山東農(nóng)業(yè)大學(xué)動物科技英語

IntroductionofAnimalScienceRY炯EditedbyXianyaoLiCollegeofAnimalScience

ShandongAgriculturalUniversityAugust-2012ContentsEconomicvalueoflivestockproductionIntroductionofgeneticsScientificChallengestoAnimalBreedingandGeneticsAnimalReproductionApplicationofbiotechnologyfbrthegeneticimprovementoflivestockBreedingandbiotechnologyinfarmanimals-ethicalissuesFrombiologicalfundamentalstopractice,andbackIntroductionofNutritionNutrientrequirementofbreefcattlePoultrynutritionandfeedingLivestockbreedsandorganicfarmingsystemsasicchickencareBroilerProduction:ConsiderationsfbrPotentialGrowersAlternativepoultryproductionsystemsandoutdooraccessManagementpracticesandanimalhusbandry-swineNondestructivemethodsfbrqualityevaluationoflivestockproducts

EconomicvalueoflivestockproductionintheEULivestockproductionintheworldWorldanimalproductioniscontinuouslygrowing.Between1995and2002,theworldtotalmeatproductionincreasedby19%,thetotalmilkproductionby11%,andtheeggproductionby23%(Table1.1).Table1.1.Worldlivestockproduction(billionMT)Meat,TotalMilk,TotalEggs,PrimaryCountry199520021995200219952002World2052435395984758Africa1011232622Asia75981421862635?China48679151724Europe52522272161010?European343612612555Union(15)?Candidate229922countries(13)North&4250909768CentralAmerica?UnionState3439707545ofAmericaSouth2126394633AmericaOceania5518260.20.2Source:FAO,2003bEuropeandNorth&CentralAmericaInEurope,animalproductionhasremainedmostlyconstantduringthelastdecade(Table1.1.)ThismeansthattheaverageproductionleveloftheanimalshascontinuedtoincreaseintheperiodasthenumberoflivestockhasdecreasedinEuropeatthesametime(Table1.2)Table1.2.Numbersoflivestock(million)CattleChickensPigsSheepCountry1995200219952002199:5200219952002World13321360130331542090193910821044Africa203233109312931819220251Asia45647264057660512564411406?China10110631373924425465117137Europe17814318831830215194180138?EuropeanUnion(15)84829351015119123113102?Candidatecountries(13)302441544344365339North&CentralAmerica16516122772711941001715?UnionStateofAmerica1039716111830605997SouthAmerica2943131287181058568576Oceania36398811656170157Source:FAO,2003bAsiaInAsia,meat,milkandeggproductionisgrowingfast,approximatelybyonethirdinthelastdecade(Table1.1).ThegrowthinlivestockproductionhasbeenevenstrongerinChinawhichalreadyproduces70%ofthemeatandeggsinAsia.Thisgrowthisalsoexpectedtocontinueinthefuture.ThepositionofAsiainworldanimalproductionischangingtoo.WhileAsiaproducedaquarterofthemeatintheworldin1988,by2002itproduced40%.Milkproductionincreasedfromonefifthtoonethirdoverthesameperiod.Alsoeggproductionisincreasingveryfast,andin2002Asiaproduced60%oftheeggsinworld.Theincreaseinproductionwasmostlyduetotheincreasedproductionleveloftheanimals.However,thenumberofcattle,pigsandespeciallychickenalsogrewfrom1995-2002(Table1.2).AfricaThegrowthofanimalproductioninAfricawasmoderatetolowinthelastdecade.Theaverageanimaloutputgrewslightly,butsoalsodidthenumberofanimals,especiallysheep(Table1.2).SouthAmericaandOceaniaInSouthAmerica,theproductionofbothmeatandmilkincreasedinthelastdecadeby20%(Table2.1).Theincreasewasmostremarkedinthepoultryindustry,asthenumberofchickeninthecontinentincreasedby40%from1995to2002(Table1.2).InOceania,milkisthemostimportantanimalproductanditsproductionlevelscontinuedtoincreasestrongly,by