Leading countries in cattle breeding. Cattle: what kind of animals are in our region

The number of cows is strictly taken into account in our country and abroad, since these animals are of particular value in agriculture. economic activity. In many states, the cultivation of cattle occupies a leading position in agriculture. From the main products obtained - meat and milk - you can get secondary ones - such as sour cream, cheese, butter, kefir, sausages. This list is far from complete. The demand for such products is quite large and continues to grow along with the number of livestock in the world.

World cow population statistics

Almost all countries of the world are engaged in animal husbandry - someone is more active, and someone is not very active. The livestock of cattle can also include such animals as yak, Indian buffalo and other less known species. They have similar physiology and different countries domesticated species of bulls are called cattle.

Animal tour spawned modern look KRS. It is very difficult to answer the question of how many cows there are in the world according to the latest data, since this figure is changing rapidly. At the beginning of 2017, there were approximately 1.3 billion heads.

The domestication of animals began in Asian countries specifically in Northern India. Domestication of cows in Europe occurred much later. It wasn't easy. Compared to goats and sheep, aurochs were difficult to succumb to man. KRS was a "supplier" of milk and meat.

Country ranking

The leader in the number of cattle is India, but beef production is not developed there, since religion prohibits the use of cows for food. Despite everything, it is noticeably the leader in the world ranking - over 50 million heads. The cow in this country is a sacred animal, but some residents eat beef. In addition, dairy breeds are bred.

In the European Union, the livestock is 23.5 million, and it is in second place. But here the population is much smaller. Brazil came in third. This is approximately 20.7 million heads of livestock. Every year there is a noticeable increase. In this country, many farmers breed cows, and special farms are opened to raise calves.

Fourth place

The United States can be put in fourth place in terms of the number of cattle - 9.3 million. The main number of farms is located in the western part. They pay attention to the production of meat and skins. Huge herds find their food on pastures and only in the cold season receive additional food in the form of feed. China claims the fifth place. There are approximately 8.7 million heads here. The reason for the low position in the ranking is that the country prefers small cattle, and cattle are mainly used as draft animals.

And although the first place is given to India, there cows mostly just live near people. And the huge livestock is due only to the ban on killing cows. Obtaining milk and related products is the predominant activity in the country associated with cattle. While, for example, in America, cows are kept specifically for the production of beef and skins. Animals occupy large plots land and gather in huge herds. But in some Asian countries, cattle are used as pack and draft animals.

Russian statistics

Russian animal husbandry strengthens its position thanks to commercial field. Compared to previous years, the volume of agricultural products in 2017 increased markedly. The livestock of cattle in Russia is made up of dairy and milk-meat breeds. However, in recent years there has been a serious reduction in this category, while there has been an active increase in the number of beef cattle.

In the Russian Federation, the following leaders in terms of livestock in the field of cattle breeding are noted:

• Bashkortostan (last year 2016 showed the largest livestock, as a percentage of the whole country it is 5.8%);
• Tatarstan (the number of heads has increased markedly and in 2016 amounted to 5.3% of the total cattle in the country);
• Dagestan (slightly behind the second place and gaining 5.2%);
• Altai Territory breaks away a little, but gains 2.7% for 2016;
• The Rostov region accounted for 3.1% of the total livestock in Russia.

Other regions

All other regions of the country are also actively engaged in animal husbandry, but the top five are biggest leaders during several years. However, the lag in other regions is not too large. The smallest percentage for 2016 is the Irkutsk region - 1.6%.

The density of distribution of cows in Russia, given its vast territory, is not the same. These animals are not at all adapted to living in areas Far North. The main herds live in the south of the country, as well as in its central and Far Eastern parts. It is there that the most juicy grasses and water meadows are located. Accordingly, the livestock in these areas is the largest.

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AGRONEWS has compiled an agricultural map of the world, which tells about the leaders in the production of agricultural products.

