Bovine breeding

The bovine breeding is the whole of the operations aiming at reproducing animals of the species Bos taurus with the profit of the human activity. It makes it possible to provide Viande, Lait, Cuir, reproductive animals, Fumier…
Le process of breeding led to the Domestication and the emergence of specialized races. These productions are thus framed and must, in Europe to satisfy the rules of the Paquet hygiene. With the international level, the rules are posed by the international Office of epizooties or the animal World Health Organization, on the one hand, the Codex alimentarius on the other hand.

History

Origins

See also: History of the bovine breeding French, History of Boss taurus

The Domestication of Boss taurus (the Ox) and Boss taurus indicus (the Zebu) date of 8000 av. J. - C, with the the Middle East and in Slovakia. Its breeding is thus about as old as that of the Ovins. The first product resulting from the breeding is the Lait and its processed product of conservation, the Fromage. Indeed, meat and leather can be provided by hunting.
Le first breeding is of pastoral type: the shepherds follow their herd or guide it towards pastures and points of water. It is still practiced in Africa in particular, people Undergrowth or Peuls), or in Asia. (yak)
L' invention of the Agriculture in Mésopotamie sédentarise of the people. On their premises, the cheese, left fermented milk preserved in goatskin bottles, will become more diversified. Refining will occur and its shelf life will lengthen, allowing transport on long distances. They are these stockbreeders who will force their bovines to become beast of burden. Agricultural animal (ploughing) then of trade (traction of carriages), it also will accompany the people which domesticated it during their migrations. This old proximity deeply will modify the animals of their ancestor Bos taurus primigenius . The expansion of its breeding even contributed to make it disappear from Europe.

Les Romains contributes to the expansion of the bovine breeding by the technicality of the slaves cowherds and the diffusion of the know-how of the alpine cheesemongers: the pressed cheese with cooked paste which is preserved well and transports without problem, belonged to the food of the legionaries. During the the Middle Ages, the know-how of the selection is lost partly, although the monasteries continue their work: the cheese is principal food with the bread given to the pilgrims. The history of certain races quotes a monastery like element of selection of the good parents. (abundance or aubrac)
Un turning in the bovine breeding will be initiated in England at the 17th century. The rich person owners are interested in the genetics of the herds and intensify the selection. The first Herd-book S are opened at the beginning of the 19th century. After this work of selection, the universalization of the exchanges started as of Christophe Colomb will cause great bovine shifts in population. This change leads still today to the disappearance of very old local races and to the creation of new races, in particular of interbreeding ox-zebu.

At the 20th century

In Europe and in the United States, the selection develops. Control makes it possible to locate the best cows which one will keep the girls. Thereafter, a selection on descent also makes it possible to test the capacity conferred by the males his/her daughters. The practice of the Artificial insemination is spread, making it possible to diffuse the seed of the best reproducers.

In dairy production, the production passes from: 2000 kg of milk by Lactation by cow fertilized by go up public, with records of more than: 18000 kg for the best individuals resulting from artificial insemination.

In bouchère production, the weight of the individuals has increased regularly for forty years. Thanks to best knowledge of the nutrition and its distribution, but also with progress of the genetics. However it becomes necessary to select the facility of vélage and the dairy capacity of the mothers. Indeed, an excessive selection started to create problems of birth and insufficiency of lactation for heavy milk calves (the most extreme case comes from the race Blanc Belgian blue: the gene “culard” involves a rate of Césarienne record and certain reproductive males have weaknesses of the front legs considering their mass).

A major medical crisis in Europe (ESB) gave place to a crisis of the production without precedents. Paradoxically, it is the die bouchère which underwent the by-effect of full whip, whereas the origin of the disease comes from the dairy breedings. The boycott took place only on the meat. More than 10 years after, the consequences pain to disappear.

With the 21e century

The creation and the selection of races return, in many countries with the intensive agriculture, with a work of expert reserved in the centers of selection. The individual stockbreeders see their role reduced to produce the ideal reproducer likely to be bought very expensive by these centers of selection. Only some peg ladders whose field is rather rich can allow the work of selection downstream. The majority of the breedings work with reproducers that provide them the centers. In Europe, to reduce the surpluses, the dairy quotas are founded in 1984. Their impact on the breeding will be an orientation of the selection towards quality (rate of fat contents and dry matter of milk) with the detriment of quality. Variations will be created between the European and American selection. (selection primarily directed towards the quantity) Currently, of the exchanges of seed aim at reducing these variations.

