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AGRI 2004, 35: 87-94

Production characteristics of domestic Balkan goats

N. Memisi1, F. Bauman1, S. Stojanovic2, B. Pavlov3 & S. Jovanovic4

1Institute for Science Application in Agriculture, 29 Novembra 69b, Belgrade, Yugoslavia2Federal Institute for Plant and Animal Genetic Resources,

Omladinskih brigada 1, Belgrade, Yugoslavia3Galenika a.d., Batajnicki drum bb, Belgrade, Yugoslavia

4Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bulevar JA 18, Belgrade, Yugoslavia

SummaryThe paper presents milk production results ina domestic Balkan goat breed reared in thenorth-western region of the Sharplaninamassif. A characteristic of the domesticBalkan goat is that it is reared under poorconditions where other domestic animals cannot find enough food to survive. These goatshave a strong constitution, are robust andresistent to contagious and parasitic diseases,tolerant to hot, arid climate, and havemodest nutritional requirements. The entirebody (except the nose, hoofs, and lowerportion of the tail) is covered by hair. Haircolor varies. Most often it is reddish or gray,but can also be black, as well as chestnut,brown, patchy, and seldom, white. Body sizeincreases with age, due to the fact that thedomestic Balkan goat matures late, reachingfull size at about 4 years of age. Mean valuesfor height at withers and body length inmature goats were 66 and 70 cm,respectively. Lactation duration was238 days, total milk production 178 kg perlactation, milk fat 3.68%. An average of1.2 kids are obtained per goat annualy. Poorfertility of the domestic Balkan goat is causedby numerous reasons, mainly poor nutrition.

RésuméVoici le résumé des résultats d’élevage deschèvres domestiques balkaniques. La chèvrebalkanique est élevée dans la partienord-ouest du massif montagneux de

Šarplanina. Elles vivent dans des conditionsles plus défavorables, dans les localités où lesautres animaux domestiques ne peuvent pastrouver assez de nourriture substantielle. Ceschèvres sont d’une constitution robuste, ellessont fortes et résistantes, elles supportentbien la chaleur et la sécheresse et sontmodérées dans l’alimentation. Le corpsentier, à l’exception du museau, des sabots etdu bout de la queue, est couvert d’un pelagedont la couleur est variée: le plus souvent lepoil est rougeâtre ou gris, mais il est aussinoir, marron et multicolore. Le pelage blancest rare. Le développement corporel de lachèvre est adéquat à l’âge de l’animal. Elleparvient à son plein développement physiqueà l’âge de quatre ans. La hauteur moyennede la crête et la longueur moyenne du corpsd’une chèvre adulte est 66 cm et 70 cmrespectivement. La production de lait parjour est 238 et la production totale de lait est178 kg par lactation. La richesse du lait engraisse est 3,68%. Pratiquement cela signifieque une chèvre chevrote 1,23 chevreauxannuellement. La fécondité basse est causéepar bien des raisons : la cause la plusimportante est l’effet de la nourriture.

Key words: Domestic Balkan goat, Geneticprofile, Breed characteristics.

IntroductionGoats were among the first domesticatedanimals. They have been fulfilling basicrequirements of many households, both in

88Characteristics of domestic Balkan goats

hilly and in mountainous regions as well asin settlements located around urban centers.After a considerable period during whichgoat rearing in SR Yugoslavia was repressedand prohibited, there is a visible trend ofgrowing interest in rearing this usefuldomestic animal in the last few years. Beforethe law forbiding the rearing of goats waspassed (in 1954), SR Yugoslavia wasrenowned for the domestic Balkan goat,which was present in all mountainous andcretaceous regions, where animal feed wasscarce. This goat belongs to the group ofprimitive Balkan goats originating from theCapra prisca family. A characteristic of thedomestic Balkan goat is that it is rearedunder the most adverse conditions, i.e. inplaces where other domestic animals can notfind enough food to survive. Two types ofthe domestic Balkan goat, differing in livebody weight and the regions where they arereared, can be found, the lighter type in hillyand mountainous regions characterized bylower production, and the heavier (lowland)type which is reared at lower altitudes,richer in animal feed.

In the region of the Sharplanina massifthere has been an effort lately to orient goatrearing towards producing more milk. Thedomestic Balkan goat breeders earnsignificant profits required for theirsubsistence through milk production andprimarily processing it into cheese (which isin very high demand on the local markets).However, the transition from the presentextensive goat rearing practices to intensivepractices, is by no means an easy task, sincebreeders still share a common opinion thatthe goat is an animal with modestrequirements, and that as such it providesmodest profits. There is no future in keepinggoat rearing at a level of extensiveproduction, which is a consequence of thetraditional approach to rearing with verydeficient nutrition.

