The number of pigs in the world. The largest boar in the world: breeds and record holders. Pork production in the world by country

Not everyone knows that the Year of the Pig, joyfully met on the night of January 1, 2007, comes a month and a half later. The Eastern calendar does not coincide with the Gregorian, if only because the Eastern calendar is lunar, and the Gregorian is solar. The beginning of the Eastern New Year falls on various dates between January 20 and February 20. For example, in 2006 the first day of the Year of the Dog was January 29th. The Year of the Red Pig will begin on February 17, 2007 at 19:14 Moscow time. If you consider yourself a good teacher who is interesting to learn from, then you just need to beat this date in a geography lesson. There are three possible approaches, three geographic themes. For each of them, you will need a mapping diagram of the distribution of the world pig population (p. 24-25) and a table (p. 26).

Population geography

Carefully follow the features of the placement of pigs around the world. Where are the most pigs? Of course, in China - in the country where the tradition of "pig" years comes from. There are almost half a billion pigs, more than half of the world's population. So that New Year will please, first of all, Chinese piglets, pigs and boars. What is the first thing every schoolchild should know about China? The fact that it has the largest population in the world, exceeding 1.3 billion. Among the main "pig" countries of the world are the populous USA, Brazil, Vietnam, Germany. Russia, a country in the top ten in terms of population, lags behind in terms of pig stock, yielding even to Spain and Poland, being at the level of Denmark (you must be aware of the hams and bacons from these countries?). However, in 1990, before the catastrophic drop in Agriculture, in our country there were 38 million pigs, now it would be the third figure in the world ( was would, alas). The same crisis, and not the craving of Ukrainians for bacon, glorified in jokes, reduced the pig population of our closest neighbor. This has its own logic: the decline in population is accompanied by a reduction in the number of pigs.

confessional geography

But do all the most populated countries in the world have a large swine population? Look at the map. Right in its center, a white spot catches the eye. This is the Islamic world. According to Islam, the pig is an unclean animal. Raising pigs, eating pork, and even the mere mention of a pig is a sin. Compare the map on p. 24-25 with the Muslim accommodation map published in No. 13/2006. They are as different as positive and negative. Of the Muslim countries, Indonesia has the most pigs - 6 million, but this is for 245 million of the population, which includes Christians, Hindus, Confucians, animists.

Also, Buddhists and Jews do not favor pigs and pork. In Buddhism, the pig symbolizes ignorance - one of the main sins of man. Buddhists believe that Buddha interrupted his earthly journey by tasting stale pork. Religious traditions and prohibitions determine the low pig population in Israel, Mongolia, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. "But what about China?" - you ask. In China, the situation is different. Firstly, Buddhism in China is closely intertwined with Confucianism and Taoism, and they do not say anything bad about pigs;
secondly, it is a socialist country with a high proportion of atheists. So the famous "Shanghai Bamboo Pig", like other pork dishes, is an integral part, if not the basis, of the Chinese culinary tradition.

Economical geography

What are pigs for? “For meat,” you answer, and you will be right. They do not take milk from pigs, they do not have horns that can be used in pharmacology, they are not bred for wool. Of course, you can still get bristles from pigs, which are used, for example, for the production of brushes and brushes, but this does not interfere with the most important purpose of these domestic animals - meat. The number of pigs directly indicates the amount of pork production.

Pork in modern economy- the meat of the townspeople. Why? Because pigs do not need to be pastured on open pastures, they are fed on relatively compact pig farms that can easily find space in the suburbs of large conurbations. By the way, this is precisely why pigs have become so widespread in small island states, where there is simply no space for breeding other meat animals (Nauru has 3 thousand pigs for 13 thousand people, and Niue has a pig for each of 2 thousand islanders). Also, keep in mind that pigs are unpretentious in food, they willingly consume all the food waste that is generated in cities. That is why, other things being equal, the number of pigs will be larger in those countries where the proportion of large cities is higher. There are relatively few pigs even in developed South Africa and Australia. So it's not easy for an adorable Australian pig named Babe - the hero of the movie of the same name - to find friends from his pink tribe at home.

