The ex situ or offsite conservation and management of animal genetic resources (AnGR) paves the way for sustainable genetic diversity of livestock species in the country through the National Livestock Cryobank (NLC) facility.

Department of Agriculture Secretary Dr. William Dar recently led the unveiling of the NLC facility marker, which serves as a national repository of germplasm and biological samples from diverse livestock species.

The construction of this facility was made possible through the technical assistance and generous support of DA-PCC’s international partners, which include the Republic of South Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United States of America through the Public Law (PL) 480 project, “Strengthening the Livestock Biotechnology Center”.

The NLC, situated at the Livestock Innovations and Biotechnology Complex of the DA-Philippine Carabao Center (DA-PCC) in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, will aid in the advancement of research for development (R4D) works on ex situ cryoconservation for animal genetic resources (AnGR) from diverse livestock species towards conservation, management, and utilization, leading to sustainable animal production systems.

These endeavors are seen to sustain the genetic diversity of livestock species such as buffalo, cattle, and goat, among others, in the country and to provide a source of genetics to be used by farmers, livestock breeders, and other interested clients.

During the inauguration program, Secretary Dar deposited frozen buffalo semen in the cryotank, as part of a demonstration that the AnGR can be stored in an extremely cold temperature and can stay viable until future utilization. The cryobank repositories, which consist of six huge cryotanks and liquid nitrogen depot, are utilized as storage for frozen animal genetic materials.

The NLC is capable of long-term storage of frozen semen in storage tanks applied and maintained with liquid nitrogen. This is being done for future utilization in sustaining the supply of animal genetics.

Since the establishment of the DA-PCC-Cryobank in 2012, the Cryobank has served as a catalyst for the inauguration of the NLC. The NLC aims to lead the national effort to increase the preservation and cryoconservation of AnGR from diverse indigenous and introduced species and breeds within the species. These are animals that have economic importance and exhibit adaptable and resilient traits towards diseases and adverse effects of climate change.

As of January 2021, the collection of cryopreserved semen and oocytes are from various species, which include 91.31% buffaloes, 8.41% cattle, 0.28% caprine, and 0.01% swine.

In addition, DNA samples and cryopreserved whole blood cells from various species are preserved as genetic sources for molecular analysis in genetic diversity studies, species identification, and other research outputs.

The number of collected AnGR from species and breeds of animals is still meager to represent the country’s genetic diversity. Thus, the declaration of DA-PCC’s Cryobank facility as the National Livestock Cryobank towards conservation and management program has made headway to improve further the documentation and promotion of cryobanking activities and intensification of linkages and information relative to Philippine livestock breeds, including their cultural heritage and social importance.