Therefore, if adequate systems of rearingare developed and if production technologyis changed in the process, primarily ifnutrition and care are improved, goats could

contribute to a profitable production ofanimal products, which are deficient in thenutrition of the people.

In November 1995, within the program topreserve genetic resources of oldautochthonous breeds in Serbia andMontenegro, work on monitoring productiontraits of the domestic Balkan goat reared inareas of Sharplanina province (southernKosovo and Metohia) was initiated. Theinformation on different aspects of Balkangoats is very limited. This paper presentsinformation on the breed characteristicsrelated to demographical characteristics,management and production parametersrecorded in field conditions.

Habitat and DistributionIn its original form the domestic Balkan goatis mainly reared in the region of the Prizrenmunicipality, i.e. in the hilly andmountainous terrain of north-westernSharplanina. To a lesser degree, this breedcan also be found in plains (settlementsaround the municipalities of Suva Reka andOrahovac) (Figure 1, Map of Serbia). In thenorth-western Sharplanina region, over onehalf (57.5%) of all territories are at mediumaltitudes or high mountains over 1 500 m. Atsuch altitudes meadows and pastures are thebasic types of vegetation, the other typebeing forests. Apart from meadows andpastures, this region of north-westernSharplanina has a rich hidrography, whichcontributed to the historical orientation ofthe population toward animal husbandry asthe basic type of existance and economicactivity. The primary development trend wastowards sheep and goats, due to theircomparative advantages pertaining to theuse of natural resources and modest rearingconditions available in Sharplanina.

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Figure 1. Habitat of the domestic Balkan goat(Sharplanina region).

PopulationToday, the domestic Balkan goat forms about35% of the total population of goats reared inthe Republic of Serbia (total population isabout 60 000 goats). Since muchcross-breeding was done, the lighter type ofthe domestic Balkan goat is not so frequentnowadays (about 10%). In the field it canonly be found in remote hilly andmountinous regions, such as Sharplanina.

According to statistical data (RegionalAgriculture Office, Prizren, 1997) thenumber of domestic Balkan goats in theSharplanina massif is estimated at7 000-8 000 animals. The Balkan goat ismainly reared on private farms in smallnumbers (1-3 animals), however, herds of100 or more goats can also be found in thisarea. Animals are mainly kept underextensive conditions, spending the best partof the year (March-November) on pastures

and grazing. When climatic conditionsallow, this is also true even during the winterin most cases.

Habitat CharacteristicsThe region of Sharplanina where thedomestic Balkan goat is reared comprises theupper and middle course of the Bistrica river,which is one of the major tributaries of BeliDrim river. This is a typically alpine regionwith deep river valleys. The mostpronounced border of this region is theborder with Macedonia (to the south andsouth-east), with numerous mountain peaksover 2 500 meters. On climate zone maps,Sharplanina belongs to the continentalclimate of Central Europe. Depending on thealtitude (ranging from 450 to 2 200 m),various types of mountain climate can befound. The average annual temperature onSharplanina up to 1 600 m is above 5°C,while at altitudes from 1 600 to 2 500 metersit drops to 5–0oC.

Materials and MethodsInvestigations were carried out in villages inthe region of the Prizren municipality(north-western region of the Sharplaninamassif), in herds of Balkan goats belonging toprivate owners, during several years(1996-1998). Investigation material consistedof four herds of Balkan goats, located atvarious altitutes and in various locations. Aneffort was made to include goats withreddish coats, as the authentic representativeof the domestic Balkan goat. Animals wereclassified according to lactations, i.e. kiddingsequence (lactations 1, 2, and 3; whilelactation 4 and later lactations weremonitored as one group).

90Characteristics of domestic Balkan goats

Herd management

Feeding

Goat nutrition during the winter is rathermodest, consisting of minimal quantities ofmeadow hay and concentrate. Concentratemainly consists of bran, milled maize andsalt which is regularly provided to goats. Thespring-summer-automn period ischaracterized by grazing only, with noadditional concentrates, even during thebreeding period. Private goat farms andpastures used for grazing are located at620-1 500 m altitudes.