CHINA

China successfully cultivates 50 types of field plants, 80 garden plants and 60 garden plants. However, first of all, the Celestial Empire is known rice plantations. In 2015, it exported 287 thousand tons of rice. Since the 1990s, China has ranked first in the world in grain production.

INDIA

The undisputed leader in terms of number of cattle can be called India, where 221.9 million are now located. Also, the agro-industrial country, which is home to 2/3 of the poorest people on the planet, ranks second in the world in terms of production Sahara- about 14 million tons per year. And last year, India became the largest producer milk in the world with a share of 18.5%. The country annually exports products worth $112 billion.

BRAZIL

In terms of agricultural exports, Brazil is in third place in the world (share in world exports - 6.1%). And for production coffee and sugar cane country ahead of the whole planet. Brazil also has a large number of cattle (208 million heads). According to the latest data, the export of products from Brazil amounted to 199.7 billion dollars.

In terms of agricultural production, the United States is vastly superior to any other country. Thus, the United States ranks first in the world in the production of soybeans and the third - for the collection sugar beets. 16% of total harvest world grain and 22% of world volumes sorghum. More than 2.5 million private farms have been created in the state, employing more than 20 million people. Favorable natural resource preconditions, scientific and technological progress, and government investment are factors that contribute to the development of agricultural production in the United States.

INDONESIA

Indonesia produced 32.5 million tons in 2015 edible oil, which is 2/3 more than the second world leader Malaysia. Last year, overseas sales of Indonesian palm oil generated $19 billion. The main agricultural industry is agriculture. The main crops are rice, cassava (an edible root plant used to make flour, porridge), coconuts, corn, bananas, sweet potatoes. Fishing has historically been of great importance. Now Indonesia ranks third in the world in terms of the volume of fish and seafood caught.

JAPAN

First of all, Japan is famous for its love for fish and seafood. On average, a Japanese consumes 168 kg of fish per year, which is the highest figure among countries in the world. However, the main industry Agriculture Japan is rice growing. About half of all farmland in the country is occupied by rice fields. In 2014, Japanese exports of agricultural and food products amounted to 611 billion yen (about $5.8 billion). In particular, the export of salmon increased by 36.7%, by 33.1% - by traditional Japanese confectionery, by 41% - by beef and rice.

TURKEY

Turkey surpasses all countries in terms of harvest forest nuts, cherries, dates, apricots, quince and pomegranates. Also, the Turkish Republic ranks second in the collection of watermelons, cucumbers and chickpeas, the third - in the collection of tomatoes, eggplants, green peppers, lentils and pistachios. Fruit and nuts are exported from this country for 3.8 billion dollars a year. In 2014, Turkey's total exports reached $157.6 billion, a record high for this country.

GERMANY

About 70% of commercial agricultural products in Germany come from animal husbandry. Among them pig breeding and cattle breeding. The latter, by the way, makes up 2/5 of all marketable agricultural products, and about 1/4 falls on milk. At the end of last year, Germany's foreign supplies increased by 6.4% and amounted to 1.195 trillion euros.

FRANCE

France is the largest exporter of agricultural products. The country ranks first in Western Europe for production grain, milk, sugar beet, the second - for the production meat, potatoes and grapes. By turnover foreign trade(58 billion dollars) France is in fourth place in the world.

RUSSIA

At the end of 2015, agricultural production in Russia increased by 3.5%. The country is the third largest exporter in the world grain. Last year it amounted to 31 million tons. A quarter is also exported from the country vegetable oil from all production volumes. Russian caviar is famous all over the world, in addition to it, honey is also an exclusive Russian product, the export of which is growing year after year.

The branch of agriculture - animal husbandry - is ubiquitous. In terms of its importance, it ranks second after crop production. The main countries where livestock is distributed play an important role in providing the world's population with food. The main areas of animal husbandry include: cattle breeding, pig breeding, sheep breeding.

animal husbandry

Australia, Oceania

There are countries of distribution of cattle breeding in Oceania. New Zealand is very developed. This country is the largest exporter of dairy products.

