Brazil - Animal husbandry



Brazil is a leading livestock-producing country, and 185,500,000 hectares (458,370,000 acres—more than one-fifth of the total national area) are devoted to open pasture. Since World War I, cattle production has become one of the country's major sources of wealth. Hereford and polled angus are raised in the southern states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, and Dutch and Jersey cattle supply dairy products in the uplands of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Paraná. The humped zebu was first introduced in Minas Gerais, where intense crossbreeding produced the Hindu-Brazil breed that is now most common throughout Brazil because it resists tick fever and heat. There were an estimated 163.5 million head of cattle in 1999, as compared with an annual average of 147.8 million during 1989–91 and 116.6 million during 1979–81.

Hog raising, marked by an improvement in breeds, has doubled since 1935, making Brazil the world's third-largest producer. In 1999 there were an estimated 27.4 million hogs. Berkshires and Poland Chinas have been introduced in quantity, and, since vegetable oils are increasingly replacing lard, the emphasis is on production of pork, ham, and sausages. Brazil is not a major sheep country, since most of the area is too tropical. The bulk of Brazil's 18.3 million sheep are in Rio Grande do Sul. Of the other domestic animals raised commercially in 1999, there were some 12.6 million goats, 6.4 million horses, two million mules, and some 950 million chickens. Brazil is the world's third largest exporter of broiler meat.

The government encourages production and seeks more efficient methods of conservation and distribution of meat products. Meat production was 13.1 million tons in 1999, including 6.2 million tons of beef and veal. The dairy industry is most highly developed in the vicinity of large cities. Estimated output of dairy products in 1999 included 22.5 million tons of fresh cow's milk and 1.5 million tons of eggs.

During the years of high inflation, ranchers and farmers looked at their herds and land as assets whose value increased in line with inflation and were less challenged to make investments and increase productivity. With inflation now under control, cattle prices have remained fairly stable, and some meat packers have started turning to the export market.

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