ORIGINAL ARTICLE Technological characterization of sheep production systems in Brazil

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1 bs_bs_banner Animal Science Journal (2015), doi: /asj ORIGINAL ARTICLE Technological characterization of sheep production systems in Brazil Camila RAINERI, 1,2 Bruno César Prosdocimi NUNES 3 and Augusto Hauber GAMEIRO 1 1 Department of Animal Nutrition and Animal Production, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 2 School of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia and 3 Esplanada dos Ministérios, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Brasília, Brazil ABSTRACT Sheep production has expanded in Brazil focusing on lamb meat, mostly to meet demanding internal markets in the state of São Paulo. Such markets present a demand which internal production is insufficient to meet. However, sheep farmers face many technical difficulties to produce quality lambs at viable costs. This study aimed at investigating the main characteristics of sheep production systems of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in order to provide resources for the development of technologies, policies and other initiatives focused on the activity. We designed in panel meetings the characteristics of representative sheep farms in five regions of the state, concerning: (i) property and manpower profile; (ii) flock; (iii) handling techniques; (iv) facilities and equipment; (v) food production; and (vi) technical indicators. Results demonstrate that the predominant sheep farming in the state employs low technology, presenting low productivity despite its evolution in recent years. We verified great technical deficiency regarding farmers, who are new in this business and usually do not have access to technologies. Producers unawareness about basic handling procedures and techniques as well as their lack of flock records can contribute to the activity s unsustainability. There is need for improving rural extension and diffusion of technologies. Key words: efficiency, farming system, handling, lamb, productivity index. INTRODUCTION Sheep farming in Brazil, unlike what is happening in most other countries, has attracted investors and expanded both in quantity and quality since the early 2000s. The activity was established in the country in the early 20th century, initially in the states of the southern region with temperate climates and aiming at producing wool. Small meat flocks existed in other regions, but they focused on family subsistence. However, with the gradual decrease of government incentives for the activity and the worldwide wool market crisis, occurring respectively in the 80s and 90s, the sheep industry in Brazil faced deep changes (Viana 2008). In 1990, before the summit of the crisis in the activity, the country had more than 20 million sheep. This number decreased by almost 30% in 12 years, until 2002, when growth resumed. This reduction was especially intense in the areas which were most specialized in wool production, causing the elimination of more than 50% of the animals in the southern region (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística 2011). Despite the difficulties, the economic reforms ongoing in the country since the 1990s and the increasing purchasing power of the population have brought sheep producers new hope. The consumer market began to show signs of increased demand for lamb meat, leading to a change of focus in the activity (Bofill 1996; Viana 2008). This change allowed for a flock expansion of almost 24% from 2002 to 2011, reaching 17.7 million animals, and still maintaining growth prospects (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística 2011). Thus, a new side of the activity started developing in new areas of Brazil, under new production conditions and with a new goal, expanding in regions where sheep industry was once insignificant and becoming Correspondence: Camila Raineri, Department of Animal Nutrition and Animal Production, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo. Av. Duque de Caxias Norte, 225, Pirassununga, São Paulo CEP , Brazil. ( camilaraineri@usp.br) Received 30 September 2013; accepted for publication 23 July Japanese Society of Animal Science

2 2 C. RAINERI et al. an alternative agricultural investment (Raineri et al. 2011). Currently the activity aims at the production of lamb meat, mostly in order to meet demanding markets such as São Paulo, the most economically important in Brazil. This state represents the largest lamb market in the country (Jesus Junior et al. 2010), and among the southeast region it has the second largest flock and the second largest annual increase in flock size (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística 2011). However, like in other regions of Brazil, new sheep farmers have no experience in the activity. They are attracted by the steady demand for the product, which motivates imports of most of the sheep meat consumed by Brazilians, and by the high prices charged by restaurants and specialty meat stores (Raineri 2012). However, the path between the birth of lambs and the consumer s dish can offer many disadvantages, and new farmers face many difficulties to effectively establish themselves in the activity. The biggest of these difficulties is the challenge of keeping a healthy and productive flock at viable production costs. To overcome this, it is necessary to apply efficient methods of growth management, which occurs in only a few cases. The technical obstacles and the challenges arising from poor organization of the agroindustrial system often cause the produced lambs not to reach the quality desired by the