Nordic Council of Ministers

The Nordic involvement and cooperation in the work with farm animal genetic resources (AnGR) has been in progress since 1973. In 2008 the new institution Nordic Genetic Resource Center, NordGen, was founded with a separate sector for farm animals.

Already in 1973 a report for further consideration was ordered by the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) to elicit the ground for a Nordic cooperation within animal genetic resources. The report was published in 1976, and on a seminar in 1978 following recommendations were given:

1. Each country carry a national responsibility for their own farm animal breeds through the different Agricultural Ministries
2. An expert group should be founded within the NCM to ensure the cooperation.

The NCM granted in 1984 funds for a 50% secretariat position, and a working group to execute the initiated activities. This became the starting point for the Nordic Gene Bank for Farm Animals (NGH) funded in 1984.

In 1991 the activities were further strengthened by increasing the funding to include the developing of a common Nordic data bank for all Nordic farm animal breeds, and the activities were increased to a full time position, situated at the Norwegian Agricultural University.

The data bank has been in function since 1995, for Norwegian cattle breeds, under the name The Cow Register. Databanken har vært for norske storferaser siden 1995, under navnet Kuregisteret.

In January 2008 the new common Nordic institution Nordic Genetic Resource Center, NordGen was established, funded by NCM.

Kontaktperson i NMR er Mads Randbøll Wolff , Telefon +47 45 33 96 02 56

Nordisk Genbank Husdyr ble inkludert i NordGen i 2008 som en egen sektor for husdyr.