Organisme de Sélection Unité pour la Race Lacaune

UPRA Lacaune: French Selection Organization for Lacaune (milk and meat), Rouge du Roussillon, Raïole and Caussenarde des Garrigues breeds.

• Coordinates selection activities, sets guidelines, manages the flock book register, and performs morphological checks and phenotypic approvals. The management of genetic programs is carried out by selection companies.
• The Lacaune dairy breed in SMARTER: 800 000 ewes in France, 95% of which are in the Roquefort Cheese production area, south of the Massif Central. 698 199 Lacaune ewes followed in performance control in 1640 flocks, 190 000 ewes in selection in 375 flocks. The average production is 330 liters in 170 days of milking after weaning of lambs at 1 month.
• Sanitary: all flocks are monitored and certified, all registered rams are genotyped for scrapie and resistant “R / R” since 2002.
• In genomic selection since 2015, the genetic prediction of young rams makes it possible to optimize selection efficiency.
• Flock book since 1947. Selection made since 1960.

Currently the selection is
– For 50% on production characters (Milk quantity, fat and protein content), genetic evolution of 5.2 liters per year on average + 0.19 grams / L fat content, + 0.16g / liter protein content
– For 50% on morphological and functional characters, annual gains: + 0.062 genetic standard deviation for CCS, +0.05 genetic standard deviation for udder morphology.