Who is the DGfZ?

The German Society for Animal Production e.V. (DGfZ) was founded in 1905 as a non-profit association.

The society represents the areas between science, administration and practice and between the scientific disciplines of animal breeding, production, nutrition and animal health.

We are the official representative of the Federal Republic of Germany in the European Association for Animal Production (EAAP). In this function, the DGfZ nominates the German representatives of the EAAP`s scientific committees.

We work in close collaboration and mutual exchange with other international organizations and institutions.

The DGfZ is supported financially by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) and by the corresponding State inistries.

The DGfZ’s main aims include:

• Consolidation of experts in the form of task forces and working groups, to deal with current and future issues in animal production. Scientific results with practical applications, will be published in the form of recommendations, comments or presentations.
• Scientific publications of various research institutes of animal production are published in German language in our journal ‘Züchtungskunde’
• Organisation of scientific conferences, symposia and workshops e.g. the Annual Community Meeting of the German Society for Animal Science (GfT). The presentations will be published in the journal Schriftenreihe.
• The DGfZ offers scholarship funds to support young scientists attending scientific courses and meetings and awards the DGfZ Prize (awarded to bachelor / master´s theses and dissertations)
• Dissemination of current news from national and European research

How do we reach our aims?

The following topics will be covered by the working groups:

• The Genetic-Statistical Committee’s works on the topic Genetic-Statistical issues of Animal Sciences.
• The implementation of the National Professional Program for the Conservation and Sustainable use of Animal Genetic Resources to coordinate and support advice in the area of animal genetic resources.
• Current issues surrounding the production of food are investigated by the working group foods of animal origin
• In addition to these permanent working groups new project groups are being founded to work on current topics, including patents in animal husbandry, alternatives to the castration of piglets, cloning technology and the local organization of the World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production