Brazil
Germany
Philippines
Netherlands
South Korea
Indonesia
Great Britain
Belarus
Venezuela
Serbia and Montenegro
Australia
Cambodia
Portugal
Burkina Faso
Malaysia
Papua New Guinea
Colombia
Ireland
Switzerland
Madagascar
Paraguay
Argentina
Finland
Kazakhstan
Croatia
Slovakia
Congo (Kinshasa)
Bulgaria
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Zimbabwe
Dominican Republic
Costa Rica
Slovenia
Norway
Honduras
Tanzania
Moldova
Guinea-Bissau
Salvador
East Timor
Ivory Coast
New Zealand
Singapore
Guatemala
Cape Verde
Mozambique
Macedonia
Nicaragua
Luxembourg
Reunion (French)
Uzbekistan
Sri Lanka
Kyrgyzstan
Solomon islands
Sierra Leone
Puerto Rico (USA)
Congo (Brazzaville)
Trinidad and Tobago
Iceland
micronesia
Cook Islands (NZ)
Guadeloupe (French)
Swaziland
Turkmenistan
French polynesia
New Caledonia (French)
Wallis and Futuna Islands (Fr.)
Azerbaijan
Martinique (French)
Barbados
Seychelles
Saint Lucia
Mauritius
Kiribati
American Samoa (USA)
french guiana
Saint Vincent
Botswana
Equatorial Guinea
Mongolia
Guam (USA)
Bahamas
Dominica
Liechtenstein
Antigua and Barbuda
Virgin Islands (US)
Netherlands Antilles
Sao Tome and Principe
Niue (N. Zel.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Virgin Islands (Brit.)
Montserrat (UK)
Tokelau (N. Zel.)
Tajikistan
Saint Helena (UK)
Bermuda (UK)
Cayman Islands (UK)
Falkland Islands (sp. Brit. and Arg.)

Animal husbandry is a branch of agriculture that specializes in breeding domestic animals. The main purpose of the industry is the production of food products: meat, milk, eggs, animal fats, etc. Animal husbandry provides raw materials (wool, skins) for individual industries. It satisfies the needs of society in horse-drawn transport, in working cattle and sports animal husbandry. As part of the world animal husbandry, the main branches are distinguished: cattle breeding, pig breeding, sheep breeding and poultry farming, as well as horse breeding, camel breeding, reindeer breeding, sericulture and beekeeping.

In developed countries, animal husbandry is the most important high-commodity branch of agriculture, closely related to crop production. More than 80% of the grain is fed to livestock, and in developing countries - less than 40%. Livestock production per capita is one of the most significant indicators of the country's economy. In developed countries, more than 115 kg of milk and more than 85 kg of meat are produced per capita. In developing countries, these figures do not exceed 55 and 36 kg. Most of the livestock is kept on pastures. Pasture animal husbandry has both consumer and commercial character.

The largest countries in terms of livestock of large cattle shown in table. 5.14. Over the past decades, the number of livestock has increased in Brazil, China, Sudan, Argentina and Mexico and slightly decreased in India, the USA, Australia, and Russia.

Table 5.14

Countries by number of cattle, pigs, sheep (million heads)

	Number of cattle, 2015		Number of pigs, 2015		Sheep population, 2013
Brazil				Australia
				Zealand
		Brazil
				Great Britain
Argentina
Australia
New Zealand

There are areas of dairy, meat and meat and dairy (or milk and meat) cattle breeding, which is associated with a forage base. Dairy cattle are bred in areas where there is a juicy fodder base (pastures and hayfields of the steppe, forest-steppe and forest zones). Beef cattle are bred on the roughage of deserts and dry steppes.

Asia leads in terms of livestock, with a third of the world's livestock. More than 20% of the livestock is concentrated in Latin America. Cattle provide more than 30% of the world's meat production and the bulk of milk. Commercial beef cattle breeding is developed in Latin America (Brazil, Argentina), in certain regions of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and China. Dairy cattle breeding is confined to the forest zone of the temperate zone of Western and Eastern Europe and North America.

The largest countries in terms of the number of pigs are shown in Table. 5.14. Of the world's nearly billion livestock, more than 50% are in China, and more than 6% in the United States. Over the past decades, China and Brazil have significantly increased the number of pigs. Pig breeding is characterized by high productivity with short terms of production and undemanding to feed and environmental conditions. This industry is characterized by high concentration in densely populated areas, around large cities and in countries with intensive potato and beet growing.