44%inthelastdecade(Table1.1).LanduseandpopulationdensityOverhalfoftheworld'sagriculturallandandpermanentpastureisinAsia(onethird)andinAfrica(onequarter)(Table1.3).However,whileAsiaproducesbetweenonethirdandtwothirdsofworld'smeat,milkandeggproduction,Africaonlyproduces3to5%.Lessthantenpercentoftheworld'sagriculturalareaandpermanentpastureissituatedinEurope,withonlytwopercentofitbeingwithintheEUarea.Owingtotheintensityofproduction,theEUproducesnonetheless15%oftheworld'smeat,21%ofitsmilkand8%ofitseggs.NorthandCentralAmerica,SouthAmericaandOceaniaeachpossessabout10%oftheworld'sagriculturallandandpermanentpasture.ThelivestockproductionlevelsinNorthAmerica,especiallytheUSA,areashighasinEurope,butlowerinSouthAmericaandOceania.Asiaisverydenselypopulatedcomparedwiththeothercontinents,with60%oftheworld'spopulationlivingthere(Table1.4).Europe,especiallytheEUcountries,isalsorelativelydenselypopulated,andabout12%percentoftheworldpopulationlivesinEurope.Theothercontinentsaremuchmoresparselypopulated.InbothAsiaandAfrica,theproportionofthepopulationworkinginagricultureisstillover50%,butintheotherpartsoftheworlditismuchloweranddecreasingallthetime.IntheEU,onlyfourpercentofthepopulationisworkinginagriculture,ascomparedwithonefifthinthecandidatecountries.Table1.3.Worldagriculturalarea(millionha.)CountryLandAreaAgriculturalAreaPermanentPastureWorld1306049743477Africa29631101896Asia309816561110?China933535400Europe2261489182?European31414156Union(15)?Candidate1839928countrics(13)North&2137635367CentralAmerica?USA916418239South1753619503AmericaOceania849474419Source:FAO,2003bTable1.4.WorldtotalandagriculturalpopulationTotal(billion)Agr.Pop.%1995200119952001World5.666.1344.3941.98Africa0.700.8158.1355.10Asia3.423.7255.6252.36?China 1.231.2969.2966.01Europe0.730.7310.148.17

?European0.370.385.354.15Union(15)?Candidate0.170.1722.8719.99countries(13)North&0.460.4911.8710.55CentralAmerica?USA0.270.292.592.16South0.320.3520.7317.71AmericaOceania0.030.0320.2019.84Source:FAO,2003bLivestockproductionintheEUApartfrombeingimportanttothevitalityofthecountryside,fannersarcresponsiblefbrthefoodsupply.About16%oftheconsumers'budgetintheEUisspentonfood(EuropeanCommission,2002a).AgricultureintheEUAgriculturewasresponsiblefbr1.7%ofthegrossindigenousproductionintheEUin2001(Table2.1).Table2.1.AgricultureintheEU19982001%changeAreafarmland128691128305-3.0(*1000ha)Jobsinagriculture70836701-5.4(*1000)%oftotaljobs4.74.2-0.5Agriculturaloutput213467287886+31.2(millionEuro)%Agriculturein:1.51.7+0.2Grossind.ProductInvestments3.212.5-0.7Import7.76.0-1.7Export7.06.1-0.9Balanceexternalagr.-3384-199+94.7Trade(millionEuro)1997Source:EuropeanCommission,1999and2002aAgricultureadds6%totheimportsfromandtheexportstotheworldmarket(in1995thiswas12and8%respectively,EuropeanCommission,1996).LivestockintheEULivestockproductionadded122874millionEurototheEUagriculturalproductionvaluein2001,whiletheEUcropsincludinganimalfodderwereresponsiblefor150360millionEuro(Figure2.1).TheEU叫uaculturesectoraddsafurther2493millionEurotothesefigures(FAO,2003a).Whiletheabsolutevalueoflivestockoutputisincreasingyearly,therelativeshareoftheanimaloutputintheagriculturalproductionvaluehasdecreasedsomewhatinthelastyearsandisnowalittleover40%(Figure2.2.).Figure2.1.AgriculturaloutputintheEUin2001(total282408millionEuro)Source:EuropeanCommission,2002aFigure2.2.DevelopmentofagriculturalOutputintheEUin1997-2001(millionEuro)Source:EuropeanCommission,1999and2002aAnimalproductioninEUmemberstatesAnimalproductionasapartoftotalagriculturalproductionvariesbetweentheEUmemberstates.InIrelandover70%ofagriculturalproductionisduetothefarmanimalsector(EuropeanCommission,2002a).InBelgium,Denmark,LuxembourgandtheUK,animalproductionisresponsiblefor50-65%.InAustria,Finland,France,Italy,Netherlands,Germany,Portugal,SpainandSwedenthispercentageis30-50%,whileinGreeceitis20%.Figure2.3.showsthecontributionoftheindividualmemberstatestothetotalagriculturalproductionvalueoftheEU.Figure2.3.ShareofagriculturalproductionvalueoftheEUin2001bymemberstateAUSIRGRSource:EuropeanCommission,1999and2002aAgribusinesssectorThecontributionofanimalproductiontothegrossindigenousproductionisatleasttwiceashighifthewholeagribusinesssectorisconsidered.Forexample,inDenmarkandtheNetherlands,wheredirectagriculturalproductionadded4%tothenationalgrossproduction,theagribusinesssectorwasresponsiblefor12and10%ofthenationalgrossproductionrespectively(EuropeanCommission,1993;TenPasandVanderPloeg,1990).Inseveralcountriestheagriculturalcontributiontoexportisfivetotentimesashighasthedirectagriculturalcontributiontothegrossindigenousproduction(EuropeanCommission,2002a).ThenetshareoftheEUinworldtradeisespeciallyhighinanimalproducts:14%ineggs,24%incheeseand29%inmilkpowder,and9%intotalmeatproducts(with39%ofthepigmeattrade).AreafarmlandTheareaof(good)farmlandcontinuestodecreaseintheEU(Table2.1).Thereisacontinuing,intensivepressureinEuropeonalltheavailablelandfromseveralsources.Numberoffarms,numberofanimalsAlthoughthenumberoffarmanimalskeptintheEUhasremainedrelativelyconstant,thenumberofholdingscontinuestodecrease(Figures2.4and2.5).Figure2.4.NumberoflivestockintheEUin1990-2002(*1000)□□Turkeys□Chicken■Pigs)□Sheepandgoats□CattleSource:FAO,2003bFigure2.5.NumberoflivestockholdingsintheEUin1993-1999(*1000)Source:EuropeanCommission,1999and2002aTheaveragesizeoflivestockfarmsisgrowingrapidly,mainlyforonereason:theincomepereachanimalisdecreasingeveryyear(Figure2.6).Figure2.6.AveragenumberoflivestockperholdingintheEUin1993-1999Source:EuropeanCommission,1999and2002aJobsinagricultureAconsiderableproportionofthepopulationintheEUisstillinvolvedindirectagriculturalproduction(4.2%in2001)(EuropeanCommission,2002a).InSpain,Ireland,PortugalandGreece,thisproportionis7,7,13,and16%,respectively.Aquacultureprovidesasubstantialpositivecontributiontothesocio-economicdevelopmentofmanycoastalandruralregionsinEurope,wherealternativeemploymentopportunitiesarelimitedandemploymentincapturefisheriesisindeclineduetorestructuringofthesector.AnimaloutputAnimaloutputcanbedividedintoanimalsandanimalproducts.Thevalueofoutputduetoanimalsin2001was72300millionEuro(EuropeanCommission,2002a).Pigsandcattlewerebothresponsiblefor35to40%shareoftheoutput,poultryfor17%andsheepandgoatsfor8%.Animalproductoutputvalueinthesameyearwas46000millionEuroofwhich41000millionEurowasduetomilkandmilkproductsand0.5millionEuroduetoeggs.Thcpig,poultryandmilkoutputvalueareontherisesince1999,whereasthebeefoutputvalueisonaslightdecrease(Figure2.7).Figure2.7.AnimalandanimalproductsoutputintheEUin1996-2001(millionEuro)45000-r—40000——35000-1-1996 1997 19981999 