The first mission of SYSAAF is to provide technical support for the security and management of genetic diversity, as well as the genetic selection of lines or breeds, within the poultry sectors. Breeders can thus benefit from sound advice for the domestication of new species, the establishment of breeding patterns for new populations, the selection of new traits, new conditions and breeding practices, possibly with new breeders, then for the choice of high-performance breeders and the implementation of appropriate mating plans.

In massal selection without or with pedigree established by genetic fingerprints [Aquaculture sector], and in genealogical selection with pedigree established at the hatchery (Poultry culture) or by genetic fingerprints (Poultry and aquaculture species) Successive research and development operations consist of :

• Report the genealogies and performances collected in the field, in the SYSAAF database,
• Validate phenotypic data after performing basic control operations,
• Check the quality of the sample files of the blood or tissue samples sent to the genotyping laboratories,
• Check the quality of the return files of kinship assignments or genotyping of analytical laboratories,
• Estimate the genetic values of candidates for selection using different models (BLUP, GBLUP, VCE, TM, threshold models, etc.) according to the nature of the characters to be treated (Continuous, discrete),
• Propose or validate successive selection trunks,
• Calculate normalized phenotypic indexes,
• Estimate genetic or genomic parameters,
• Establish, an unbiased ranking of candidates based on these values, on the criteria and objectives desired by the members,
• Propose candidates likely to make a positive change in the population average by optimising the preservation of the genetic variability of each population,
• Propose a mating plan between closely related breeders to minimize the increase in inbreeding of offspring of the next generation,
• Exchange with members for the implementation of new selection criteria and/or new strategies,
• To present a summary of the work carried out during review meetings with the member, involving the participation of different actors of the selection services.