance, on the other hand they are put to use as semi-feral populations in the conservation of natural and park landscapes.
The interaction between the management of indigenous livestock breeds and the traditional agro-ecosystems are of great importance to conservation of both types of biodiversity – the wild and the domesticated.
Up to now there has been no overview of the European feral and semi-feral livestock populations. With the project “The Ecological Value of Feral Populations in Europe” SAVE Foundation addresses this issue and the problems surrounding the often forgotten feral and semi-feral populations. The project aims to collect data and information about the occurrence of feral breeds and varieties of livestock, to network key persons from the In Situ – On Farm conservation work as well as nature protection organisations and to develop plans for “best management”. In an empiric study SAVE Foundation worked out an overview of free ranging livestock populations in Europe, impulses and ways to preserve our unique traditional cultural landscape and at the same time to preserve locally adapted traditional livestock breeds
Marketing-Labeling: Heritaste-Trademark
Quality label for products and services from indigenous livestock breeds and crops. The word „HERITASTE“ is a contraction of the words „Heritage“ and „Taste“. HERITASTE is to characterize high-quality and tasty products and related services.
Conservation of genetic resources is important for future food and agriculture. A broad genetic basis ensures that future needs can be met, even in changed environmental circumstances. Genetic resources for food and agriculture include everything that humans need to ensure nutritional security – from soil micro-organisms through a range of crops to ecosystem management via grazing by large herbivores. This level of sustainability is important for the survival of future generations of humans. However, it is not just the humans of the future that can benefit. In many places where indigenous breeds and crops are still kept in a traditional way there are social and economic problems that need addressing. Even in more “developed” countries in Europe, rural disadvantage exists and recent pressure on the job market means that people are turning back to the land as a means of income.
Marketing of indigenous breeds and crops can contribute to the solution of these problems by creating an income for rural areas. This income is of especial benefit to young people and to women.
The label is registered with the European Trademark Office and identifies products and services provided by indigenous livestock and crops.
The Heritaste® trademark was developed, within the framework of ELBARN, by SAVE Foundation to promote product marketing and as a general tool to support breeds and varieties.
The production must be local, extensive and non-industrially made and has to represent a cultural asset. The webpage www.heritaste.com is a platform for products and their producers throughout Europe. More information, guidelines and conditions for use can be found there.
