Sheep breeding: leading countries in terms of livestock and the largest areas where the industry is developed

Sheep breeding is one of the leading animal industries in the world, as there is a steady demand for high-quality wool, young lamb. In regions with extensive grazing areas, sheep are bred for meat and sheepskin for domestic consumption and for export. The leading countries in sheep breeding are China, Australia, India, where the number of animals ranges from 50 to 140 million.

Homeland of Sheep Breeding

The ancestor of the domestic sheep was tamed by man 6-8 thousand years BC Thanks to the sheep, people received a year-round source of food and warm clothes.The first sheep herds appeared on the territory of Turkey, Syria, between the Tigris and Euphrates, where the natural zone favored grazing. The specialization of this livestock industry is sheep breeding.

Sheep breeding is divided into sub-sectors:

• getting meat;
• wool;
• sheepskins and smushki;
• production of fermented milk products.

Sheep intestines are also one of the export items used for the production of sausages, sausages, in the cosmetic industry.

Sheep breeding plays an important role in the economy of many countries, takes 3rd place in the world ranking in terms of output.

Popular breeds by country

Specialization of sheep breeding depends on domestic demand, availability of pastures, climatic conditions. China is the world leader in the production of lamb (1/3 of the world stock).The country is engaged in the development and implementation of intensive methods of growing meat sheep, as well as breeding fine-fleeced sheep.

Australia is a country of sheep. The number of herds in sheep farms reaches 200 thousand heads. Sheep breeding specializes in wool. Every year, 1/3 of the world's fine-fleeced sheepskin is sheared here. The predominant breed is Merino.

In New Zealand, local meat-wool, wool breeds are grown. The country is the largest exporter of wool and young lamb.

In Europe, the oldest sheep-breeding country is England, famous for its highly productive meat and wool breeds: Wiltshire Horn and Wensleydale. The UK is the leading exporter of mutton.

In the export of Iran, Pakistan is dominated by karakul (lamb skins). Israel is a supplier of fermented milk products. Sheep were brought to South Africa 200 years ago by the Portuguese.Currently, the country occupies a leading position on the African continent in breeding meat and wool breeds of sheep. In North America, the number of sheep is insignificant: in the USA - up to 80 thousand, in Canada - up to 900 thousand heads.

Sheep breeds most popular in leading sheep breeding countries:

BreedSpecializationChinadorper, woolen, meat-woolenSouth Africadorper meat -woolen

Country
	meat merino	meat
Australia	local Merino	wool
India	local	wool, hairless
Iran	afshari, green	meat and dairy, meat
New Zealand	merino, romny, corydale

Among the breeds, the Merino and Corydale have the highest rating in terms of popularity and prevalence (1/4 of the total number of sheep).

How many breeds of sheep are there in the world

Over the past millennia, about 600 breeds of sheep have been bred. The most widespread are 20 species. There are over 1 billion animals in the world.

The largest sheep breeding areas are located in the subtropics, tropics, deserts and semi-deserts, where there are large pasture areas. Sheep breeding geography extends to Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, Europe.

The leading countries in terms of the number of goals are:

• China - more than 140 million;
• Australia - about 100 million;
• India - about 60 million;
• Iran - more than 50 million;
• New Zealand - over 40 million.

In the UK, South Africa, Turkey, Pakistan and Spain, the number of sheep is approaching 30 million or more. There are about 20 million animals in Russia.

Leading countries in import/export of sheep products

More beef breeds are bred in countries with significant animal populations.

Main lamb producers:

• Australia;
• New Zealand;
• UK;
• Pakistan.

The leading exporters are Australia, UK and New Zealand. Importers - USA, Japan, EU, Canada. The leaders in the production of wool and its main suppliers to the world market are:

• Australia;
• New Zealand;
• Argentina;
• Uruguay;
• Pakistan.

New Zealand specializes in fine wool sheep breeding, ranking first in the world in its export. In Africa, the supply of lamb to neighboring countries is carried out by South Africa, the number of sheep in which is 3% of the world. India is one of the countries with one of the largest sheep populations in the world, but sheep breeding is extremely backward. Local coarse-haired breeds are bred for the manufacture of national clothes (shawls and scarves).

Trends in the development of sheep breeding in Russia

Since the 90s of the last century, the number of sheep in the Russian Federation has been steadily declining. For 20 years, it has decreased from 58 million heads to 14 million (2008). Russian producers are experiencing a shortage of wool, especially fine wool.Up to 18,000 tons of wool are exported to the country annually, with its own production of 42,000 tons. This situation is due to the unprofitability of sheep farms engaged in breeding wool sheep.

Reasons:

• insufficient selection work;
• herd aging;
• lack of laboratories to certify wool for export.

Sheep breeding is widespread in the North Caucasian (40% of the livestock), Southern (25%), Siberian (15.5%) federal districts. There are large sheep farms in Dagestan, Kalmykia, Volgograd, Astrakhan regions, and the Republic of Tuva. These farms provide the production of marketable mutton in the Russian Federation. In other regions, due to the small number of sheep, lamb is produced for their own needs.

Sheep breeding provides the population with traditional products and raw materials in harsh climatic conditions. The intensification of sheep breeding in the world, the growing demand for the industry's products is accompanied by the breeding of new, more productive breeds of sheep.

Currently 39 wool breeds are bred in Russia, including:

• 14 Fine Wool;
• 11 semi-fine;
• 2 Semi Coarse;
• 12 Coarse.

Opportunities for breeding sheep in the leading regions (Dagestan and Kalmykia) have been exhausted due to the maximum load on pastures. But other regions have significant potential for the development of the industry.

Subsidies and benefits for farmers in Russia

The Federal Program for the Development of Sheep Breeding for the period from 2014 to 2022-2023 provides for measures to increase the number of sheep, primarily ewes (up to 16.8 million heads). To meet the needs of the textile and light industry in raw materials, it is planned to stimulate manufacturers with an additional allocation of 500 million rubles from the federal budget.

With the support of the state, sheep breeders are faced with the task of increasing productivity, using new breeds, natural resources, deepening regional specialization.

The state strategy for the next 5 years is to improve the quality and competitiveness of products on the world market. The achieved indicators should satisfy domestic needs for mutton and wool and raise the export potential.

From 2022-2023, livestock breeders will be able to insure sheep against natural disasters, fires, epizootics. The subjects of the federation will receive state funding for the development of the agro-industrial sector in accordance with their programs. Local sheep breeders have the opportunity to receive subsidies for the purchase of breeding stock, compensation for the delivery of products to processing sites.

Farmer mistakes when buying/selling sheep

When purchasing lambs, a beginner in sheep breeding is advised to find a specialist who will determine the he alth status of the young and breed.

The deal is made in writing, which indicates the brand, gender, breed, age.

The seller must submit certificates from the veterinarian and breed certificates. Do not rely on verbal assurances from the breeder. When selling animals, you should take a receipt from the buyer in receipt of documents and money.

Advice from experienced sheep breeders

For the formation of a breeding herd, it is necessary to acquire a he althy, mature inseminator. For 60-70 sheep, 1 ram is enough, but for stimulation, he needs competitors in the herd (2-3 males). When choosing a breeding animal, they pay attention, in general, to the general physical condition. He must have a correct bite, no signs of anemia, tuberculosis, foot rot.The sexual characteristics of a ram should be pronounced, without signs of atrophy, disease.

After deciding to breed sheep, you should get acquainted with local sheep breeders and consult about breeds, feed, and conditions of detention. At the same time, it is necessary to decide on the form of organization of the economy (LH, LLC, KFH), on which the amount of subsidies received and the payment of taxes depends.

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