consumer. Thus, while slaughterhouses and restaurants have their supply of lamb limited because they do not find the desired product to purchase, thus increasing the product price in the market, there are many producers who do not succeed in selling their lambs, or who charge much lower prices for the animals, abandoning the activity. The aim of this study was investigating the main characteristics of sheep production systems adopted in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Therefore, we sought to identify its peculiarities, problems and demands, in order to provide information for the development of technologies, policies and other initiatives focused on the activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS There is some heterogeneity in productive characteristics when it comes to sheep meat farms, especially regarding the physical area, flock size, production system, technical level, coexistence with other activities and management. To address this issue, and at the same time bring analysis closer to reality, it becomes necessary to define properties that represent satisfactorily the ones in the state, labeled representative properties. For this, we used a panel meeting method (Plaxico & Tweeten 1963; Vereijken 1999; Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento 2010). The panel consists of a meeting with the researcher and a group of farmers and technicians of the region at issue, in which participants discuss together and seek to outline a representative production system of a particular locality. During the discussions, the group fills out a previously structured spreadsheet that represents a typical situation for the region (Ferreira Filho et al. 2009). The technical and economic data used to describe the representative property are neither obtained from an individual farm nor from statistical averages: they should be based on a consensus in the panel meeting. Thus, through local producers expertise, we outlined a property that represented each region of the state chosen for the research. We studied the regions of São José do Rio Preto, Bauru, Araçatuba, Campinas and Piracicaba. The aspects approached during the performed panels refer to six groups of features, namely: (i) characteristics of property and manpower (total area of the property, area used for sheep production, period during which the activity was conducted, time spent to manage the activity, number of employees and time spent for the routine with sheep, existence of technical assistance); (ii) flock (quantities of dams and rams, outcome rate, breed); (iii) handling (performed stages of production cycle, production system, feeding stuffs used, health management, weaning method, breeding system); (iv) equipment and facilities; (v) feed production (pasture characteristics and management, forages used in the dry period, source of supplementary concentrates); and (vi) technical indicators. As cited by Abreu et al. (2003), the outcome rate is the ratio between the maximum number of animals that can be slaughtered in a flock, including the culled ones, and the total amount of animals, without interfering with the flock s desired expansion, the maintenance of its equilibrium or its incomes. For inviting potential participants of the panels, as well as choosing the regions where they would be performed, we considered the following criteria. 1 Concentration of sheep in different regions of the state of São Paulo. We considered the official division of the state in 15 regions, having as first option the areas with the largest flocks. 2 Farmers willingness to participate in the study. Representatives of several sheep farmers associations were contacted by telephone, the details of the research were explained to them and the group s interest was verified. All of the contacted groups that were willing to contribute to the study participated in panels. 3 Existence of sheep producers associations in these regions. We prioritized performing panels with farmers who were organized in associations, due to its presumably greater control over flock information, and to greater ease in gathering participants. 4 The number of panels was defined in order to be enough for representing regions that contained at least 50% of the total sheep flock of the state of São Paulo. Table 1 shows the flock size of each of the regions studied, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística 2011). Panel meetings of São Jose do Rio Preto, Bauru, Araçatuba, Campinas and Piracicaba relied, respectively, on the participation of 13, nine, nine, five and eight farmers and technicians. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION For a better understanding, the results are organized into the following subsections: characteristics of property and manpower, flock management, facilities and equipment, feed production and technical indicators Japanese Society of Animal Science Animal Science Journal (2015),