The largest number of sheep is in China (see Table 5.14). In developing countries, low-productive sheep breeding is represented. The world is dominated by extensive transhumance, or nomadic or semi-nomadic sheep breeding, developed in the natural zones of steppes, deserts and semi-deserts, as well as in mountainous regions. The main product of sheep breeding is wool. There are fine-wool, semi-fine-fleece, semi-coarse-wool and coarse-wool sheep breeding. Fine-fleeced and semi-fine-fleeced sheep produce high-quality wool for the production of fabrics and furs. Fine-fleeced sheep are bred mainly in temperate latitudes, steppes or deserts. The number of semi-fine-fleeced sheep is confined to areas with softer and humid climate and developed intensive agriculture. Semi-coarse-wool and coarse-wool sheep breeding has been developed in the tropical deserts of African and Asian countries. Goats are bred mainly in Asia and Africa. China and India have the largest number of goats.

Poultry farming is ubiquitous. In economically developed countries, poultry farming is the most industrialized livestock sector with a stage-by-stage specialization (egg production, incubators, chicken rearing, poultry meat processing). There is a meat direction (mainly the USA and the EU) and egg production (everywhere). China has the largest poultry population.

Developed countries lead in meat production, but developing countries are rapidly increasing their share. In world meat production, pork accounts for about 40%, poultry meat is in second place - 29.3%, followed by beef - 25.0%, lamb - 5%. In recent decades, meat production in China has grown especially rapidly, in addition to which the United States and Brazil occupy the second and third places. Brazil and the US are the world's largest meat exporters. The United States leads in meat consumption per capita (120.2 kg per person per year). Kuwait and Australia follow. New Zealand and Denmark have lost ground in recent decades.

Cow's milk accounts for 83%, buffalo - 13% of 100% of world output, where India leads, producing more than 146 million tons of this product in 2014, including buffalo milk. This is followed by the USA, China, Brazil Germany, Russia, France, New Zealand, Great Britain and Pakistan. AT last years milk production grew especially fast in India, China and Brazil. New Zealand produced 4,420 kg of milk per capita in 2014, 11 times more than Australia, the world's second-largest producer.

The maximum average milk yield per cow is typical for Israel and is about 12000 l/year. This is significantly higher than in the Netherlands and the USA. Many countries of Western Europe are distinguished by high milk yields. In Russia in recent years they amounted to slightly less than 7000 l/year. Developing countries have rather low average milk yields. New Zealand, Australia, USA, Argentina and Belarus export milk powder.

Butter production in developed countries has been declining in recent years. There is a rapid growth in the production of this product in India, which ranks first in the world. New Zealand leads in butter production per capita, over 114 kg/year. Cheese production in the world is growing. 70% of cheeses are produced in Europe (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy) and the USA. The main increase in the volume of cheese comes from these regions.

The largest wool producers - Australia (253 thousand tons), China (158 thousand tons), New Zealand (134 thousand tons) - occupied in 2011

over 50% of the world's wool production. Large wool production is available in South Africa, Great Britain, Argentina and Uruguay. Nearly 70% of the world's wool exports come from Australia.

Igor Nikolaev

Reading time: 5 minutes

A A

The modern pig industry is a highly developed complex of enterprises with a colossal production potential.

Achievements of scientific and technological progress in this area have allowed many countries of the world to improve existing and breed new breeds of pigs, characterized by high productive performance. Efficient production technologies for in-line production of pork in the conditions of large pig farms have been developed and are being successfully implemented. There have been many small farms. Significant progress has been made in breeding and keeping, as well as feeding these domestic animals, which made it possible to significantly increase their productivity.

In the meat balance of many countries of the world and our country in particular, this moment pork occupies an impressive share of 35-50 percent.

One sow can bring from 18-20 to 25-30 piglets per year, from which, with an intensive fattening method, from 1.8 to 3 tons of meat is obtained with the most economical use of feed and labor resources.

Pig production in Europe

On the territory of modern Europe in this industry there is a different picture in each individual country.

For example, in a formerly developed pig-producing country like Denmark, the number of farms has recently decreased significantly - to 4500, of which 40 percent are full-cycle farms with a reproductive herd of 255 females, 13 percent are special reproduction farms, the number of sows on which averages 950 individuals, the remaining 47 percent are fattening farms with an annual production of 6800 pigs. It should be said that Danish pig production is highly dependent on the volume of cereals produced. So, in 2008, each pig farm in this country had an average area of ​​land for spreading manure of about 140 hectares, which made it possible to produce up to half of all feed on the farms themselves. Subsequently, Denmark introduced serious restrictions related to the protection external environment from harmful effects, including pig manure. This was the reason for the decrease in the number of pig farms.