The plains in western Australia do not receive sufficient moisture to fully provide forage for cattle. But for sheep breeding it's easy ideal conditions. The continent is one of the three leaders in the world in terms of the number of sheep. It ranks first in the export of wool and lamb.

Europe

The main livestock countries in Europe suffer from limited agricultural land. Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, England have up to 80% specific gravity animal husbandry in the agricultural sector.

Dairy and beef cattle are mainly bred. Some countries pay great attention to pig breeding: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands. Sheep are also bred in Europe. The leaders are Spain and England.

Crop production in the bulk is designed to meet the needs of animal husbandry in feed. That is why most of the fertile land is occupied Limited areas force livestock breeders to use intensive methods of livestock breeding.

Asia

In Asia, the main countries of cattle breeding are concentrated in the monsoon climate zone - the southern and eastern parts of the region and the western regions. Cattle breeding prevails, it develops on an extensive basis (due to an increase in livestock, and not the introduction of new technologies).

Countries with non-Muslim populations - Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam - cultivate pig breeding. China holds the first place in the world in terms of the number of pigs. Animal husbandry is designed to meet the internal needs of countries.

Africa

The continent occupies a special geographical position. Climatic conditions, the presence of huge natural pastures and fertile lands create favorable conditions for any type of agricultural activity. Confident farming requires land reclamation.

Africa's main cattle breeding countries are eastern Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The level is low, the stock does not have a good genetic potential. Kenya has pastures suitable for the development of sheep breeding. With proper organization, this industry may well become the leading one in the country's economy (with an increase in the number of sheep in a few years to 6 million heads).

They practice a distant-pasture system of raising livestock. Feeding is not accepted. Cattle and sheep are constantly on the farm. Plant growing is in no way connected with animal husbandry and does not provide it with a forage base.

Animal husbandry in developed countries uses intensive farming methods to further flourish. This helps them maintain their leading positions both in terms of the number of livestock and the volume of products produced.

The population of the Earth is growing, along with it the level of consumption of meat is growing. Currently, the world export of beef is more than seven million, pork - more than one million, lamb - more than eight million tons.

The main exporters of beef - the most demanded type of meat - are Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Canada. The main importers are Russia, Japan, Korea, USA.

As part of the world animal husbandry, four main sectors are usually distinguished (cattle breeding, pig breeding, sheep breeding (often with goat breeding) and poultry farming), as well as others (horse breeding, camel breeding, reindeer breeding and sericulture).

Cattle breeding is characterized by the most numerous livestock. Among the individual regions of the world, Asia has the largest number of cattle, Latin America and Africa (Table 9).

Table 9. Number of cattle in the countries of the world ( beginning of XXI in.)

In addition to ordinary cows, zebu, watusi and buffalo are also bred here. In general, the productivity of pastoralism in developing countries is low. Cattle are in the main outbred, little meat and milk are obtained from them, and the herd serves rather as a measure of the wealth of its owner. The situation is somewhat better in Latin American countries (first of all, in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico). So, although India traditionally stands out in terms of the total number of cattle (here, in addition to 219 million heads of cows, there are about 95 million heads of buffaloes), Brazil has its largest commercial herd. Herds of cattle in Europe and North America are not so numerous, but highly productive. Developed countries produce the bulk of the world's beef and cow's milk.

The level of intensity of cattle breeding can be judged by the type of agricultural enterprises prevailing in a particular country or part of it. Intensive dairy or beef (at the fattening stage) cattle breeding is typical mainly for small farms, and extensive beef cattle breeding is typical for large farms (ranches). The latter are common in countries with significant areas of natural pastures (USA, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina).

Pig breeding is most developed in China. The share of the USA, European and Latin American countries is traditionally large (Table 10).

Table 10. The number of pigs and sheep in the countries of the world (beginning of the 21st century)

The distribution of sheep and goat breeding in certain regions of the world generally resembles the distribution of cattle. Of the developing countries, China and other Asian countries have the most numerous herds of sheep (see Table 10), goats - India, Pakistan, Iran and African countries. However, these herds tend to be low-productive and produce very little wool, down, and meat. In developed countries (Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and South Africa) the situation is different - the number of sheep here, on the contrary, is not so numerous, and the wool shear is very large.

