On 21 November 2019, a Joint Exploratory Workshop on Phenotyping/Genotyping and Novel Breeding Techniques (NBT) in Livestock was held in Brussels, organised by INIA on behalf of the FACCE Secretariat in collaboration with the ERA-Net Susan.

The aim of this workshop was to assess the current state of the art of the phenotyping/genotyping and NBT in the livestock sector conducted in the EU, identify existing networks, major stakeholders and identify major challenges and specific opportunities related to adaptation and mitigation to climate change from different perspectives. Special focus was to the role of breeding to reduce GHG emissions.

The workshop successfully brought together 42 different actors from 14 countries involved in the field of Phenotyping/Genotyping and NBT in livestock including researchers, stakeholders, end users and policy makers. Several keynote lectures and presentations by the different actors provided a comprehensive overview of the current research undertaken in this field and successfully set the scene for the accompanying breakout sessions. During the breakout sessions, participants were involved in lively discussions to identify specific challenges, needs, research gaps and future opportunities for livestock breeding in the EU.