20002001Source:EuropeanCommission,1999and2001aAnimalfeedAlmostthreequartersofthe130millionhectaresoffarmlandintheEUisusedfortheproductionofanimalfeed(EuropeanCommission,2002a).TheanimalfeedindustryisthemainEUconsumerofcereals(FEFAC,2002).Onaverage,41%ofallfarminputsintheEUmemberstatesarerelatedtoanimalfeed,comparedwith,fbrexample,seeds5%,energy10%,fertilisers7%,pesticides6%,veterinaryservices3%andmaintenanceofbuildingsandmachines9%(EuropeanCommission,2002a).Seventypercentormoreoftheproductioncostsfbrporkandchickenareduetofeedcosts(FEFAC,2002).Animalfeedisoftenproducedinareasthatarenotfitfbrcropproduction:toopoor,toowet,toohillyorlandsthatarebestfitfbrgrassland,e.g.lowlandsandmountainareas.TheEUfarmanimalsarefedannuallywithapproximately400milliontonsoffeedstuffs,ofwhichhalfareroughagesproducedon-farm,10%grainsproducedon-farm,10%arepurchasedfeedmaterialsand30%industrialcompoundfeed(FEFAC,2002).ConsumptionMostEuropeancitizensconsumemeat,milkandeggs.In2001,theaverageEuropeancitizenconsumed96.7kgmeat(92.4kgin1989),ofwhich45%waspork,22%poultryand21%beefandveal(Figure2.8).Thisisanincrease,ifcomparedwith1995(93.4kg)and1989(92.4kg)(AnimalProduction,1993),mainlyowingtoincreasedporkandpoultryconsumption.Theeggandmilkconsumptioninthesameyearwere12and128kgperperson,respectively.Inaddition,EUcitizensconsumeonaverage23.4kgfisheriesproductspercapitaperyear,ofwhich31%comefromaquaculture(EuropeanCommission,2001b).Figure2.8.AverageconsumptionkgpercapitaofanimalproductsandsomeothermajorfooditemsintheEUin2001Source:EuropeanCommission,2001band2002aSelfsufficiencyTheEUiscurrentlyselfsufficientfbrmostanimalproducts,exceptforsheepandgoatmeat(Table2.2).However,theEUhasaconsiderabletradedeficitinfisheryproducts,and,whilethequantitiesimportedhaveremainedrelativelystableoverthelastdecade,thedeficitintermsofvaluecontinuestogrow(EuropeanCommission2001b)Table2.2.SupplybalancesheetsofanimalproductsintheEUin1995-2001BeefPigsSheep/goatsPoultryEggsMilk1Production(*1000t)19958115161051164804252579781998768217663115088235347126520007464175641150873452361382Selfsufficiency

%1995108.5106.082.4108.3102.9101.81998103.3108.881.3109.1103.599.22000102.5107.280.8105.5103.2101.0?Skimmedmilkpowder;productionexcl.changeinstocksSource:EuropeanCommission,1999and2001aCattleproductionIn2002therewerealtogether1360millionheadofcattleintheworld,6%ofwhichwerelivingintheEUandafurther4%intherestofEurope(Figure3.1).ThemajorityofthecattleintheworldcanbefoundinAsia(35%),SouthAmerica(23%)andAfrica(17%).InallEUcountries,exceptfbrSweden,thenumberofcattledecreasedfrom1996to2001(DanishDairyBoard,1996,EuropeanCommission,2002a).From2001-2002thenumberofcattledecreasedfurtherinallEUcountries,exceptfbrSpain,FranceandIreland.Thereductionwasduebothtoadecreasingnumberofadultcattleandcalvesfbrfatteningaswellasdairycows.Figure3.1.Cattlepopulationintheworldin2002AfricaAsiaNorth&CentralAmericaOceaniaSouthAmericaEuropeanUhion(15)EuroperestSource:FAO,2003bMilkproductionInspiteofthedecreasingcattlenumbers,theEUisthenumberonemilkproducerintheworldwith122milliontonsofmilkperyearin2001(Figure3.2).Thisisonequarterofallthemilkproducedintheworld.ThesecondlargestmilkproduceristheUSAwith15%oftheworldmilkproduction.Althoughthemajorityoftheworld'scattleliveinthedevelopingcountries,onlyonethirdoftheworld'smilkisproducedthere.However,themilkproductionisexpectedtogrowinthedevelopingcountriesinthefuture,especiallyinIndia.Figure3.2.Milkproductionintheworldin2002