Despite this, in 2012 alone, the export of fattening piglets from this country to Germany amounted to more than 9 million pieces.

A large decrease in the number of farms in this livestock sector was also noted in the Netherlands. And the number has dropped from 25,000 in 1980 to 2,412 in 2012.

Structurally, 75 percent of Dutch pig farms were either breeding or finishing. Average population The reproductive herd of these farms was 445 sows.

At the same time, following the example of Denmark, about seven million heads of young animals were exported outside the country (most of them to Germany). In this regard, a new Danish-Dutch-German model of pig breeding is traced, in which the first two countries are focused on getting piglets, and in Germany they are fattening them.

The change of direction in Denmark and the Netherlands is due to a number of factors: the impossibility of increasing the number of pigs for environmental reasons, the lack of free land, the dissatisfaction of the population of these countries with the construction of large fattening enterprises, which resulted in open protests - on the one hand, and the excellent skills of Danish and Dutch pig breeders in breeding pigs - on the other. In Germany, on the contrary, there is a favorable situation for the construction of fattening and slaughter enterprises: large available land areas, the availability of labor and its low cost (mainly due to migrants). These factors have played a key role in the significant increase in the number of German feedlots.

French pig breeding is represented for the most part by full-cycle pig farms. The average number of reproductive herd in these farms is 196 queens. Most of these enterprises are located in the west of France (in Brittany).

On the territory of this European state, there are also rather strict environmental protection laws, which explains the inability of many enterprises to increase the scale of their production. Studies conducted with the participation of 20 percent of the best French farmers have shown that the level of their technical skills allows you to get much better results than those that exist at the moment. Another advantage of French pig breeders is the high level of qualification of farm workers. however, this advantage still cannot be realized in practice due to the relatively small size of pig farms.

Legislative restrictions have significantly reduced the growth rate of this French livestock sector over the past 10 years. For example, let's say that the size and number of pig farms in France in 2010 remained at the level of 2000.

In the United States, pig farming was tied to regions with good crop yields, so it began to develop in the states of the so-called "corn belt".

The basis of the pig-breeding enterprises of this country in those days were small full-cycle farms. In 1992, the share of full-cycle farms in American pig production reached 65 percent.

The replacement of full-cycle enterprises by specialized ones in the United States began in the nineties of the last century. This process was especially accelerated by the emergence of contracts for the production of pig products. Large business holdings specializing in the production of feed mixtures or the processing of raw materials began to directly conclude such contracts with private farmers.

There was a need to increase productivity, as a result of which the share of full-cycle farms in the total number of pig enterprises fell from 65 percent in 1992 to 18 percent in 2004.

Historically, the US pig industry has developed the following picture: selection and breeding work with pig breeds in this country was guided by the phenotype and strong physical constitution. Animals sought to breed in such a way that they easily withstand the winter cold. As a result, the thickness of the fat layer increased significantly in such animals. With the advent of large pig-breeding integration complexes, the breeders' requirements for genetics have also changed. The emergence of highly specialized reproductive and fattening enterprises brought to the fore the improvement, first of all, of early maturation and growth rates of pigs.

To this end, the rotation of animals has increased significantly on contract production farms, which is possible only with high growth rates. If we talk about the feed base, then according to tradition, American pig farmers tried to grow feed themselves (cereals, soybeans, and so on). Own production fodder significantly reduced their cost, which reduced the cost of production. Because the US pig industry was largely unaffected by changes in world feed prices, growth conversion was not a major concern for the industry.

With the emergence and development in the industry large companies tasks breeding work have changed. The main goal was to increase the efficiency of feed use while maintaining and increasing the growth rate

For reasons that are not entirely clear, Canada's pig industry has been declining in recent decades. Special programs developed at the state level aimed to stop the decline of this important livestock industry.

For example, the redemption of fattened pigs at the expense of the state treasury was used to reduce the market risks of pig breeders. Currently, Canadian farmers are hoping for a revival of the former power of pig production in this country. And there are all the prerequisites for this, since this type of animal husbandry in Canada has always been famous for its long traditions and unique technologies.

Genetic research of pigs in this state has been carried out for more than a hundred years. And the export of both pork and breeding animals to more than forty countries of the world is a significant indicator.