In general, goats graze on pastures orforage within the zone of thermophilic oakforests, however, some herds graze duringthe vegetation period also at higher altitudes(1 200-1 850 m), i.e. at altitudescharacterized by beech forest and above,where Nardus stricta dominates.During the suckling period, usually lasting90 days, the basic ration for kids is goat milk.Until weaning (at 90 days), kids remain withdoes during a minor part of the day andduring the night. During all this time, in aspecial enclosure made of mobile planks, kidshave access to a mixture of feeds and tomeadow hay. The concentrate portion of theration usually consists only of milled maize,wheat bran and added salt.

Housing

Most goat breeders use a semi-intensiverearing system (stall-pasture), except certainbreeders who keep their herds at highaltitude mountain pastures located at1 520 m of altitude during the vegetationperiod (May-October). On cold and rainydays, goats are mainly kept in pens locatedin breeders’ courtyards. Goat pens are mostlymade of solid material (but can also beconstructed of mud bricks or stone) andcovered with tiles or metal sheets. Pen sizeprimarily depends on the number of animalsreared, however there are no majordifferences when it comes to the quality of

buildings. During the summer and otherseasons (except winter) whenever weatherpermits, goats are kept in enclosures (with orwithout roofs) in front of the pens.

Statistical analyses

Statistical data processing of productionperformance data was done on a PC usingthe least squares method (Harvey, 1990).

Breed characteristics

External features

The Balkan goat is a small, light and livelyanimal. The head is of medium length withvery mobile ears. Generaly, animals havehorns, which can be absent in someinstances. The body is narrow, shallow, andsomewhat wider at the hind quarters.Constitution is strong, animals are firm andresistent to diseases, tolerating arid andwarm climates well, and with modestnutrition requirements. Legs are thin andstrong, as are the hoofs. Udders are soft andelastic, but not particularly well developedand covered by somewhat coarse hairs. Theentire body (except the nose, hoofs, andlower portion of the tail) is coverd by hair,which is dense, coarse, and long except onthe head and legs, where it is short(Figure 2). The fur coat is usually shorn,giving about 300-400 g per animal. Haircolor varies, and is usually reddish or gray,but can also be black and chestnut, brownand patchy, and seldom white.

Body size

Table 1 shows data pertaining to bodydevelopment of the domestic Balkan goatfrom Sharplanina. Body size increases withage, due to the fact that the domestic Balkangoat matures late, reaching full size at about4 years of age. Average hight at withers and

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Memisi et a.

body length in adult goats are 66 and 70 cm,while chest width and width at hips areequal (about 17 cm).

Body weight

Table 2 presents data on average bodyweight and average daily weight gain forkids of the domestic Balkan goat during thesuckling period, as well as for adult goats (atone year of age). Average body weight ofgoats in the fourth lactation was 44.3 kg,which was higher than body weight forgoats in the fist lactation by about 14 kg.Lighter body weight, especially for goats inthe first lactation, can partially be attributedto bad conditions of nutrition and care,especially for young animals, beginning tobreed while still incompletely developed andwith insufficient body weight, acharacteristic maintained throughout theirlife span.

Milk production

Table 3 presents data on average milkproduction of the domestic Balkan goat, bylactation.

Average lactation duration in thedomestic Balkan goat was 238 days, andtotal milk production per lactation 178 kg(including the quantity consumed by kids),with significant differences (P<0,01) amongon lactations. This, among other things,indicates the potential to lengthen thelactation and increase milk production byapplying adequate breeding and selection.Average daily milk production was 0.743 kg.

Animals produced more milk by 17.1% inthe second lactation, 22.9% in the thirdlactation and 28.7% in the fourth lactation,as comparated to the first lactation. Averagetotal milk yield for goats in the first lactationwas lower by 56 kg, as compared to the yieldfor older goats (fourth lactation). Averagemilk fat content was estimated as 3.68%

Figure 2. Domestic Balkan goat.

92Characteristics of domestic Balkan goats

Table 1. Least squares means (± S.E.) of body weight and size of adult domestic Balkan female goats (Memisi et al., 1998), number of observations is 327 for all traits.

Traits Least squares means (± S.E.) Body weight (kg) 38.6±0.3 Height of wither (cm) 66±0.2 Body length (cm) 70±0.2 Chest width (cm) 17±0.1 Chest depth (cm) 30±0.1 Width of hips (cm) 17±0.1

Table 2. Least squares means (±S.E.) of mean body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) of domestic Balkan goats kids at different ages (Memisi et al., 1998).