Dans the countries with more traditional agriculture, the bovines continue to be high same manner since centuries:

Pastoralisme with the the Sahel or in the horn of the East Africa: the respectability of the families is directly related to the size of the herds. This poses a harmful problem of overgrazing to these fragile areas.
traditional Mixed-farming in Southeast Asia, with the the Middle East or in Latin America: The families have a small number of heads which provide milk and work. The meat comes only in the last, at the time of ceremonies (marriage, funeral…).

Figures

These figures relate to France between 2000 and 2001.

Dairy system

The objective is there to produce milk. It can be sold with a dairy Coopérative, an industrial , or be transformed or sold directly on the exploitation.
Il allows the manufacture of:

Cheese
Milk sterilized UHT.
lacteous Desserts: Yahourt, creams serves…
Fat contents: Butter, Cream fraiche.

In 1997, the exploitations directed bovine milk accounted for 9% of the farms of the EU.

Cows

Many races in the beginning were used for the dairy production. Those resulting from the zone including/understanding the Holland, the Plank and the Holstein were most productive. A Draconian selection of the one of them, the holstein took place in Europe initially, then in America. The holstein-fresian became the race impossible to circumvent universally. It beats records of productivity, while being adaptable, easy to handle and raise intensively. It is " LA" race which accompanies the development by dairy agribusiness industry (yoghourts, fresh cheeses, milk UHT, creams serves…).
Face with this universal race, some races draw their pin from the play. For artisanal cheeses of quality and AOC, a richer milk is invaluable to have a goûteux product. The milk of mountain, resulting from races able to spend the summer in Alpage in the open air is irreplaceable. Thus, the Montbéliarde in France, the Braunvieh and the Swiss simmental in or the Pinzgauer in Austria. In parallel, races are able to give a milk rich and scented in the plains herbagères, enabling them to compete with the holstein for the products of soil. It is thus of the Normande in France, of the races of the Celtic branch or the Reggiana in Italy. It should be noted that the countries of old cheese-making tradition maintain a great number of dairy races, each one related to a product. For the others, the herd of holstein is enough with local consumption to fresh produce.

Room of draft

The room of milked is the place where the cows are milked. There are several kinds (provision of the different cows, different operating process…). The cow must be milked the every day of its lactation in order to continue its lactation, it is one of the principal constraints of the trade of dairy stockbreeder. There exist other solutions in phase of test. The cows are milked in the majority of the cases twice a day, but in certain systems they are it only once, in certain case it does not have there draft one day per week. In certain cases, they are milked only part of the year: they calve the winter and nurse their calf. With its weaning, they transplant in Alpage where the draft starts. Only best milk, that of the pastures of altitude is used, making it possible to work out a rare and expensive cheese.

The rooms of drafts can also be replaced by a robot of draft.

Milk is then stored in a Tank with milk while waiting to be collected by the Laiterie or on the spot transformed.

Associated cultures

The milch cow has energy requirement to produce its milk and of fiber of Cellulose for the transit and the Rumination. To feed his herd correctly the stockbreeder thus cultivates often in parallel of the corn ensilage (very energy), of the alfalfa, the temporary meadows…

System butcher

The first races selected for the production of meat were it with the the United Kingdom as of the 18th century. The technicality of the stockbreeders their made it possible to create many races (Angus, Longhorn, Shorthorn, Hereford…) and to export reproducers intended to increase the productivity of the continental breedings.
Depuis the years 1960, the French races took importance, increased recently by the fight against the cholesterol and the research of the fine silhouette. Its races, old races of feature selected for their muscular power, present a lean meat. reproducers are exported in all the countries. (Charolaise, Fair of Aquitaine, limousine, Red of the meadows…)
Dans the other countries of Europe, the essence of the breeding butcher comes from the crossing from races autochtones or dairy with males high-output butchers. In tropical zone, races of zebus are usually used thanks to their adaptation to the dryness or the parasitic diseases which they resist. Many métissées races ox-zebus were created.
On average, the directed exploitations meat touched 28.800 € of assistance per annum in 2001.

Regulation

The recording of the breedings and all the animals is obligatory. The birth of an alive calf is subjected to declaration, like the sale or the death of an animal. No bovine can circulate on the roads without its accompanying documents.
L' recording of an animal is attested by the loops on each ear carrying its serial numbers.

rural Code

Package hygiene

Bovine breeding of various countries

Races

List of the bovine races
List of the bovine races of France

See too

international Gate of the public health and animal and vegetable health

External bond

international Gate of public health of food, and animal and vegetable health

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