The "Pig Miracle" of the People's Republic of China is known throughout the world. Since 1978, there has been a steady increase in agricultural production throughout Food Industry generally.

Chinese agricultural enterprises not only began to play a key role in international market, but also successfully dispelled the myth about the shortage of their land resources and fully provided the domestic market with food. Recently, an effective food system has been created in China, focused on increasing the share of “highly nutritious wild boar meat” in the country's meat balance. The development model of Chinese agriculture focused on increasing the production and consumption of pork in particular and meat in general.

Compared to 1980, the average per capita meat consumption has quadrupled and in 2009 reached 58 kilograms per person per year.

The fastest growing industries are the processing of fresh meat and its packaging, as well as the production of finished meat products with a long shelf life, which makes it possible to supply them for sale in various hypermarkets and supermarkets.

China's leading role in Asian pig production is due to the rapid growth in production volumes and the popularization of pork in the country itself with its huge population.

Despite the fact that livestock has always been one of the leading sectors of the Brazilian economy, until recently, pig production occupied a small share in it (cattle breeding prevailed). For example, in the 1950s, only 329,000 tons of pork were produced in Brazil, which accounted for 2 percent of the total world production of this meat at that time.

For comparison, China supplied 2,200,000 tons (14 percent of the world volume) to domestic and foreign markets, while the United States was in first place with 4,600,000 tons and 30 percent of the world market.

Serious investments and targeted government policies have led to a real breakthrough in the production of this type of meat over the past decade. For example, here are some figures: in just two years (from 2000 to 2002), the volume of pork exports from Brazil showed an impressive increase - by 270 percent (600 thousand tons in digital terms). This brought Brazil to the fourth place in the world among all the leading pig producing countries, which it successfully holds to this day. The share of Brazilian pork in world exports is 11 percent, and in total production, this share is 3 percent.

It is worth noting that the development of this livestock industry in Brazil cannot be called uniform and permanent. Serious declines in the pig-breeding complex of the country were explained either by the global overproduction of this meat in 2003 or by outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease epidemics. Despite this, according to the Brazilian Association of Pork Exporters and Producers (ABIPECS), over the past five years, despite such constraining factors as the establishment of sanitary barriers, increased state subsidies for EU pig production and increased competition in the world market for this industry, Brazil has managed to increase its export performance. for this type of agricultural products by a greater amount than the average managed to achieve the country-competitors.

More than 70 countries are on the list of regular foreign buyers of Brazilian pork.

Hong Kong, Ukraine and Russia have traditionally been among the main consumers of this product, although Brazilian pig farmers have recently been actively developing new sales markets, such as the countries of the Middle East and Africa.

YouTube responded with an error: Bad Request

The number of cows is strictly taken into account in our country and abroad, as these animals are of particular value in agricultural activities. 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. Animals such as yak, Indian buffalo and other lesser-known species can also be attributed to the livestock of cattle. They have similar physiology and different countries domesticated species of bulls are called cattle.

Animal tour gave birth to the modern type of cattle. 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, and 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 tracts of land and gather in huge herds. But in some Asian countries, cattle are used as pack and draft animals.

Russian statistics

Russian animal husbandry is strengthening its position thanks to the commercial sector. 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 have been the largest leaders for 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 the regions of the 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.

If you found out interesting information, please put like.

Keep the discussion in the comments on the topic of the article you read.

Animal husbandry is the second main branch of world agriculture, comparable in importance to crop production, and in many countries and regions surpassing it. In the structure of this industry, it is customary to distinguish several sub-sectors: cattle breeding (cattle breeding), pigs, sheep, goats, buffaloes, horses, camels, deer, yaks, donkeys, mules, as well as poultry farming, beekeeping and sericulture.

Rice. 97.World livestock livestock

Table 132

NUMBER OF THE MAIN CATTLE SPECIES IN THE WORLD AND IN ITS LARGE REGIONS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE XXI CENTURY

* Without CIS countries.