Male Female Body weight BW (kg) ADG (g) BW (kg) ADG (g) Birth 2.56±0.02

(338) 123±0.7

(338) 2.50±0.02

(372) 118±0.7

(372) 1 month 6.27±0.03

(338) 119±0.6

(338) 6.05±0.03

(372) 114±0.6

(372) 2 months 9.84±0.04

(338) 111±1.0

(338) 9.47±0.04

(372) 106±1.0

(372) 3 months 13.08±0.05

(338) 117±0.5

(338) 12.62±0.05

(372) 112±0.5

(372) 12 months - - 30.9±0.5

(94) 78±0.8

(94) Figures in parenthesis indicate the number of observation.

Table 3. Least squares means (-+S.E.) of milk production performance of domestic Balkan goats (Memisi, 2000).

Milk production traits Lactation number

Lactation period (day)

Milk yield (kg)

Daily milk yield (kg)

Milk fat (%)

I 229±2.02 (124)

146±3.2 (124)

0.638±10.39 (124)

3.54±0.05 (124)

II 230±1.85 (153)

174±2.9 (153)

0.747±9.51 (153)

3.65±.0.05 (153)

III 236±1.92 (131)

187±3.0 (131)

0.783±9.85 (131)

3.76±0.06 (131)

IV 244±1.90 (170)

202±3.0 (170)

0.821±9.74 (170)

3.74±0.06 (170)

Figures in parenthesis indicate the number of observations.

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Reproduction

Fertility of the domestic Balkan goat is ratherlow, and, in the absence of any seriousexpert activity to investigate or improve thistrait, it has remained virtually unchanged todate. Average number of kids per doe was1.23 annually. This can be regarded as lowsince the average number of kids per doe forother breeds of goats in Serbia (DomesticWhite, and crossbreeds) is considerablyhigher (approximately 1.8 kids annually)Poor fertility of the domestic Balkan goat iscaused by numerous factors, the mostpronounced being the effect of nutrition, asthe most important nongenetic factor. Goatnutrition is very poor, especially during thewinter, which can often be a period ofsemistarvation or starvation, undoubtedlyhaving a negative effect on the expression ofall production traits, including fertility.

Table 4 shows fertility results for twoyears of investigation, including the numberof kids born live and stillborn, as well asthe percentage of conception goats in theinvestigated population of domestic Balkangoats. As a consequence of the fact that thebreed is primitive, and the latitide andlongitude of the region, mating andreproductive behaviour in both males andfemales is seasonal (mating inAugust-September; kidding inJanuary-February).

Low kid mortality was also found in theinvestigated goat population, both during thefirst year (3 animals), and during the secondyear (6 animals). This indicates among otherthings, good organization of activitiesamong the breeders at kidding time(receiving of kids, housing conditions, firstsuckling, etc.).

ConclusionPerformance of the domestic Balkan goat issatisfactory, in view of the conditions.However, on the whole, owing to theirvitality, adaptibility to management changes,resistence to contagious and parasitarydiseases, and modest requirements fornutrition and care, even today the domesticBalkan goat retains importance for thesurvival and sustenance of numeroushouseholds living in remote hilly andmountainous regions, such as the regioninvestigated. Therefore, it is necessary toapply adequate rearing systems, as well as tochange existing production practices andtechnology, primarily by improvingconditions of nutrition and care (for adult aswell as young animals), and establishappropriate methods of breeding andselection to further improve and stabilizeproduction traits, primarily milk production.

Table 4. Fertility of domestic Balkan goats (Memisi et al., 2001).

Traits Estimates Number of serviced does 629 Number of does kidding 578 Conception % 91.9 Number of live kids

Single Twins Total

428 282 710

Number of stillborn kids 9 Number of kids born per doe kidding 1.23

94Characteristics of domestic Balkan goats

List of ReferencesHarvey W.R. 1990. Mixed Model Least

Squares and Maximum Lidelihood ComputerProgram. User‘s Guide for LSMLMW andMIXMDL

Memisi N. 2000. Quantitative analisisof body development and production traitsof Domestic Balkan goats. Ph. D thesis,Faculty of Agriculture, Belgrade, ppp. 161.

Memisi N., F. Bauman, M. Cinkulov& M. Zujovic. 2001. The influence of yearand number of laktacion on domestic Balkangoat fertility. International symposium oflivestoc production, Herceg Novi,Yugoslavia. Contemporary agriculture, NoviSad, Vol. 50, No. 3-4, 63–66.

Memisi N., V. Bozovic, F. Bauman &Latinovic D. 1998. Growth characteristics ofkids of domestic Balkan goats. Contemporaryagriculture, Novi Sad, Vol. 46, No. 3-4,83-85.

