Agri Report-PDF.qxd 7/8/03 5:28 PM Page 1 I R E L A N D ’S FARM ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES Country Report to the FAO Agri Report-PDF.qxd 7/8/03 5:29 PM Page 2 Department of Agriculture & Food IRELAND’S FARM ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES C o u n t r y Report to the FA O Agri Report-PDF.qxd 7/8/03 5:29 PM Page 3 Ireland’s Farm Animal Genetic Resources TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 ASSESSING THE STATE OF AGRICULTURAL BIODIVERSITY IN THE FARM ANIMAL SECTOR IN IRELAND 1 1.1 Description of Ireland’s agricultural industries 2 1.1.1 Dairy Industry 2 1.1.2 Beef Industry 3 1.1.3 Sheep Industry 3 1.1.4 Horse Industry 4 1.1.4.1 Thoroughbred Sector 4 1.1.4.2 Sport Horse Sector 4 1.1.5 Pig Industry 5 1.1.6 Poultry Industry 5 1.1.7 Other Industries 6 1.1.7.1 Goat Industry 6 1.1.7.2 Deer Industry 6 1.2 Description of Ireland’s Farm Animal Genetic Resources 7 1.3 Assessing the state of utilisation of farm animal genetic resources in Ireland 7 1.3.1 The State of Use of AnGR 7 1.3.2 The State of Development of AnGR 10 1.3.3 Obstacles, Opportunities, and Needs for Use and Development of AnGR 10 1.4 Major features and critical areas of AnGR conservation and utilisation in Ireland 11 CHAPTER 2 ANALYSING THE CHANGING DEMANDS ON NATIONAL LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE NATIONAL POLICIES, STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMMES RELATED TO AnGR 12 2.1 Review of past policies, strategies, programmes and management practices as related to AnGR 12 2.2 Analysing future demands and trends 13 2.3 Policy and strategies for the conservation, use and development of AnGR 14 i Agri Report-PDF.qxd 7/8/03 5:29 PM Page 4 Department of Agriculture & Food CHAPTER 3 REVIEWING THE STATE OF NATIONAL CAPACITIES AND ASSESSING FUTURE CAPACITY BUILDING REQUIREMENTS 18 3.1 Assessment of national capacities 18 CHAPTER 4 IDENTIFYING NATIONAL PRIORITIES FOR THE CONSERVATION AND UTILISATION OF AnGR 19 4.1 National cross-cutting priorities 19 4.2 National priorities among animal species, breeds, country’s regions and rural communities 19 CHAPTER 5 FORMULATING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENHANCED INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION IN THE FIELD OF FARM ANIMAL BIODIVERSITY 20 CHAPTER 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 21 APPENDICES Appendix 1: National Consultative Committee 23 Appendix 2: Inventory of Ireland’s Farm Animal Genetic Resources 24 ii Agri Report-PDF.qxd 7/8/03 5:29 PM Page 5 Ireland’s Farm Animal Genetic Resources iii Agri Report-PDF.qxd 7/8/03 5:29 PM Page 6 Department of Agriculture & Food CHAPTER 1 ASSESSING THE STATE OF AG R I C U L TURAL BIODIVERSITY IN THE FARM ANIMAL SECTOR IN IRELAND Ireland is a small island country situated in the north-west of Europe between 51.5° and 55.5° north latitude and between 5.5° and 10.5° west longitude. The country comprises a central lowland relieved by low hills and mountains, with discontinuous coastal mountains. The climate is mild and moist with temperatures fairly uniform over the whole country. Average winter temperatures are 4°C to 7°C while summer temperatures are 14°C to 15°C. Average annual rainfall is 1,000 mm which is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The mild temperate climate favours the growth of a wide range of crops - grass, cereals and roots, vegetable and fruit, as well as forest. Ireland’s landscape has been greatly modified by a long history of human activity, principally animal husbandry. The historical development of animal genetic resources used in Ireland has been closely connected with developments in Britain. The land area of Ireland is 6.9 million hectares, of which 5.05 million hectares are used for agriculture and forestry. Of these 5.05 million hectares, 70% is devoted to grass (pasture, silage, and hay), 10% to rough grazing, 8% to crop production and 12% to forestry. Ireland has a long history of pastoralism, in particular cattle production. There are 143,900 farm holdings in Ireland, almost all of which are family farms. Average farm size is 29.3 hectares. However, 47% of Irish farms are less than 20 hectares. The agri-food sector remains one of the most important components of the Irish economy. It accounts for 9.9% of gross domestic product and employs 9.7% of the workforce. Milk and beef production account for 60% (30% each) of gross agricultural output at producer prices. Pigs, sheep and poultry account for 6%, 5% and 3%, respectively, of gross agricultural output at producer prices. Ireland is self sufficient in all the major meat products. In 2000 Ireland had a self-sufficiency level of 1,034% in beef, 165% in pig meat, 257% in sheep meat and 99% in poultry meat. Ireland is also self sufficient in milk products with a self-sufficiency level of 942% in butter, 443% in cheese and 790% in milk powder. 