Genehmigung eines Zuchtprogrammes beantragen

If you, as a recognized breeding association or breeding company, wish to carry out a breeding program, you must apply for approval from the competent authority.

In order to have a breeding program for cattle, buffalo, pigs, sheep, goats, domestic horses or domestic donkeys approved, there are a few things to consider.

The most important requirement is that you must be recognized as a breeding association or breeding company.

Your breeding program must also follow certain objectives, e.g. the improvement of an existing breed, the preservation of a breed, the creation of a new breed or the restoration of a breed

. In the case of hybrid pigs, the aim of the breeding program must be to improve a line or crossbreed or to create a new breed, line or crossbreed.

In your application, your breeding program must describe the selection or breeding objectives in detail and meet the requirements for certain animal breeding criteria.

In addition, you must provide information such as the name and address of your company and the animal population of the potential breeding population.
In the case of breeding companies, in addition to the above information, you must also provide information on those involved in the breeding program, their names and addresses, information on their livestock and their tasks within the breeding program.

Please also describe the tasks of the breeding program and the geographical area in which you intend to carry out your breeding program.

If the geographical area of the breeding program covers several federal states, the competent authority will inform the relevant authorities of the other federal states and obtain their comments.

If the breeding program is also to be carried out in other EU member states, the authorities located there must be consulted before any action is taken. This is done exclusively via the competent authority in your federal state. The same procedures apply to breeding associations and breeding companies.

You may only begin to carry out the breeding program once approval has been granted.

If a performance test or breeding value assessment is required in the breeding program, the breeding associations and breeding companies must carry this out themselves or appoint a third party to carry it out.

Only recognized and certified breeding associations or companies can have a breeding programme approved and only for the animal species cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and equidae.

- Regulation (EU) 2016/1012, Article 8 (3)

Full text:

Regulation (EU) 2016/1012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 8, 2016 on animal breeding and parentage rules for the breeding, trade and movement within the Union of purebred breeding animals and hybrid breeding pigs and germinal products thereof and amending Regulation (EU) No 652/2014, Council Directives 89/608/EEC and 90/425/EEC and repealing certain acts in the field of zootechnics ("Animal Breeding Regulation") (Text with EEA relevance)

- TierZG, Section 2, §5

Full text:

Animal Breeding Act of January 18, 2019 (BGBl. I p. 18), last amended by Article 2 (17) of the Act of December 20, 2022 (BGBl. I p. 2752)

- TierZDV, Chapter 2, §§ 3 and 4

Full text:

Animal Breeding Implementation Ordinance of July 13, 2021 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 2904)

The fees are charged in accordance with state law and are calculated on a time and material basis.

Once the application has been received, the authority will check your documents to ensure that all requirements have been met. If necessary, the authority will request additional information or corrections.

If all requirements are met and there are no objections, the authority will grant you approval for the breeding program.

You will be informed of the decision and can then start implementing the breeding program.

If no breeders within a geographical area participate in the breeding program within 24 months, the competent authority may request the breeding association or breeding company to adjust the geographical area so that it no longer includes this area.

An appeal against this decision may be lodged with the administrative court within one month of notification. The action is to be directed against the Chamber of Agriculture of Lower Saxony, Mars-la-Tour-Straße 1 - 13, 26121 Oldenburg."

Breeding program approval

Breeding programs are approved if:

it follows certain objectives, for example

Improving an existing breed or creating a new breed; in the case of hybrid pigs also valid for crossbreeding or lineage

Restoring or maintaining a breed

describes selection or breeding objectives in detail

fulfills requirements for certain animal breeding criteria

Names and addresses of breeding companies or associations

Necessary information among others:

Livestock

Tasks of the breeding program

Geographical area of the breeding program

Informal application in writing or online

Responsible: Animal breeding authorities of the federal states at state, district or county level

In Lower Saxony, the competent authority is the LWK Niedersachsen, Department for Animal Breeding Law Matters