Memisi N., V. Bozovic, F. Bauman &D. Latinovic. 1998. Variability of productiontraits of domestic Balkan goats from themountain region of Sharplanina.Contemporary agriculture. Novi Sad,Vol. 46, No. 3-4, 75–80.

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The successful improvement of pigproductivity has resulted in intensive use of arelatively small number of breeds. Whilstthese practices have provided for the qualityprotein needs of the human diet in the last50 years it has had a detrimental effect ongenetic variation.

The changing consumer demands areresulting in a greater diversity of qualityproducts and also encourage methods ofproduction that are more suited to some ofthe local breeds that are still found withinEurope. In addition, geneticists arerecognizing the importance of maintainingbreed diversity in order to conserveimportant genes related to quality,adaptation and reproduction traits.

This economic point of view has createdin the last five years a special interest in thestudy of the world pig biodiversity, especiallyat the European Union level.

This volume presents the proceedings ofthe Symposium on Pig Biodiversity, whichwas held in the Cordoba (7-9 November2002), organised to review the state of the artin the field. More than fifty researchers from16 countries participated in the event. Thepapers represent two types of contributionmade at the Symposium; firstly the mainpapers developed from the European Unionfunded project entitled “Characterisation ofgenetic variation in the european pig tofacilitate the maintenance and exploitation ofbiodiversity (PIGBIODIV I)” in subjects ofgeneral interest such as the technical aspectsof sampling, AFLP and microsatellite markergenotyping, the statistical analysis of geneticprofiles and calculation of genetic distance;the organization, presentation and

Archivos de zootecnia - Pig biodiversityJ.V. Delgado, G. Plastow, L. Alderson, C. Chevalet & R. Cardellino (Eds)

Proceedings of a symposium held in Cordoba (Spain) 7-9 November 2002Vol. 52, number 198

Instituto de zootecnia, Facultad de Veterinaria, University of Cordobahttp://www.uco.es/organiza/servicios/publica/az/az.htm

Published in 2003. ISSN: 0004-0592pp. 288

dissemination of data; and also the legalaspects of the intellectual property of thegenetic material and its associatedinformation. Then the second part consists ofspecific contributions from differentinitiatives looking at local breeds or relatedissues, in the format of shortcommunications.

This issue represents a reference point forthe future for all scientists, industry, NGOsand the National and International officialinstitutions who desire to work in the newfrontiers of pig production.

96

Bovinae family & buffalines group.Part I of productivity of milk & beef ranches

Shebaita, Mamdouh Kamel (Ed.) (in Arabic)

Dar Elsaada, Bab Elkhalq, Cairo, EgyptPublished in 2003. ISBN 977-17-0772-8

pp. 942

This is the first part of a series that deals withdairy and beef production. This partprovides comprehensive lists and descriptionof world cattle breeds and to some extenttheir non-domesticated relatives and buffalobreeds.

The book is indeed encyclopedic in natureand offers the material in 12 chapters,1. Overview on Bovinae family, 2. Bos(Taurus) typicus –Ordinary cattle – singlepurpose, 3. Bos (Taurus) typicus –Ordinarycattle - beef cattle, 4. Bos Taurus –multipurpose cattle, 5. Asian cattle breeds,6. African cattle breeds, 7. Cattle breeds ofthe Americas and Oceania, 8. Genus orgroup Bos, 9. Breeds of domestic waterbuffalo, 10. Buffaloes in some foreigncountries, 11. Native Egyptian cattle andbuffalo breeds, and 12. Recent technologiesand Bovinae family.

The book provides information on505 cattle breeds and many others of buffaloand non-domesticated cattle relatives. It alsoindexes all breeds mentioned in the text andgives references and breed photos. The bookis quite useful to those who work on cattleand buffalo animal genetic resources and canread Arabic and is recommended forlibraries. However, with so many breeds innumerous classifications, the hierarchal

order of the breeds and the numbering areflawed in many instances. The transcriptionof breed names does not follow a fixed rulewhich could misguide the reader, example:Brown Swiss is transcribed as such whileJamaica Hope is translated to what ‘hope’means in Arabic.

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Animal Genetic Resources Information, No. 35, 2004

The papers in this book are based onpresentations given at a conference held inEdinburgh in November 2002, which wasco-organised by the British Society of AnimalScience (BSAS), the Department forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs(Defra), the Rare Breeds Survival Trust(RBST) and the Sheep Trust.

A number of factors led the organizationof the meeting:1. The growing international effort, led by

The Food and Agriculture Organisation ofthe United Nations (FAO), to co ordinateconservation of Farm Animal GeneticResources. The conference coincided withthe publication by Defra of the UKCountry Report on Farm Animal GeneticResources, as part of this internationaleffort.

