The Nordic native production and companion animal breeds have a long co-existence with humans. Subsequently, they are all also an invaluable part of the social-economic history in the Nordic countries. Long periods of adaption in the North have made the native breeds well adapted to seasonal changes of the weather which has provided them with several favourable characteristics that are important when facing future challenges. Studies have identified several genomic regions under selection that may have contributed, for example, to the adaptation of the native cattle breeds to the northern and subarctic environments, including genes involved in disease resistance, sensory perception, cold adaptation and growth (Ghoreishifar et al, 2020; Weldenegodguad et al., 2019).
Alongside their adaption to the Nordic climates, their historical significance, and their traditional roles in food supply and security, native breeds may also have important contribution to landscape management, trademark food production (e.g. ice cream production from Northern Finncattle milk), education, tourism, and animal-assisted therapy (Tudor et al, 2023; Karja and Lilja 2007; Finnish Food Authority, n.d.). Reinventing uses of the native breeds and sharing their positive attributes could help broaden the opportunities for local economy and increase the interest in keeping the breeds.
The unique characteristics of the Nordic native breeds offer possibility to boost the local economy in various ways. Advertising local food resources – e.g., special quality meat and cheese – could increase public interest in the products and possibly increase tourism. Utilising the native breeds in education, competitions or for animal-assisted therapy could also provide another source of income. In addition, with new technical aids such as virtual fencing, grazing animals such as sheep and goats can be rented out to maintain cultural biotopes, which could boost farmer economy while sustaining biodiversity.
2.1 Social acceptance
The gentle temperament of many of the native breeds make them easy to handle and therefore useful for education and animal assisted therapy (Karja and Lilja, 2007). Native horse breeds are useful to use in riding schools and possibly in higher education in terms of animal care, health and veterinary sciences. Further, they are often described as highly suitable for children (Soini and Lilja, 2014). A study from Finland has highlighted that equine activities reduce the incidence of social exclusion, and this can also be argued for in different dog breeds. Joining activities such as agility or obedience training allows the public (and their dogs) to learn new things and to be social. Studies have shown that owning companion animals can help boost our mental and physical health (for example Levine et al., 2013, Martins et al., 2023; Wells, 2009; Beets et al., 2012; Ravenscroft et al, 2021). Owning or taking care of animals that require physical activity motivates keepers to get up and out, it also teaches children responsibility. Characteristics such as gentle temperament and being easy to handle are highly desired in families with small children and participants in sports – this makes some of the native breeds especially suitable.
2.2 Healthy and robust animals that can help maintain cultural biotopes and local biodiversity
Adaption to local pathogens
Resilient animal populations and their ability to sustain biodiversity of both flora and fauna, are crucial features for the Nordic native breeds. Native local breeds are known to be versatile and more resilient against pathogens. This could relate to the resource allocation theory – i.e., high yielding animals have been bred to allocate more resources to production, thus perhaps having less resources for other processes in the organism such as immunological processes (e.g. Rauw et al. 1998). Furthermore, generations of natural selection have provided the native breeds with resilience against local pathogens, which can reduce the need for veterinary intervention and culling related to epidemics. For example, the Icelandic sheep breed is known for its resistance to scrapie, a fatal, degenerative disease comparable to mad cow disease in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans (Igel et al., 2023).