Parentage, identity test

It is particularly important and desirable with breeding animals to verify their identity and parentage. For this purpose, a DNA profile is created from the animal, which is unique and unmistakable for each individuum. This profile can be obtained from all kinds of tissue including animal products such as meat and milk or even after the death of the animal. Short, repeated DNA sequences, known as microsatellites, are determined for this so called "genetic fingerprint". In parentage analyses, the genetic information of the offspring is compared with that of the putative parents. The characteristics of the offspring/test individual must always consist of half of the characteristics of the mother and half of the characteristics of the father, otherwise the parentage must be denied. We use microsatellite panels advised by ISAG (International Society for Animal Genetics, www.isag.org.uk). To ensure a permanent high-quality standard and broad comparability, our laboratory regularly participates in proficiency tests and comparative analyses. Those DNA profiles are internationally standardized, and therefore comparable worldwide.