The United States, China, India, Brazil and Indonesia have the most numerous poultry population, horses - China, Mexico and Brazil, camels - the countries of South-West Asia and North Africa, reindeer - Russia, Canada, USA (Alaska) and the Scandinavian countries .

Table 11. Meat production in the countries of the world (beginning of the 21st century)

Most meat per capita is produced in New Zealand, Denmark, Australia and the Netherlands. It is believed that a country is fully self-sufficient in meat if it produces at least 100 kg / person per year. Of course, the “quality” of the meat produced plays an important role. For example, the concept of "meat" in Russia and most developing countries includes not only meat itself, but also offal and lard. As for the structure of meat produced by types, the following situation is developing here. The share of beef is the largest in Argentina, India, Australia, Russia and Brazil, pork - in China, Germany and Spain, lamb - in New Zealand, Australia and India, poultry meat - in the USA, Great Britain, Mexico, Brazil and France (tab. 12, see Fig. 2).

Table 12. Structure of meat production by types, %, in the countries of the world (beginning of the 21st century)

The world's largest exporters of beef are Brazil, Australia, the USA and Canada, pork - Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada and China, lamb - Australia, New Zealand and the UK, poultry meat - the USA, France, Brazil and the Netherlands. The most large-scale purchases of meat abroad are carried out by the USA, Japan, Russia and the countries of the European Union.

The world leaders in milk production are developed countries and some large developing countries (India, Brazil, Pakistan, Mexico and Argentina) (Table 13).

Table 13. Milk production in the countries of the world (beginning of the 21st century)

* Including buffalo milk.

By the way, if in addition to cow's milk we also take into account buffalo milk, then India firmly takes the first place in the world (almost 40 million tons of buffalo milk are milked here every year). The largest number milk per capita is produced in New Zealand (about 3 tons), Denmark (over 1 ton), Lithuania (about 800 liters) and the Netherlands (almost 700 liters). The highest average milk yields (per cow) are typical for the USA (7100 l/year), Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland (about 7000 l/year). In specialized dairy farms in these countries, one cow on average produces at least 12,000 liters of milk per year. Average milk yields in developing countries, as a rule, are much lower (if Argentina has another 4000 liters, then in Brazil it is already 1800, and in China - 900).

Most butter is produced in India, USA, France, Pakistan, Germany, New Zealand, Russia and Poland. An unprecedented high level of butter production per capita (kg) is typical for New Zealand (almost 100), Ireland (about 40), Belgium (10), the Netherlands, Australia and France (8 - 9 each).

The United States, France (about 700 varieties of cheese), Germany, Italy and the Netherlands stand out for the production of cheese.

The largest exporters of powdered, concentrated, condensed milk, butter and cheese are New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium.

The largest producers of wool are traditionally Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Uruguay, Great Britain and South Africa. China rapidly increases wool shearing (Table 14).

Table 14. Wool production in the countries of the world (beginning of the 21st century)

Wool of fine-fleeced (Merino breeds) and semi-fine-fleeced sheep undoubtedly predominates in the sheared wool.

Companies that process (and often produce) various types of agricultural products are among the largest in the world. Universal companies predominate among them, i.e. covering several segments of the food market - "Mars", "United Brand", "General Foods", "Borden", "Pillsberry" and "Altris Troop" (until 2003 it was called "Philip Morris", produced tobacco products, subsequently expanded their specialization) (all - USA), Nestle (Switzerland), Unilever (Great Britain and the Netherlands).

Swift and Ermor (both US) specialize in meat processing, Kraftco, Beatrice Foods (both US), Danone (France), Ehrmann (Germany) and Campina ( Netherlands) - milk.