The main quantitative indicator by which the development of animal husbandry and its sub-sectors is usually judged is the number of livestock. The total world number of all types of livestock now reaches 4.5 billion, i.e., on average, there are one and a half head of livestock per two inhabitants of the Earth. Figure 97 gives an idea of ​​how this population is distributed among the three main types of livestock. The sizes of the livestock of other types of livestock are as follows: goats, there are 800 million head, buffalo - 170 million, horses - 65 million, donkeys - 45 million, camels - 20 million and mules - 15 million heads. World livestock poultry an order of magnitude higher: it is 14-15 billion. The above indicators are quite stable, and if they change, then not so quickly. Nevertheless, there is still a gradual reduction in the number of draft livestock (horses, buffaloes, donkeys, mules, camels). This is due to the mechanization of agriculture, which swept many developing countries during the era of the Green Revolution. At the same time, poultry farming is growing quite rapidly, and to a lesser extent, pig farming.

Statistics show that the distribution of livestock between developed and developing countries is formed with a significant preponderance of developing countries. The same conclusion can be reached when analyzing data for large regions of the world. (Table 132).

Table 133

TOP TEN COUNTRIES BY CATTLE SIZE IN 2005

* Without buffalo - 222 million.

From the data in Table 132 it follows that foreign Asia has the largest livestock of cattle, sheep with goats, and pigs (buffaloes, donkeys and mules can also be added to this list). Latin America and Africa follow this region in terms of total livestock size, while the regions of foreign Europe, North America, Australia and the CIS do not take the first place in any of the types of livestock included in the table.

Approximately the same picture emerges when looking at the distribution of the main types of livestock in the leading countries. This is evidenced by the data in Table 133 and Figure 98.

The data in Table 133 shows that the top ten countries in terms of livestock numbers include eight developing countries, which also generally occupy a leading position in it. And Figure 98 shows that although there are only eight developing countries in the top 20 pig populations, China alone accounts for half of the world's pig population. Of the 20 major sheep-producing countries in developing countries, 13. In the world poultry population, China also ranks first (more than 5 billion heads), third and fourth are occupied by Brazil and Indonesia (1.2 billion each), while the United States is in second place, and in fifth – India. More than half of the world's poultry population is concentrated in these five countries.

But it's all pure. quantitative indicators, which are important and interesting, but do not reflect the efficiency, marketability, profitability of animal husbandry, methods of its conduct, links with crop production, and many other important criteria. However, if we take into account these quality criteria, then the ratio between developed and developing countries will be completely different.

In the economically developed countries of the West, animal husbandry prevails over agriculture in terms of production value, and often quite significantly. In addition, agriculture itself is to a large extent focused on the needs of animal husbandry, or, as they say, works for it. This is expressed in the fact that it is agriculture that supplies for animal husbandry both fodder crops (corn, barley, oats), grasses (alfalfa, clover), and root crops (fodder beets, potatoes). Suffice it to say that in the United States about 1/2 of all agricultural land, and in Western Europe even 4/5 of them are related to animal husbandry. It is also impossible not to mention the high level of mechanization, electrification, and, more recently, the electronization and automation of many livestock-breeding processes. That is why animal husbandry in Western countries, even with a more or less stable population, gives a significant increase in production, fully meeting their own needs and opening up opportunities for export.

Rice. 98, a. World number of pigs, million heads

Rice. 98b. World number of sheep, million head

Of course, differences in natural conditions and labor skills of the population lead to the fact that animal husbandry in developed countries has different directions.

This is most clearly seen in the example of cattle breeding. Breeding of cattle may have a dairy specialization, in which the share of milk in livestock production exceeds 70%, which is especially typical for the northwestern part of Europe and the US Lakeland. It may have a mixed dairy and meat specialization, the distribution area of ​​​​which is even wider. Both of these specializations are distinguished by a high level of intensity: for example, the average annual milk yield in Western Europe is 5000–7000 kg, and in the USA even 3500 kg. To an even greater extent, this applies to poultry and pig farming, which are especially drawn to suburban areas. In the United States, poultry farming is already virtually complete, and in Western Europe it is almost entirely carried out by industrial methods; this applies to both broiler chicken and egg production.

But in developed countries there are also very high-commodity livestock industries that are conducted not by intensive, but by extensive methods. First of all, this is typical for countries specializing in beef cattle breeding, such as the USA, Australia, and South Africa, where beef cattle are raised on vast natural pastures with very low labor intensity. This type of economy, found primarily in arid regions, is called cattle breeding on a ranch. Such ranches happen to have an area of ​​tens of thousands of hectares; however, then the young animals grown on them are sent for fattening to other grain-producing regions. Sheep breeding is carried out in extensive ways almost everywhere.

