ENSURING GENETIC SOVEREIGNTY: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN THE CHANGING GLOBAL CONDITIONS

Abstract
This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the cattle breeding base
in the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation in the context of geopolitical challenges and
limited access to genetic resources from leading Western breeding companies. Based on the study
of the developed countries experience (Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, and Canada) in the areas
of breeding, genomic evaluation, and state support for breeding, strategic directions
for the development of a sovereign breeding base are proposed.

The risk assessment and SWOT analysis of the two countries’ potential have been conducted.
The authors also provide the industry development forecast, outlining target indicators and necessary
programmatic and financial measures. A separate section provides a quantitative economic analysis
of the potential benefits of implementing an import substitution strategy in genetics.

Thus, with significant livestock, preserved scientific schools, and a common economic space,
the two countries have all the necessary prerequisites for creating a sovereign, competitive cattle
genetic base. The key to success lies not in autarky, but in the deep, pragmatic integration of scientific,
production, and financial resources, following the example of best international practices while taking
into account national specificities. Implementing the proposed strategy is not simply an industryspecific task, but a matter of food sovereignty and technological security for the Union State.
Otherwise, difficult-to-reverse processes such as technological backwardness, loss of export
positions, and long-term dependence on new sources of genetic resources could occur.

This work allows us to formulate a strategy for scientific and technological survival. Risk
assessment is the first step toward creating independent gene banks (biobanks), proprietary animal
strains, and sovereign genomic databases.

Keywords: cattle, import substitution, selection, genomic assessment, economics, food
security