Standard Fruit & Steamship (USA) supplies fresh tropical fruits, Del Monte (USA) produces juices, compotes and jams from them, Coca-Cola and Pepsi (both - USA) specialize in the production of soft drinks and mineral water. Jacobe and Cibo (both Germany) process coffee, RJ Reynolds, Imperial Tobacco (both US), British American Tobacco (US and UK) and Japan Tobacco International (Japan) - tobacco. McDonald's and McChicken (both US) control the world's largest fast food chains.

Animal husbandry is the second most important branch of agriculture after crop production, providing the population with food, and industry with raw materials. Animal husbandry is closely related to crop production. The basis of animal husbandry is cattle breeding - cattle breeding. The world number of cattle is about 1.3 billion heads. This industry provides humanity with almost all milk and a third - with meat. Pastoralism is distributed relatively evenly across regions of the world, but the level of its productivity and specialization in different natural areas are not the same. In the forest and forest-steppe zones of the temperate zone, cattle are bred, mainly for dairy and meat. In suburban and other areas with high density The population is dominated by dairy cattle breeding. The content of animals here is mainly stall and pasture stall. In arid areas, where transhumance and nomadic cattle breeding is widespread, the meat direction prevails. Most of livestock (almost 60%) are in developing countries. Pig farming is the main supplier of meat in the world. Nearly a billion pigs are raised annually. There are meat (bacon) and lard pig breeding. Meat pig breeding is more widespread. It develops in areas of potato growing and sugar beet growing. Pig farming is done in Europe, East Asia and America. China is the world leader in raising pigs. Sheep breeding is the third leading branch of animal husbandry, producing wool, astrakhan fur, sheepskin, meat, lard, and milk. This is one of the traditional and most extensive industries in agriculture. The annual number of sheep is about 1.2 billion heads. Several breeds of sheep are bred for different purposes. Australia and New Zealand have the largest number of sheep. There is meat-and-wool, wool, fat-tailed (fat-producing) sheep breeding. Among the wool, fine-fleeced, semi-fine-fleeced, karakul are distinguished. The highest quality wool is produced by fine-wool sheep breeding, which is developed in desert and semi-desert regions (China, Argentina, Iran, Uzbekistan). Particularly valuable karakul (skins of newborn sheep) are supplied by the countries of Central and Western Asia. Close to sheep breeding is the breeding of goats. It is mainly of local importance, with the exception of the breeding of Angora goats that produce mohair. Among the branches of animal husbandry, poultry farming is developing at a high pace. Large highly mechanized poultry farms are located not far from cities and grain regions. Birds are bred here for eggs and meat. Fishing is a very ancient craft of mankind. He is currently important industry world economy. In fresh waters, 1/10 of the world fish production is caught, the rest - in the oceans and seas. Fishing is developed in many states. But almost half of the world's fish catch comes from six countries: Japan, China, Russia, the USA, Chile, Peru. Due to the catastrophic reduction of commercial fish stocks in the oceans, humanity is moving from fishing to fish farming. This is not only fishing, but also fish breeding, increasing and improving the quality of fish stocks in natural reservoirs ( different types sturgeon, salmon, herring), as well as in special artificial reservoirs (bream, carp, crucian carp, silver carp, etc.). The most significant achievements in the cultivation of fish, the cultivation of other seafood in Japan. Camel breeding, horse breeding, reindeer breeding, silkworm breeding, rabbit breeding, beekeeping, and fur fur farming stand out among other branches of animal husbandry. They have a limited distribution. Unreasonable farming causes great harm to the nature of the Earth. For example, only one pig farm produces hundreds of tons of liquid waste, which significantly pollute water bodies. To increase soil fertility, agricultural land is irrigated or, conversely, drained, fertilized, etc. It is not always justified land improvement work that often irrevocably changes natural complexes. So, ill-conceived irrigation leads to soil salinization, excessive drainage causes accelerated land erosion and fires in peatlands. Conclusions: Animal husbandry, like crop production, provides the population with food, and industry - with raw materials. The main branches of animal husbandry are cattle breeding, pig breeding and sheep breeding. The result of imperfect agricultural practices is pollution environment and changing natural complexes.