Dairy small ruminants account for approximately 21% of all sheep and goats in the world, produce around 3.5% of the world's milk, and are mainly located in subtropical-temperate areas of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Dairy sheep are concentrated around the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, where their dairy products are typical ingredients of the human diet. Dairy goats are concentrated in low-income, food-deficit countries of the Indian subcontinent, where their products are a key food source, but are also present in high-income, technologically developed countries. This review evaluates the status of the dairy sheep and goat sectors in the world, with special focus on the commercially and technically developed industries in France, Greece, Italy, and Spain (FGIS). Dairy small ruminants account for a minor part of the total agricultural output in France, Italy, and Spain (0.9 to 1.8%) and a larger part in Greece (8.8%). In FGIS, the dairy sheep industry is based on local breeds and crossbreeds raised under semi-intensive and intensive systems and is concentrated in a few regions in these countries. Average flock size varies from small to medium (140 to 333 ewes/farm), and milk yield from low to medium (85 to 216 L/ewe), showing substantial room for improvement. Most sheep milk is sold to industries and processed into traditional cheese types, many of which are Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) cheeses for gourmet and export markets (e.g., Pecorino, Manchego, and Roquefort). By comparing break-even milk price among FGIS countries, we observed the following: (1) most Greek and French dairy sheep farms were unprofitable, with the exception of the intensive Chios farms of Greece; (2) milk price was aligned with cost of production in Italy; and (3) profitable farms coexisted with unprofitable farms in Spain. In FGIS, dairy goat production is based on local breeds raised under more extensive systems than sheep. Compared with sheep, average dairy goat herds are smaller (36 to 190 does/farm) but milk yield is greater (153 to 589 L/doe), showing room for improvement. Goat milk is mainly processed on-farm into dairy products for national markets, but some PDO goat milk cheeses (e.g., Murcia al Vino) are exported. Processed goat milk is sold for local human consumption or dehydrated for export. Mixed sheep-goat (e.g., Feta) and cow-sheep-goat milk cheeses are common in many countries. Strategies to improve the dairy sheep and goat sectors in these 4 countries are proposed and discussed.
The dagger nematode Xiphinema index has a high economic impact in vineyards by direct pathogenicity and above all by transmitting the Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV). Agrochemicals have been largely employed to restrict the spread of GFLV by reducing X. index populations but are now banned. As an alternative to nematicides, the use of fallow plants between two successive vine crops was assessed. We selected plant species adapted to vineyard soils and exhibiting negative impact on nematodes and we evaluated their antagonistic effect on X. index in greenhouse using artificially infested soil, and in naturally infested vineyard conditions. The screening was conducted with plants belonging to the families Asteraceae (sunflower, marigold, zinnia, and nyjer), Poaceae (sorghum and rye), Fabaceae (white lupin, white melilot, hairy vetch, and alfalfa), Brassicaceae (rapeseed and camelina), and Boraginaceae (phacelia). In the greenhouse controlled assay, white lupin, nyjer, and marigold significantly reduced X. index populations compared with that of bare soil. The vineyard assay, designed to take into account the aggregative pattern of X. index distribution, revealed that marigold and hairy vetch are good candidates as cover crops to reduce X. index populations in vineyard. Moreover, this original experimental design could be applied to manage other soilborne pathogens.
Au cours des 50 dernières années, la production de lait de brebis en Francea progressé en moyenne de 3,6% par an pou atteindre 275 millions de litres. Partant du constat des années 1970 qui identifiait la traite mécanique, les conditions d’élevage et le potentiel génétique laitier des brebis comme les principaux verrous techniques au développement de la production, les grandes évolutions dans ces trois domaines sont retracées. Les solutions techniques, fruits d’un continuum historique entre la recherche et le développement, ont pris en compte les particularités des systèmes d’élevage de brebis laitières comme la pratique de l’allaitement avant la traite des brebis, la taille des élevages, une production saisonnée basée sur la valorisation de l’herbe dans trois territoires de montagnes et se sont appuyées sur l’organisation d’un service global de conseil aux éleveurs. Les travaux d’adaptation aux spécificités ovines, de simplification des pratiques et plus récemment les automatismes ont permis de développer des systèmes de traite performants. L’amélioration génétique des cinq races de brebis laitières françaises repose sur des programmes de sélection efficaces dans leurs bassins de production respectifs en lien avec des systèmes d’élevage diversifiés et des produits de qualité. Si à l’échelle européenne, la France n’est que le cinquième pays producteur de lait de brebis, elle demeure le leader en matière d’encadrement technique avec 60 % des brebis dans des élevages en suivi technique.
The slow adoption of innovations is a key challenge that the European sheep sector faces for its sustainability. The future of the sector lies on the adoption of best practices, modern technologies and innovations that can improve its resilience and mitigate its dependence on public support. In this study, the concept of technical efficiency was used to reveal the most efficient sheep meat farms and to identify the best practices and farm innovations that could potentially be adopted by other farms of similar production systems. Data Envelopment Analysis was applied to farm accounting data from 458 sheep meat farms of intensive, semi-intensive and extensive systems from France, Spain and the UK, and the structural and economic characteristics of the most efficient farms were analyzed. These best farmers were indicated through a survey, which was conducted within the Innovation for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production in the Europe (iSAGE) Horizon 2020 project, the management and production practices and innovations that improve their economic performance and make them better than their peers.
Une série d’expérimentations a été conduite pour mesurer l’impact de la monotraite à l’échelle de la lactation de brebis laitières de race Lacaune. La production de lait et sa composition, la physiologie et la morphologie de la mamelle, l’ingestion et le métabolisme énergétique ont été mesurés tout au long de la période de traite, du sevrage au tarissement. L’impact de la monotraite a été modélisé à l'échelle de l'exploitation et du bassin de production. La perte de lait a été de 14 % chez les multipares comme les primipares. Selon la ration offerte, le taux butyreux a diminué ou a eu tendance à augmenter, alors que le taux protéique n’a pas été modifié ou a augmenté en lien avec une augmentation des protéines solubles. Les quantités ingérées n’étaient pas différentes entre brebis en traite biquotidienne et monotraite, ce qui a entraîné un bilan énergétique positif supérieur pour ces dernières. Cela s’est traduit par des taux d’acides gras non estérifiés rapidement plus bas et de leptine supérieurs. La mamelle a été perturbée dans les premiers jours de monotraite, mais a rapidement retrouvé son intégrité du fait d’une bonne plasticité sans aucune conséquence sur sa santé. Au niveau de l’exploitation, la monotraite entraîne une perte de revenu qui peut être compensée en tout ou partie par un passage en monotraite à un stade plus tardif ou un allongement de la période de traite. Des travaux complémentaires conduits à l’échelle de l’exploitation permettraient de mieux préciser les répercussions de cette pratique à ce niveau et à celui du bassin de production.
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