3 SHEEP PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN BRAZIL 3 Table 1 Region Flock size in the studied regions No. of animals (units) São José do Rio Preto Bauru Araçatuba Campinas Piracicaba Total Share of flock in the state (%) Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (2011). Preparation by the authors. Characteristics of property and manpower The survey data show that usually sheep production is not the only activity performed on the property: it occupies a small area, which is approximately 8% to 15% of the total property, which is equivalent to the areas occupied by the sheep from 1 ha (Campinas) to 35 ha (Araçatuba). In all regions studied, the main crop in the representative properties is sugar cane, followed by beef cattle. Regarding the period during which sheep raising has been performed on the representative properties, it is clear that most farmers started the activity from the years 2005 and 2006, when the sheep industry was widely advertised and attracted many investors. In these years, the flock of the state of São Paulo has expanded respectively by 13.73% and 9.61% (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística 2011), setting one of the periods of greatest expansion. Thus, sheep meat production is an activity that has very recently become economically relevant, which is important for understanding aspects such as low technological level of farms (as discussed below) and organization difficulties regarding this agroindustrial system. Associated with data on the general characteristics of the properties, information on the organization of labor and management corroborate to present sheep breeding in São Paulo as a complementary activity on farms. In all the representative properties studied, sheep farming is managed by the owner, who is available for a limited period. The use of only 2 5 days per month for management of the activity perfectly illustrates what has been exposed by Gagleazzi et al. (2002) and Fonseca and Francelino (2005), who stated that the professionalization that the sheep industry is experiencing involves the need to improve the management process in lamb production. This is in agreement with the statement by Falcão et al. (2006), that there are challenges related to deficiency of technical service and to the low level of organization and management of the establishment. Importantly, it is not common that producers have the rural property as their main source of income; therefore they employ their time in Animal Science Journal (2015), other economic sectors in addition to managing other rural activities. It is not common in any of the studied regions that farms have workers dedicated exclusively to sheep routines. Typical sheep activities employ one single worker, whose time is shared with the other activities of the property. The farmers have expressed difficulty in identifying how many hours a day their employees devote to sheep breeding, and that period was established as up to 4 h a day for all regions, except for Bauru. In this region, this period is 6 h per day. In all five cases the farmer chooses to occasionally hire extra day workers, for either more specific or time-consuming tasks such as maintenance of fences, silage production, soil preparation, forage cultivation, facilities cleaning, among others. The amount of days contracted per month is mainly related to the intensification of the farming system, as we will further discuss. This division of functions and hiring per day can be justified with the statement by Bezerra and Aguiar (2009), who simulated the demand of manpower for different scenarios in semi-confined sheep systems, with groups of approximately 173 animals (dams and offspring). According to the authors, for less intensified systems that work with only one group of dams, the need for manpower remains around 3.74 h per day during the production cycle, increasing during periods of birth and breeding seasons to 5.74 h per day, representing an increase of approximately 53%. As for an intensive semi-confined system, Bezerra and Aguiar (2009) studied the situations operating with one or two groups of dams. According to the simulation, when choosing to work with only one group, the producer will have a demand for manpower of 5.03 h per day for most of the cycle, and of h per day during periods of breeding and birth seasons. For the production model with dams divided into two groups and consequently two breeding and lambing seasons, the demand for manpower would be around h per day during periods of breeding and birth seasons, and h per day in other periods. According to the study, it is also common in rainy periods that a large share of the available manpower is allocated to other activities outside the system, like planting. Thus, farmers need to define in advance the hiring of manpower for times of higher demand. Panelists from the region of São José do Rio Preto belong to ANPOVINOS a sheep farmers association of the northwest of São Paulo, and among the advantages they enjoy there is the technical assistance of an animal science professional, who visits each member once a month. Panelists from Campinas seek to solve their questions regarding the activity with agricultural and livestock retailers. When asked about seeking assistance from government agencies, participants of all panels showed ignorance and disbelief. Campos 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science

4 4 C. RAINERI et al. (2003) highlights the deficiency in the operation of federal and state agencies responsible for transferring technology, because despite the generation of technologies, producers only have access to little information and guidance, especially when it comes to livestock management and economics, such as production costs, profitability, markets, prices, among others. With respect to partnerships with universities and other research centers, participants demonstrated receptiveness. They emphasized that it is not uncommon that farmers are addressed by researchers, but the surveys results are rarely reported to them. Participants of panels of São José do Rio Preto, Piracicaba and Bauru emphasized the importance of programs that foster sheep production, such as those run by SEBRAE (Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Enterprises), and attributed to the agency and to its program Integrated Agribusiness System (SAI in which they