■Africa□Asia■North&CentralAmericaaOceania■SouthAmericaEuropeanUmon(15)EuroperestSource:FAO,2003bMilkproductionpercowperyearisveryvariableovercountries.TheaveragemilkproductionpercowinAfricawasonly487kgin2002,whereasinNorthandCentralAmericaitwas4684kgandintheEU5903kgmilkpercowperyear(FAO,2003).Theaveragemilkyieldpercowintheworldin2002was2237kg.WithintheEU,Germany(23%oftotalEUmilkproduction)andFrance(20%)arcthelargestmilkproducers(Table3.1).ProductionfiguresofdairycattleintheEUvaryfrom4400to7838kgmilkpercowperyear.ThemilkproductionlevelpercowperyearcontinuestorisesteadilyinallEUcountries,withtheaverageincreaseof4%from2000to2001.TheoverallmilksupplieshavelevelledintheEUcountriesfromthe1980sonwards,butintheUSAthemilkproductionisincreasingat0.5to1.5%peryearandanincreaseisexpectedinNewZealandandAustraliaaswell.ThereasonforthelevellingofthemilkproductionintheEUistheimpositionofmilkquotassince1985(EuropeanCommission,2002c).ThelargestplayersintheworldmarketofmilkandmilkproductsaretheEU,NewZealandandAustralia.In2001,theEUhada32%shareoftheworldcheeseexportmarket,23%shareofthebutterexportmarket,a31%shareofthewholemilkpowderexportmarketanda55%shareofthecondensedmilkexportmarket(EuropeanCommission,2002a).BeefandvealproductionIn2001,57milliontonsofbeefwereproducedworldwide(EuropeanCommission,2002a).TheEUproduced7.3tonnesofbeefandvealin2001,whichmakesitthesecondlargestbeefproducerintheworld(13%oftheworldproduction),aftertheUSA(21%)andinfrontofBrazil(12%)(Figure3.3).WithintheEU,thelargestproducersareFrance(22%),Germany(19%)andItaly(16%).ThebeefandvealproductionhasbeenindeclineinthelastyearsintheEU.Incontrast,cattlenumbersaregrowingslowlyagaininNorthAmericaandasaconsequencebothbeefandmilkproductionisincreasingthere.Thismeansthatincreasingamountsofbeefareavailableforexport,especiallytoJapan.BeefproductionisgrowingconsiderablyalsoinBrazil:from5.8milliontonnesin1998to6.7milliontonnesin2001.Research

Europeancattlefarmersneedhelpfromresearchtomaintaintheircompetitivepositionintheworldmarketinthefuture.Newtechnologies,e.g.invitrofertilisationandgenomics,willenablebetterutilisationofthegeneticsoffemalesinselectionorselectionfortraitsthatcouldnotbeselectedforbefore.Itisimportantthatnewdevelopmentsarcaccompaniedbytransparencyanddialoguewithsociety.7% 7%Figure3.3.Beefproductionintheworldin20027% 7%AfricaAsiaNorth&CentralAmericaOceaniaSouthAmericaEuropeanUnion(15)EuroperestSource:FAO,2003bTable3.1.MilksuppliesintheEUin2001(1994betweenbrackets)CountryNo.cows(*1000)Kgmilk(*1000)Milkkg/headGermany4448(5192)281916211(5237)France4195(4428)247675964(5396)UnitedKingdom2203(2715)147176292(5383)Italy2169(2275)110045066(4489)Netherlands1551(1752)112917370(6014)Ireland1233(1292)54474400(4208)Spain1190(1369)66245805(4167)Denmark628(699)46187171(6583)Belgium611(673)33955397(4493)Austria598(817)33005314Sweden425(410)33397838Finland352(417)25307067Portugal338(372)19825583(4344)Greece172(206)8154528(3668)Luxembourg44(49)2696114(5255)EU-15total/average20156227661222886003(5132)Av.12)Source:EuropeanCommission,2002a,DanishDairyBoard,1996PigproductionChinaproducesalmosthalfofthepigmeatintheworld(47%).TheEUisthesecondlargestporkproducer(19%),infrontoftheUSA(10%)(Figure4.1).Since1995therehavebeenmajor