2. The Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak inthe UK in 2001 and 2002 brought intosharp focus the real threat to rare andgeographically isolated livestock breeds,and the need for greater co ordination ofconservation efforts.

3. The growth in scientific knowledge inareas relevant to conservation, especiallyin quantitative genetics, helping toimprove the management of populationsat risk, in molecular genetics, improvingour capability to characterise andprioritise populations for conservation,and in reproductive biology, providingmore effective techniques forconservation.The chapters in this book have been

organised into four sections: Policy issues,Quantitative and molecular genetic basis for

Developments in the conservationof farm animal genetic resources

G. Simm, B. Villanueva, K.D. Sinclair & S. Townsend (Eds)BSAS Publication no. 30

Nottingham University Press Manor Farm, Main Street, ThrumptonNottingham, NG11 OAX, United Kingdom

Published in 2004. ISBN: 1-897676-15-8pp. 345

conservation, Reproductive techniques tosupport conservation, and Conservation inaction a series of case studies illustratingsome of the techniques covered earlier in thebook.

This publication will certainly provide auseful update for those interested inconservation and sustainable utilisation offarm animal genetic resources.

98

This beautifully produced and richlyillustrated book is the result of a globalsurvey, to which 75 contributors from28 countries responded with descriptions of210 traditional and new goat products, milkand yoghurt and ice cream (16), cheeses(141), meat (22), fibre and skin and fur (10),dessert (7), and other items such as musicinstruments, tools, medication and works ofart.

The publication contains, sorted bycontinents and mostly on a single page each,a wide inventory of “whatever thing the goatcan give us” in the words of the editors,including maps of origin, type of product,area of production, techniques and scale ofproduction, trading of the product, uses,estimates of production volume and demandtrends, even colour pictures of products andbreeds of goats.

The book begins with an extensivediscussion of typical products and typicalityof the small ruminant sector, cheese, meat,fibre in various countries, their way ofproduction and marketing. All contributorsare recognized with their full address, whichis very useful for further studies. The bookends with an excellent index of all products,but for some reason does not contain goatbutter or goat ghee, possibly because nocontributions had been sent in from India.

This points out also the fact that this veryworthwhile book project under the auspicesof the International Goat Association will becontinued for at least one more edition tocontain many more contributions frompresently under-represented or

Atlas of goat productsR. Rubino, P. Morand-Fehr, L. Sepe (Eds)

International Goat Association (IGA), Little Rock, AR 72202, USALa Biblioteca di Caseus Publisher, Viale del Basento 108, Potenza - 85100 Italy

Published in 2004, ISBN: 88-900631-4-9pp. 384

not-represented countries. Nevertheless, thisbook is unique in its content and scope,giving for the first time a global account andatlas of a wide variety of goat products. Itshould be a welcome source and referencefor students, practitioners, distributors,consumers, people with medical needs forgoat products, government officials, goatfarmers, and enthusiasts of goats and theirmany exciting and delicious products.

This book is highly recommended to allpeople with some connection to the goatworld and its great potential as an industryin so many countries.

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Animal Genetic Resources Information, No. 35, 2004

The 9th Seminar of the Nutrition SubNetwork of the FAO CIHEAM CooperativeResearch on Sheep and Goats, held atHammamet (Tunisia), 8 10 November 2001,was organised, under the auspices of theTunisian Ministry of Agriculture, by INRAT(Institut National de la RechercheAgronomique de Tunisie), FAO (Food andAgriculture Organization of the UnitedNations) and CIHEAM (Centre Internationaldes Hautes Etudes AgronomiquesMediterraneennes), in collaboration withICARDA (International Center forAgricultural Research in the Dry Areas),IRESA (Institution de la Recherche et deI’Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles), OEP(Office de I’Elevage et des Pâturages) andGIVR (Groupement Interprofessionnel desViandes Rouges).

