In addition, that empowerment should cover: the minimum content of business plans and the criteria to be used by Member states for setting the thresholds referred to in Article 19(4); the definition and the minimum environmental requirements for afforestation and the creation of woodland; the conditions applicable to agri-environment-climate commitments to extensify livestock farming, rear local breeds in danger of being lost to farming or preserve plant genetic resources under threat of genetic erosion, as well as the definition of eligible operations for the conservation and for the sustainable use and development of genetic resource ...[+++]s.

While issues of conservation and halting biodiversity loss in agriculture remain a central element, the report highlights the need for a change of rationale with greater emphasis on an increased sustainable use of our genetic resources such as traditional or endangered breeds of animals or plants.

The main actions carried out on the basis of that programme were the co-ordination of Member States' extensive and essential activities undertaken with the FAO and the adoption of 21 projects involving a total of €10 million including one forestry project (elms), 6 projects for crop genetic resources (for example, barley, oats, cabbages, rice, potatoes, beets, olives) and 4 projects for animal genetic resources (pigs, cattle, rabbits).

The measures envisaged by the Upper Austrian regional Government are presented as a mean to protect organic and traditional agricultural production as well as plant and animal genetic resources from hybridisation with GMOs.

Also high on the agenda will be the negotiations on an international regime on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing, i.e. the permission to physically obtain and subsequently to use any material of plant, animal, microbial or other origin containing functional units of heredity and ‘genetic resources’ as genetic material of actual or potential value.

PROGRAMME CONTENTS A. Subprogramme "Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture": 1. Improvement of agricultural products - crop production: food and agro-industrial crops; crop genetics; crop protection; - proteins of animal origin: stock farming; animal genetics and reproduction; veterinary medicine; sea and inland fisheries, aquaculture; - forestry production in humid and arid areas. 2. Conservation and better use of the environment: - appraisal of resources; water resources and their use; soil management and protection, desertification and management of savannahs; underexploited genetic resources; wild flora and fauna; 3. Agricu ...[+++]ltural engineering and post-harvest technology: - agricultural engineering/mechanization; preservation of products; processing of products; 4. Production systems: - multi-disciplinary approaches relating to plan products; inter-cropping; relationships between crop- growing and stock-farming; ecologically fragile environments; B. Subprogramme "Medicine, Health and Nutrition in Tropical and Subtropical Areas" 1. Medecine: - transmissible tropical diseases: parasitological; bacterial; viral; mycological; - non-transmissible tropical diseases: genetic disorders; acquired diseases; 2. Health: - health services research: operational research; plannng management and evaluation; - environmental health: water-related diseases; traditional medicine - tropical medicinal plants; 3. Nutrition: - nutritional deficiencies; impact of agricultural, food and social-economic strategies on nutritional status; - relationships between production and storage systems, food habits and health status; - bioavailability of nutrients and their toxicology///.