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Pedigree analysis is an important tool for assessing genetic variability and detecting heritage patterns in domestic animals. This study aimed to (1) assess genetic variability, (2) estimate genetic parameters for daily milk yield (DMY), fat content (FC), and protein content (PC), and (3) estimate the impact of inbreeding on the aforementioned dairy traits in Istrian sheep breed. The generation interval was 3.8 years. The average family size per sire and dam was 13.5 and 1.6, respectively. There were 923 female and 282 male founders (f), 105 male and 137 female effective founders (fe), and 72 male and 95 female effective ancestors (fa). A total of 28 sires and 34 dams explained 50% of the genetic variability. The effective number of male and female founder genomes (fne) was 33 and 53, respectively. Low fe/f (0.37 and 0.15), high fe/fa (1.45 and 1.44), and low fne/fe (0.45 and 0.39) for males and females indicated overuse of a small number of animals in reproduction and substantial loss of founder alleles. The heritabilities of MY, FC, and PC were 0.09, 0.03, and 0.06, respectively. Genetic correlations between DMY and FC, DMY and PC, and FC and PC were −0.22, −0.27, and 0.70, respectively. Regression of phenotypes on inbreeding coefficient () within the animal genetic model revealed negligible inbreeding depression for all traits (p.05).HIGHLIGHTS Genetic diversity, genetic parameters and the impact of inbreeding on dairy traits were estimated using pedigree information. Results indicate recent loss of genetic variability, low heritability and negligible impact of inbreeding on dairy traits. Genomic optimum contribution selection is the best solution to achieve genetic gain and slow down the loss of genetic variability in this population.

Lamb meat represents an important source of nutrients for humans worldwide. However, nutritional value of lamb meat, and particularly that obtained from suckling lambs, has been scarcely investigated in comparison to other categories of meat. The study aimed to provide some basic insights into proximate and mineral composition of lamb meat and to disclose some important sources of its variability. Three Croatian indigenous insular sheep breeds were included in the study: Rab sheep, Cres sheep, and Krk. The lambs were reared in outdoor insular environment where lambs were fed exclusively by suckling their mothers and by grazing wild grown vegetation. It has been determined that gender significantly affected fat (p