The ARDI project in the face of COVID-19

The fifth ARDI project follow-up session was held on 14^th April 2020, which this year was via Skype due to COVID-19 situation. This session was a follow-up on the status of the different actions, identifying those tasks and/or activities most affected due to the movement restrictions put forward by different governments to tackle this pandemic and analysing the consequences thereof.

The most important problems are related to:

• Performance monitoring brought to a standstill by the sheep farmers’ associations, as a result of which there are fewer controls, fewer lactation calculations not to mention being estimated with less accuracy. Said lactations are essential to assess the effect of Manech semen incorporation in the Latxa diagrams, likewise to perform a preliminary analysis of the consequences of implanting genomic selection in Manech.
• Movement restrictions. Action 6 whose aim is the creation of a body for the common management of Latxa and Manech selection diagrams, is based on the exchange of opinions among sheep farmers and contrast sessions, which are almost impossible to hold in virtual format, resulting in this aim being considerably delayed.

Having analyzed how far the project has advanced and the uncertainty of the current situation, it was decided to request the Interreg POCTEFA for a one year extension.