participate or have participated) the best organization and even their permanence in the activity. Flock In the representative properties of lamb production of São José do Rio Preto, Campinas, Bauru, Piracicaba and Araçatuba, there are respectively, 300, 30, 150, 100 and 300 ewes in reproduction. These quantities are related to the available area used for sheep production, presented earlier, and to the intensification of the system. This data is important for characterizing the nature of exploitation of sheep production in each region: while in São José do Rio Preto, for example, the operation is seen by producers as an activity of increasing economic importance, in Campinas it represents a secondary activity, conducted as a source of casual and supplementary income. Another finding that corroborates this assertion is the number of lambs sold per year, since in the region of Campinas this amount is less than one animal per month. In this sense, it is important to verify the outcome rate of the flocks, which is poor in all the outlined representative properties. The outcome rate, as previously described, is the ratio between the maximum number of animals that can be slaughtered in a flock, including the culled ones, and the total amount of animals, without interfering with the flock s desired expansion, the maintenance of its equilibrium or its incomes (Abreu et al. 2003). In the properties of São José do Rio Preto, Campinas, Bauru, Piracicaba and Araçatuba this indicator is around 45%, 33%, 28%, 77% and 64%, respectively. According to a survey from the Integrated Development Institute of Minas Gerais (Instituto de Desenvolvimento Integrado de Minas Gerais 2002), the average outcome rate for the national sheep flock is about 30%. On the other hand, Souza (2010) points out as outcome rates for efficient productive systems, with low, medium and high reproductive efficiencies, values of 76.4%, 137.4% and 166.2%, respectively. The dispersed structure of the flock in the state, as well as in the country, brings significant limitations for lamb meat trade. Silva et al. (2009) point out the difficulty of achieving regular and sufficient quantities of lambs for slaughter, especially when it is required that these animals have standardization according to their age, weight and carcass conformation. Such difficulties contribute to the existence of illegal slaughter and direct meat commercialization in the properties, affecting the entire agroindustrial system. According to Mello et al. (2005), marketing decisions are also fragmented and most sales are made directly to the consumer, individually, leaving aside the known importance of collective action in negotiating and eliminating intermediaries. A strategy for circumventing such problems that have becoming increasingly important in the state is the establishment of horizontal and vertical arrangements in the sector, as a solution for the regularization and standardization of animal supplies (Viana & Silveira 2008). An example of horizontal arrangement that is becoming increasingly frequent is the establishment of sheep producers associations (Duarte 2007; Vieira Filho 2007; Silva et al. 2009). These initiatives contribute to increase producers bargaining and negotiating powers with suppliers and the slaughter industry, which may help the reduction of prices of inputs and to facilitate lamb sales to slaughter. Mello et al. (2005) point out that although the decision of individualized production is not an exclusive characteristic of small-scale production, organization into associations or cooperatives is significantly restricted to this group. Participants of all panels except for those in the region of Campinas, are organized into associations and practice collective sales of lambs for slaughter. The vertical arrangements, on the other hand, are an initiative taken by an increasing number of slaughterhouses, aiming at engaging their lamb suppliers, guiding them to production of animals suited to the desired standard, encouraging them to stay in business and increase the scale of slaughter. This is consistent with the statement made by Costa (2007), that the integration of activities within the sheep chain is part of the process of transition from an unprofessional activity to a commercial one. The author describes that the impact of recent market changes that have occurred in the sheep meat industry in Brazil, which are defined by the organization of a market with higher-income consumers who are guided by non price attributes, is propelling the sector players to adopt more efficient coordination mechanisms, aiming thereby at meeting the demand and also reducing production and transaction costs and increasing competitiveness in domestic and foreign markets. Thus, new 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science Animal Science Journal (2015),