The seminar focused on topics related tosheep and goat nutrition and feedingstrategies under harsh climate conditions.Sessions were on:1. use of rangelands by sheep and goats

under arid conditions;2. effect of under nutrition on sheep and

goat digestion and performance;3. nutritional evaluation of non conventional

feedstuffs; and4. adaptation of small ruminants to non

conventional feeds.Furthermore, six round tables were

organised to discuss pertinent up to datetopics related to sheep and goat nutritionand feeding systems. The topics covered bythese round tables were: a) mineral nutrition;b) feeding behaviour; c) feeding and productquality; d) methods to improve non

Nutrition and feeding strategies of sheepand goats under harsh climates

(Strategies de nutrition et d’alimentationdes ovins et caprins en climats rigoureux)H. Ben Salem, A. Nefzaoui & P. Morand Fehr (Eds)

Serie A: Seminaires Mediterraneens, No. 59, Options MediterraneennesCIHEAM Zaragoza, Apdo 202, 50080 Zaragoza, Spain

Published in 2004. ISSN: 1016-121-X. ISBN: 2-85352-285 7pp. 274

conventional feedstuffs; e) databases - aworking tool for networks; andf) cooperation research project - conceptionand funding. The seminar was attended by68 participants from 16 countries andrepresentatives or scientists from CIHEAM,FAO, IAEA and ICARDA. A total of64 papers were presented and discussedincluding introductory papers, oralpresentations and posters in the four mainsessions. Thirty seven papers have beenselected to be published in these proceedings.

100

Spanish domestic sheep breeds(Razas ganaderas españolas ovinas)

C. Esteban Muñoz (Ed.)(In Spanish)

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and NutritionPublished in 2004. ISBN: 84-491-0580-3

pp. 470.

In Spain in the last years, domestic sheepbreeds reached such a relevance due to theircharacteristics that they are now exported inmany countries of the European Union andalso in south American and Mediterraneancountries. The expectations for the exportsare encouraging and, within such prospects,the publication aims to offer a reference atlasof the local Spanish breeds.

The structure of the present book isarranged in two parts: the firs one has ageneral content and is divided in 3 chapters:1. the first chapter contains general

information about the origin anddifferentiations among the various sheepbreeds;

2. the second chapter reports the situation ofthe sheep sector in Spain, with descriptionof number of heads, geographicaldistribution and economic relevance foreach breed;

3. the last one accounts for the classificationcriteria as established in the nationalherdbook, approved by the Real Decree in1997.The second part of the book reports the

individual studies and description onnational breeds, their morphologicaldescription, production characteristics,history, production systems, selection andbreeding. About 44 Spanish sheep breeds aredeeply described, taking into account not

only the morphology but also the localproducts and their influence on the nationaleconomy.

Such structure may easily createsinvoluntarily repetitions, but at the sametime it facilitates the queries and the analysisof the breeds.

Great relevance is dedicated to thepictures of the breeds and more than 520figures (divided by sex) clearly illustrate thecharacteristics of the animals

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Animal Genetic Resources Information, No. 35, 2004

The World Association for AnimalProduction produced this book that is areference tool for the animal scientificcommunity and for policy makersworldwide. Sixty authors from the sixcontinents contributed with thirtyoutstanding manuscripts.

This volume is the first of a series that isexpected to be produced every year. Theobjective of this project is to establish areference volume for livestock system andresearch development, for the use ofinternational organizations, researchinstitutes, policy makers and animalindustries, worldwide.

This book is particularly interesting forthose wanting to get a deeper knowledge onthe "state of the art" of livestock systems inthe six continents. This aspect is illustrated inthe first section of the volume, while thesecond section describes the development ofresearch activities in nineteen specific fieldsof animal science. Furthermore; the readerswill certainly be interested by reading the"contemporary issues" manuscriptsbelonging to the third section. The articles ofthis section were selected to accomplish themost "urgent" topics in animal industry.

The volume is also completed withrelevant statistics, furnishing informationand data in a homogenous and easy to readstructure. The changes that have happenedin animal industries in the last decades areclearly illustrated in tables and graphics.These data, together with the interpretationof the articles of the previous sections, willrender easier the prediction of futurescenarios.

WAAP Book of the year 2003 - A review on developments andresearch in livestock systems

A. Rosati, A. Tewolde & C. Mosconi (Eds)Wageningen Academic Publishers, The Netherlands

Published in 2004. ISSN: 1574-1125. ISBN: 9076998477pp. 320

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The aim of this thesis was to analyzemethods in order to efficiently conservebiodiversity. In particular the study aimed atdefining suitable methods for estimating therisk of losing diversity, for assessing thepresent diversity and its development, forconservation of the diversity and for optimalallocation of the limited funds available. Themethods were then applied to African cattlebreeds divided in 26 taurine/sanga and23 zebu/zenga breeds.

With a newly developed scheme, it wasestimated that about half of the 49 cattlebreeds are at risk of extinction within thenext 50 years. It was also shown that if noaction is taken only about 50% of today’sgenetic diversity between breeds will bemaintained.