changes.China'sshareofglobalproductionhasincreasedfrom38to47%andtheEU'sandUSA'sshareshavedroppedto5and3%respectively(EuropeanCommission,1993,2003b).Figure4.1.Worldporkproductionin2002Source:FAO,2003bWorldporkconsumptionandproductionFrom1995to2002,worldporkproductionincreasedfrom78.7milliontonsto93.6milliontons(FAO,2003b).Thisincreasefrom42.5to55.7milliontonswasmainlyduetotheincreasedproductioninthedevelopingcountries,especiallyAsia(Figure4.2).TheproductioninthedevelopedcountriesincludingtheEUhardlychangedinthisperiod,althoughporkconsumptionintheEUcontinuedtoincrease(EuropeanCommission,2001and2002a).Figure4.2.Porkproductionintheworld1995-2002回Developedcountries□DevelopingcountriesSource:FAO,2003bFrom1995to2000,worldporkconsumptionincreasedby15%,bothowingtothegrowingworldpopulationandthegrowingconsumptionperhead(7%).ConsumptionhasincreasedespeciallyinChina,Taiwan,andBrazil(FAO,2003b).WithintheEU,porkconsumptionhasmostlystabilisedintheNorth,whileintheSouththeconsumptionisexpectedtogrow(Spain,Portugal,andGreece)(VanGaasbeeketal,1993;FAO,2003b).Competitionfrompoultrycouldinfluenceporkproductionandconsumptionaswell.

ThesituationintheEUThemainexportingcountrieswithintheEUareDenmark(25%ofporkexportoftheEUin2000)andtheNetherlands(17%).Althoughthenumberofpigsisslightlyincreasing,thenumberofholdingsisdecreasingrapidly(Table4.1).ThevariationintheaveragesizeofpigfarmisstilllargewithintheEU:thesmallestpigfarmsareinPortugal(average18.1pigsperholdingin1999)andthelargestfarmsinIreland(1763pigsperholding).Alotofpigsarestillheldonverysmallfarms.However,itisgettingmoreandmoredifficulttogetanincomefromsmallfarms.Farmssimplyhavetogrowinordertosurvive,becausetheirincomeisconstantlyunderpressure(EuropeanCommission,2002a).Table4.1.ChangingstructureofpigfarmsintheEU19931999%changeNo.pigs(*1000)121227125045+0.5No.holdings(*1000)15521014-7.1Averageno.animalsperholding78.1123.3+57.9Source:EuropeanCommission,2002aSeverecompetitionfromUSAandAsiaEUpigproducersexpectveryseverecompetitionfromothercontinentsinthefuture,especiallyAmericaandAsia.InNorthAmericahugefarms-1millionpigsperfarm-arecomingonstreamandresearchisstimulatedbythegovernment.OwingtothefarmsizesandproductionmethodssuchasgrowthpromotersandhormoneswhicharenotallowedintheEU,costpricesarereducingrapidly.InAsia,rapidlydevelopingtechnologiestogetherwithlowmanpowercostsareresponsibleforincreasinglycheappigproduction.Taiwanhaslowmanpowercosts,agoodinfrastructureanditissituatedneartotheimportantmarketofJapan.PigproductionisgrowinginChinaandthecountryisexpected,intime,tobecomeanimportantexportingcountry.WithinEurope,Hungarycouldbeasuccessfulcompetitorintheworldmarket(VanGaasbeeketal,1993).ResearchEuropeanpigfarmersproducehighqualityproductsandtheyworkveryefficiently.Theycanstaycompetitiveinthefuturebyimprovingporkproductsandpigrearingproductionmethods.TheEUshouldinvestinresearchanddevelopment,advanceitstechnologies,andproducehighqualityproductsinaresponsibleway.Thepig-rearingsectorisknownfbritsabilitytoworktogetherclosely.Fortheseends,precompetitiveresearchonaEuropeanlevelisnecessary:e.g.Furtherdevelopmentofgenomicsanditsapplicationinbreedingprogrammes,anddevelopmentofmethodsfbrimprovedreproductionofpigsonafannlevel.Poultryproduction

