ABSTRACT
The Holstein cow was the mainstay of dairy production in Fordist industrialisation. Holstein has gone global; its genes have been spread all around the world and to other breeds. However, animal genetic resources are in the public domain and animal breeds are common-pool resources that belong to a community of dairy farmers and breeders. This chapter analyses the relationship between common-pool resources and markets within genetic selection plans. First, it covers the genetic and marketing process that led to the biological and institutional creation of the Holstein breed. Then, it sheds light on the evolution of the Holstein breed in France, through political, scientific, technical, informational and organisational issues that determine the dynamics of animal population and its genetic progress. Scientific and political developments such as genomics and deregulation have led to a segmented industrialisation of the animal breeding sector.