A survey revealed that indigenous cattlebreeds of Eastern and Southern Africa aremainly kept because of their superiority withrespect to climate adaptation, tick resistance,trypanotolerance and their ceremonial use.

Four conservation programs weredesigned and their cost and effects assessed:herdbooks combined with promotion of thebreed (HB), in-situ conservation with a sirerotation scheme (IS), cryoconservation ofsemen (CC) and in-situ plus cryoconservation(IC). Reduction in extinction probability washigher for conservation programs involvingbreeders strongly and giving them part of theresponsibility for the conservation of thebreed. IC proved to be the most efficientconservation program with regard toeffective population size conserved.However, if cost per reduction in extinctionprobability was considered, in-situconservation or herdbooks combined withpromotion of the breed or cryoconservationwere superior to IC. Therefore, it is suggestednot to use cost per effective population size

Analysis of methods for efficient biodiversity conservation withfocus on African cattle breeds

A dissertation submitted to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurichfor the degree of Doctor of natural sciences

presented by Sabine Beatrice Reist MartiZurich 2004

as the only criterion for decisionmaking onthe appropriate conservation program for abreed.

The newly developed algorithm revealedthat allocation of resources only to a subsetof breeds is optimal. This number depends onseveral factors such as conservation cost ofeach breed and the amount of fundsavailable. It was estimated that withUS$ 2 000 000 the expected diversity of thezebu and zenga group of breeds could beaugmented by 13% compared to theexpected diversity if no action is taken. Thus,64% of the present diversity could bemaintained over 50 years.

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Animal Genetic Resources Information, No. 35, 2004

Short presentations

LIFE Newsletter

LIFE is a group of organizations andindividuals who promote community-basedconservation and development of indigenouslivestock breeds and species.

Issue #1 of the People and Livestocknewsletter focuses on threats to free access toanimal genetic resources. The issue isavailable at: http://lifeinitiative.net/index.php/archives/category/news/For more information, please contact LIFEcoordinator Dr Evelyn MathiasWeizenfeld 4, 51467 Bergisch Gladbach,Germany, tel. +49-2202-932921,fax +49-2202-932922,E-mail: evelyn@mamud.com

The AGA division in FAO recently produceda CD-ROM that summarises the documentspresented at the Global Workshop forNational Coordinators on the preparation ofthe first Report on the State of the World’ sAnimal Genetic Resources (SoW-AnGR),held in Rome 30 - 31 March 2004.

The CD-ROM also contains thedocuments and Report produced during theThird Session of the IntergovernmentalTechnical Working Group on Animal Geneticheld in Rome, 31 March-2 April 2004.

National Coordinators of each countrywere invited to summarize the most crucialmessage and provide information on thecurrent situation of each country’s animalgenetic resources and priority issues thathave to be tackled in order to furtherdevelop, use and conserve animal geneticresources sustainably. FAO designed atemplate for uniform and attractivepresentation of the information. More than70 posters have been created by the countriesto contribute to increased awareness of the

Global Workshop for National Coordinators on the preparation of the firstReport on the State of the World’ s Animal Genetic Resources (SoW-AnGR) andThird Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on AnimalGenetic

functions and values of animal geneticresources, stressing the need for continuedefforts to better inform and involvepolicy-makers in the implementation ofpriority actions identified in CountryReports. Such posters are also included in theCD-ROM. A copy of it can be requested toFAO/AGA division at DAD-IS@fao.org.

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Farm AnGR - Safeguarding nationalassets for food security and trade

This small booklet of 54 pages, jointlypublished in 2004 by GTZ, FAO and CTA,summarises the concepts and ideasdeveloped in a series of four workshop onfarm AnGR held in the Southern AfricanDevelopment Community (SADC).Some basic concepts are clearly presented, inparticular:• Community based management of farm

AnGR.• Incentive measures for sustainable use

and conservation of agro-biodiversity.• Legal frameworks for the management of

AnGR (or sustainable use, developmentand conservation of AnGR).The publication is provided by a CD-ROM

that illustrates the documents of theworkshops, International regulations andlegal frameworks and FAO materialdeveloped for the conservation of the AnGR.

Copies can be requested to FAO/AGA at:DAD-IS@fao.org.

Where nature and culture meet:People, food and biodiversity

Jointly published in 2004 by GTZ andBundesministerium für wirtschaftlicheZusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, this48 pages booklet was published tocomplement the exhibition "Where natureand culture meet: People, food andbiodiversity". It highlights the links betweenbiological diversity and food safety. Thepublication wishes to show that biodiversityconservation is an issue of global relevanceand serves worldwide food security andpoverty reduction