1 Agri Report-PDF.qxd 7/8/03 5:29 PM Page 7 Ireland’s Farm Animal Genetic Resources 1.1 Description of Ireland’s agricultural industries Ireland’s agricultural industries expanded significantly during the 20th century. Livestock numbers have trebled since the 1800’s and this change was accompanied by a reduction in the importance of indigenous landraces. In the later decades of the 20th century developments in reproductive technology coupled with the liberalisation of trade enshrined in EU legislation, facilitated the movement of genetic material between Member States and has led to increased genetic diversity of farm animal species within Ireland. 1.1.1 Dairy Industry The dairy industry is one of Ireland’s main agricultural industries. Milk quotas, introduced in 1984, limit Ireland’s level of milk production to approximately 5,000 million litres. There are approximately 1.23 million dairy cows in Ireland compared with 1.49 million in 1985. Dairy farming is found countrywide but the bulk of milk output comes from the south and east of the country. About 29,000 farmers are actively engaged in the dairy sector, which represents a significant reduction since 1985 when there were about 75,000 dairy herds. The average size of the dairy herd has increased from 20 cows in 1985 to slightly over 40 cows in 2000. Of all farms with dairy cows, 85% are specialist dairy farms. The number of dairy farmers is predicted to continue to decline by approximately 1,000 per year for the next 10 years. The farming co-operative movement played a major role in the transformation of the dairy industry over the past century and co-operatives hold a substantial share of the dairy processing market. Irish farming co-operatives are multi-purpose in nature. The production of milk in Ireland is based mainly on summer grass and conserved fodder, giving rise to a highly seasonal supply pattern (80% of dairy cows calve in the months January to April). The level of concentrate feed used is low (< 700 kg per cow per annum). Approximately 10% of Irish milk output is consumed domestically in liquid form. The balance is used in the manufacture of dairy products (mainly butter and cheese), of which about 85% is exported. The value of these exports in 2000 was m1,999 million. 2 Agri Report-PDF.qxd 7/8/03 5:29 PM Page 8 Department of Agriculture & Food At the start of the 20th century the Shorthorn breed was the principal dairy and beef breed in Ireland. This breed was crossed with British Friesian cattle during the 1940’s and 1950’s. During the late 1980’s the Friesian cattle were crossed with higher yielding Holstein-Friesian cattle from Continental Europe and North America. Today almost all dairy cattle in the country are Holstein Friesian type. 1.1.2 Beef Industry The beef industry accounts for approximately 30% of gross agricultural output. About 90% of beef output is exported either live or in carcase form. Beef production is practiced throughout the country. There are approximately 1.2 million suckler cows in Ireland that are kept with the sole objective of producing and rearing calves for beef. The suckler-cow population has increased significantly since 1985 (0.44 million cows). The dairy herd also produces a significant proportion of beef-type animals. There are approximately 67,000 beef breeding herds in Ireland. The average suckler-cow herd size is 17 cows. The Irish suckler-cow herd is predominantly crossbred and 32% of replacement heifers are 1st cross beef from the dairy herd, i.e., a beef sire crossed onto a dairy cow, and the remaining 68% are 2nd cross beef from the suckler herd. In recent years there has been a substantial increase in the contribution of continental (European) breeds of cattle to the suckler-cow herd. The increased use of continental breeds is in response to an increased demand for heavy, lean, well conformed carcases, which are suited to European markets. There are approximately 7,000 farmers with pedigree beef herds. These herds are almost always found on farms with cross-bred beef production enterprises. The average pedigree herd size is 4 cows. These herds provide sires for use in the dairy and suckler herds either through natural mating or AI. 1.1.3 Sheep Industry Sheepmeat production is a small but important sector of Irish agricultural output involving approximately 39,000 producers. This sector underwent considerable expansion during the 1980s, when ewe numbers rose from 1.68 million in 1980 to 4.76 million in 1992 before the introduction of the CAP Reform measures but has declined to approximately 4 million at present.