Why in the News
Under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare notification S.O. 5675(E), 16 October 2026 (published in the Gazette on 19 October), 16 indigenous breeds, including one dog breed have been declared "notified breeds". Earlier, on 7 August 2026, their registration was approved at the 14th meeting of the Breed Registration Committee (BRC); the nodal institution ICAR-NBAGR, Karnal gave each breed a specific accession number (a unique national identification number). With this addition, the country now has a total of 262 registered breeds - 258 indigenous and 4 synthetic.
The breeds: species and state
- Four cattle breeds are included - Kompal from Karnataka, Mahakaushali from Madhya Pradesh, Periyar from Kerala and Umarda from Maharashtra.
- Buffalo (1): Gomanchali (Goa).
- Among goats, Battisi from Rajasthan-Uttar Pradesh and Totapuri from Rajasthan are included.
- Among sheep, Asomi from Assam, Kau Debar from Uttarakhand, Madgyal from Maharashtra-Karnataka and Simanchali from Bihar are included.
- Besides these, the Braj donkey of Uttar Pradesh, the Kashmiri horse/pony of Jammu and Kashmir, the Nagal pig of Nagaland, the Sikkimese yak of Sikkim and the Kombai dog of Tamil Nadu have been notified.
In all, 9 species, 13 states and 1 Union Territory.
What the notification means
National recognition gives these breeds a formal status in the field of animal husbandry, production, breeding, conservation, use and trade.
Read the detailed analysis: National recognition for 16 indigenous breeds - the full analysis.
Reading the Count Correctly
ICAR lists 16 numbered entries: four cattle, one buffalo, two goats, four sheep, and one each of donkey, horse, pig, yak and dog. The Kombai dog is included in 16; adding it again would incorrectly give 17. Breed, species and state are different units. Several breeds can belong to one species, while a breed can have its home tract in more than one state.
Prelims Practice Questions
Question 1. By which notification were the 16 new breeds declared "notified breeds"?
(a) S.O. 5675(E), 16 October 2026
(b) S.O. 1234(E), 2025
(c) G.S.R. 99, 2026
(d) Presidential Ordinance, 2026
See answer and reason
Answer: (a) S.O. 5675(E), 16 October 2026. This notification was published in the Gazette on 19 October 2026; the registration was approved at the BRC's 14th meeting of 7 August 2026.
Question 2. Which is the nodal institution for registering livestock breeds?
(a) ICAR-NBAGR, Karnal
(b) NDDB, Anand
(c) IVRI, Bareilly
(d) NABARD, Mumbai
See answer and reason
Answer: (a) ICAR-NBAGR, Karnal. It is the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources that gives each breed a specific accession number.
Question 3. After this addition, what is the total number of registered breeds in the country?
(a) 216
(b) 246
(c) 262
(d) 280
See answer and reason
Answer: (c) 262. This includes 258 indigenous and 4 synthetic breeds.
Sources and limitations
- Gazette notification S.O. 5675(E), 16 October 2026 (read): gazettetracker.com/CG-DL-E-19102026-277281; ICAR press release, 7 August 2026 (read): icar.org.in press release
- Limitations: the breed lists of the two sources were matched with each other. The Gazette text was read through a third-party tracker; the original egazette page did not open separately.
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