Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LX
Written by Ion BUZU
The purpose of this paper was the revelation of sheep breeding development trends worldwide in the past 14 years. The research was conducted on sheep herds worldwide of all breeds, in the profile of countries and continents. Based on FAOSTAT data, the volumes of sheep breeding production (meat, milk, wool, skins of Karakul) were analyzed during the years 2000-2014. It was found that on the whole globe, the sheep herds increased by 10.7%, the amount of meat by 14.4%, the milk by 27.8%, the skins by 8.8% and the wool production decreased by 8,0%. Conclusions were deduced that: social and economic importance of sheep breeding is due mainly to ensure food security of the population with animal protein such as meat and milk; the increasing of sheep herd occurred on those continents, regions and countries of the world with important human populations but underdeveloped (Africa, Asia), who live in the arid zones with plains and scanty vegetation, where the sheep are kept the whole year in natural conditions, without capital investments, with minimal cost, for which the sheep are a crucial source of existence and survival; on the continents with developed countries and rural populations (Europe, North America, Oceania), for which the breeding and exploiting of sheep is seen as an economic business for obtaining a profit, sheep were reduced because, the ovine species, in conditions of modernization, industrialization and intensification of the zootechnic sector, economically cannot compete with other animal species (birds, pigs, bovines).
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