Abstract. Organisation is an important factor in animal breeding. The present study gives first approaches for the use of new institutional economic theory as a tool for investigation of organisational structures in animal breeding. First, the concept of breeding organisation is defined. On the basis of two examples – increase of the competitiveness of breeders’ associations and conservation of animal genetic resources – it is shown how organisation theory and appropriate investigation methods can be used to develop different possible solutions. The study shows that organisation not just happens but is an intrinsic component of the system »animal breeding«. This component combines interests of the private and public sector. Organisation research helps to discover optimum combination of these interests. A following study deals with breeding planning as an important challenge in animal breeding with regard to the development of breeding organisation.

Breeding planning resp. planning of breeding measures as scientific discipline within animal breeding science has developed in close connection to quantitative genetics in the middle of the last century. From the beginning, breeding planning was mainly focussed on macroeconomic resp. national targets. This viewpoint has been maintained until today. This is in conflict with existing business oriented organisational structures in animal breeding. The present study gives an overview on the development of breeding planning. Based on five recent works on breeding planning it is shown that approaches have already been developed that allow for taking micro-and macroeconomic aspects into account when looking into the organisational structures. Building on these examples, the study aims at working out further approaches to breeding planning based on enterprise resource, supply chain and value added chain planning. Breeding planning combined with consideration of organisational structures and, where necessary, with organisational analysis allows to take the requirements of the private and the public sector into account. Thereto new research fields open up within animal breeding science.