In contrast, in developing countries, livestock production is mostly of secondary importance and, moreover, has little connection with agriculture. It is carried out extensively, gives (except for plantations) a small yield of marketable products, and in its structure the main place is occupied by low-bred and draft cattle. A significant role in these countries is still played by the most extensive nomadic and semi-nomadic animal husbandry, which focuses on the use of scarce natural fodder resources and on the most unpretentious types of livestock (camels, sheep, goats). However, extensive sheep breeding is also characteristic of a number of developed countries, for example, Australia. Of the individual areas of sheep breeding, the most widely represented in the world are fine-wool, developing in semi-desert and steppe regions (1/4 of the world's sheep population), and semi-fine-wool meat and wool in areas with better moisture and a milder climate (also about 1/4 of the world's livestock). The rest of the sheep population falls on coarse-wooled, meat-fat and karakul sheep breeding.

Along with this, in the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America there is a relatively small group of countries for which it is animal husbandry that has become the main branch of agricultural specialization. Examples of such countries are Chad, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Botswana, Namibia in Africa, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina in South America, Mongolia, Afghanistan in Asia. Numerical indicators, especially per capita, related to these countries, sometimes turn out to be downright record-breaking. Uruguay, for example, has an average of 3,200 cattle per 1,000 inhabitants, while Botswana, Namibia, Paraguay, and Argentina have 1,700 cattle. In terms of the number of sheep per 1,000 inhabitants, Uruguay also stands out (8,200), second only to New Zealand (14,800!). In Mongolia, this figure is 6200, in Mauritania - 2200, in Namibia - 1800. But in terms of the number of pigs per 1000 people, the world record holder Denmark (2100) is followed by the small island states of Oceania - Tonga, Tuvalu, Western Samoa (1000-1500 ).

Rice. 99. Main livestock areas

In its most generalized form, with a subdivision into only two main types, the distribution of world animal husbandry is shown in Figure 99. M. B. Volf and Yu. can be distributed as follows.

To first type include areas with a high density of both population and livestock (100–200 heads or more per 100 hectares of agricultural land), with high productivity of animal husbandry and its specialization in intensive sub-sectors: dairy cattle breeding, pig breeding, and poultry farming. In foreign Europe, the region of the first type covers Denmark, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Switzerland, and some other countries; in North America, the Northeast of the United States. Animal husbandry in them will give 60-80% of all marketable agricultural products.

Co. second type include areas with an average level of intensity and productivity of agriculture. It also corresponds to the average (30–60 heads) density of livestock. Examples of this kind can be Southern and Eastern Europe, the southern and central states of the United States, and some areas in Latin America.

To third type include areas with a low density of both population and livestock (5-10 heads), with a predominance of the least intensive sub-sectors and directions of animal husbandry, extensive livestock keeping on vast natural pastures and relatively low productivity. Examples of this kind are: most of Australia, Patagonia in Argentina, Angola, some countries of West and North Africa (Mauritania, Chad, Algeria). As a rule, animal husbandry in them sharply prevails over crop production and serves as the main branch of the economy.

Finally, to fourth type include areas with a high population density, including rural, with a high density of livestock (60-200 heads), but with low productivity and the predominance of low-intensity sub-sectors and directions in animal husbandry. In general, animal husbandry plays a subordinate role in these areas and provides little marketable products. Examples of this kind are India, Sri Lanka, the countries of Southeast Asia. In developing countries, centers of low-productive animal husbandry are most often territorially separated from consumer and commercial crop production.

Russia as part of the USSR had a fairly developed animal husbandry. In the mid 1980s. the number of cattle in it was 60 million heads, pigs - about 40, sheep and goats - almost 65 million heads. However, in the 1990s First of all, due to the lack of feed, the livestock decreased several times - to 28.5 million heads, 17.5 million and 15.5 million heads, respectively, in 1998. The relatively low productivity of animal husbandry is evidenced, for example, by the fact that the average annual milk yield per cow is 3000 kg. Nevertheless, animal husbandry continues to be an important branch of the country's economy. In terms of output (in value terms), it is almost as good as crop production. The basis of animal husbandry in Russia is the breeding of cattle - dairy in the northern and central regions of the European part of the country, dairy and meat in most of its territory, and meat and dairy in the steppe zone. In the second half of the 1990s. began to take measures to increase animal husbandry, but their implementation will require a considerable period of time.