The pastoral animal industries in the 21st century

J.J. Robinson

Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB2 9SB

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1990, 50: 345-360

Masked by the short-term influences of under or over-production at national level, concerns about the quality and hygiene of animal products and fears regarding dietary influences on human health, long- term projections of what will be expected of the pastoral animal industries are difficult to make. Concerns about the welfare of animals in intensive systems coupled with the political changes taking place in Russia and Eastern Europe are likely to swing animal production more towards pastoral systems. The removal of large quantities of fat from the food chain is likely to become a permanent feature. So too is the trend for a more even flow of high-quality products on to the market. In meeting these goals the role of the current biotechnological revolution, both directly in primary animal production, and indirectly through its contribution to the animal-product and food-processing industries, will be essential. We can not afford intellectual scientific complacency in a world where famine could, however remotely, become a truly global phenomenon. It is against this background that those aspects of the pastoral animal industries that currently limit production are viewed and the opportunities for implementing new technologies outlined.

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Last Updated 25-01-1997