MeatIntheworldpoultrymeatmarketin2002,theUSAwasthemarketleaderwith24%ofthemarket(Figure5.1).China,sincetheearly1990s,hasbecomethesecondlargestproducer(19%),overtakingtheEU(12%)andBrazil(9%).Since1995,thetotalpoultrymeatproductionintheworldhasincreasedbyonethirdfrom54.7to72.2milliontonsin2002(FAO,2003b).Inthesameperiod,theproductionincreasedby50%inChina(from8.7to13.5milliontons),andby65%inBrazil(from4.2to6.8milliontons).Figure5.1.Worldpoultrymeatproductionin2002ChinaThailandEuropeanUnion(15)Figure5.1.Worldpoultrymeatproductionin2002ChinaThailandEuropeanUnion(15)UnitedStatesofAmericaSource:FAO,2003bEggsChinaproduces42%oftheeggsintheworld(Figure5.2)(thiswas40%in1994,EuropeanCommission,1995).NextaretheEUandtheUSA(both9%shareoftheworldeggproduction;thiswas15and13%respectivelyin1994).Theworldtotaleggproductionincreasedfrom47.0milliontonnesin1995to57.8milliontonnesin2002.Inthisperiod,theproductionintheEUhoweverdecreasedslightly,whiletheproductionintheUSAincreasedby16%.Inthesameperiod,theeggproductioninChinaincreasedby42%from17.1to24.2milliontonnes.Figure5.2.Worldeggproductionin2002Source:FAO,2003bCharacteristicsofthemarketPoultrymeatrefersprimarilytobroiler(86%)andturkeymeat(7%)andtomeatfromduck,pheasant,geeseandotherfarmkeptbirds(VerheyenandKok,1993;FAO,2003b).Poultryeggsareprimarilyheneggs(93%).Mostpoultryproductsarestillproducedfordomesticconsumption.Thereisatrendtowardsmorefreshpoultryproducts.Thelimiteddependenceofpoultryproductiononlandgoessomewaytoexplainingthelowpercentageoftotalproductionvolumewhichistradedinternationally.BreedingcompaniesThegeneticimprovementofspecialisedlinesofpoultryfbreggandmeatproductionisprovidedbyworldwideoperatingbreedingcompanies,situatedinEuropeandNorthAmerica.Becauseoftheregionalcharacterofpoultryproductiontheyhavealsoalocalemphasistotheirworkandprovidelocalemployment.IncreasingdemandPoultrymeatcoversonethirdoftheworldmeatconsumption(FAO,2003b).IntheUSAthepoultrymeatconsumptionisalreadyveryhigh(47.6kgperheadperyearin2000)andhasgrownby8kgsince1994.Incomparison,thepoultrymeatconsumptionintheEUwas20.6kgperheadperyearin2000,andinAsiaitwasonaverageonly6.6kgperhead.GrowthisexpectedinthehighincomeAsiancountries:fbrexampleinChinatheconsumptionhasgrownby44%since1995to10.5kgperheadin2000.InEurope,consumptionisalsoincreasing,althoughthegrowthisexpectedtobelowerinthefuturethanthecurrentgrowthof2-3%yearly.AlsoSouthAmerica,afewAfricancountries,andtheMiddleEastarepotentialgrowers.Thegrowingconsumptionisrelatedtotheincreasingincomeofthepopulation.(VerheyenandKok,1993)Worldpoultryproductionwillhavetoincreaseinthecomingyearstomeetdemand.Productionisgrowinginmostoftheimportantproductionareas:USA,ChinaandBrazil(FAO,2003b).IntheEUtheproductiongrowthhassloweddown.Mexico,ArgentinaandBrazilhaveincreasedtheirproductionfastinthelastyearsandareexpectedtocontinuetodosointhecomingyears.ThesamegoesfbrmostAsiancountries-especiallyThailand-,butnotJapanandHongKong.ProductionintheRussianFederation,JapanandEasternEuropehasbeendecreasing(VerheyenandKok,1993;FAO,2003b).Hungary,oncenumberfiveproducerontheworldmarket,hasasharplydecreasedpoultrysector.However,wheneconomicreformsbearfruit,productionisexpectedtogoupagaininthesecountries(VerheyenandKok,1993).PoultryintheEUEUpoultrymeatconsumptiongrewfrom12kgperheadin1975to21.4kgperheadin2001,ofwhichuptoonethirdwasturkeydependingoncountry(USDAFAS,2002).Consumptionoftur