5 SHEEP PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN BRAZIL 5 arrangements, contracts and agreements between companies are a way to establish a technical coordination of production activities, to take advantage of opportunities for learning and accumulation of skills, which are provided by the interaction with other players. The ram-to-ewe ratio is also an indicator of technological level in the representative properties. Technical recommendations are of about ewes per ram in natural mating, depending on local conditions and sperm quality (Sobrinho 2001). In the representative farms we found ratios that ranged from 15 (in Campinas) to 75 (in Bauru) ewes for each ram. In regions where the ratio is lower than the recommended (Campinas and Piracicaba), it is possible that farmers have used rams with inadequate service capacity, or that they may simply not be aware of the potential of the animals, since no fertility tests are performed. On the other hand, in Bauru it is possible to attribute the ratio above recommended to good mating conditions, but it is also possible that this is one of the factors that explain the relatively low pregnancy rate (as discussed hereafter). In São José do Rio Preto and Araçatuba the ratio used is 50 ewes per ram. The fact that the regions of São José do Rio Preto, Piracicaba and Araçatuba present a trend of flock increase indicates that producers are satisfied with the performance of the activity, and that they believe larger production scales will have positive effects on the economic viability of sheep production. This information was confirmed by the testimonies of participants during panels. In the regions of Campinas and Bauru, flocks of representative properties are stabilized at 30 and 150 ewes, respectively. The explanation given by the panelists for this is the difficulty of selling all lambs. All of them claimed that if there were more buyers they would be willing to increase their flocks. In the region of Campinas, the participants said they did not have access to slaughterhouses and that there are very few intermediaries who buy weaned lambs to finish. Thus, the farmers depend on a sporadic and uncertain demand. The participants from the region of Bauru say the difficulty is the low price practiced by the nearest slaughterhouse, which makes the producers apprehensive about increasing their flocks. Note that the region of Campinas is one of the largest lamb consuming centers of the country, and also that there are several slaughterhouses installed in that region, and that according to Falcão et al. (2006) that industry lies remarkably idle. Referring to this situation, Bezerra and Aguiar (2009) mention that agricultural enterprises must be alert to new consumer profiles, as well as to the sustainability of production. Given this context, agricultural companies that still operate in an extractive way do not present a promising future. Animal Science Journal (2015), In all studied locations except for the representative farm of Araçatuba, flocks are basically composed of crossbred hair ewes (usually Santa Ines crossbreds, with very low reproductive seasonality), mated to Dorper rams, which are specialized for meat production. The region of Campinas commonly has two rams: a Dorper (or Dorper crossbred) and one of a hair breed. In Araçatuba the preference lies in wooly ewes and rams. Female replacements are made with ewe lambs born on the property, in all regions. Ram replacements are made exclusively by acquisition in the regions of São José do Rio Preto, Bauru and Piracicaba, while in Campinas and Araçatuba there is the possibility of using ram lambs born on the farm. This scenario is consistent with the one described by da Costa (2007), who found that most breeders do not have any control mechanism over their properties, and that the percentage of adoption of technologies related to infrastructure, flock recording and management is still low among sheep raisers. Handling It was found that in almost all studied regions it is most common to conduct the entire production cycle. That is, the same farm performs every step of lamb production, from breeding to finishing and sale, which is in accordance with what was verified by Viana and Silveira (2009). However, in the representative sheep meat farm of Piracicaba lambs are sold shortly after weaning to feedlot finishers, who acquire lambs from various origins, confine them until they reach the appropriate weight, and sell them to slaughter. According to the panelists, this occurs due to lack of knowledge of farmers to plan and execute finishing correctly. Thus, most of them choose not to do it. All representative farms use the semi confinement system. In that system, most animals remain under grazing conditions, receiving supplementary feeding at least for a period. This supplementation may be of grain or roughage, depending on region and goal. In the region of São José do Rio Preto it is common to keep ewes in pastures and lambs confined from birth to sale. Ewes receive a concentrate supplementation at late gestation and early lactation. Sugarcane is the roughage offered for both ewes during the dry period of the year and feedlot lambs. This system uses the technique of controlled sucking, which consists of separating dams and lambs during the day and allowing offspring to suck overnight. This practice starts around 20 days after birth, as soon as the lambs are able to feed on concentrates, and not only milk. Therefore, this practice is associated with the use of creep feeding that is the supply of concentrate in an exclusive feeder for lambs from the first days of life. The goals are reducing feeding costs for ewes, stimulating lambs to consume larger quantities of grain as early as 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science

6 6 C. RAINERI et al. possible and familiarizing lambs with the absence of their mothers, in order to reduce weaning stress. In the representative farm of Campinas the whole flock is kept on pasture, including lambed ewes and weaned lambs, with no group separation. There is roughage supplementation during the whole year, for which are used elephant grass stocking piles (Pennisetum purpureum, SCHUM) during the rainy period and sugarcane during the dry period. Weaning occurs naturally, when the ewe s milk production stops or when the lamb loses interest in sucking. The use of creep feeding is not common. In the representative farm of Bauru, production system is also based on pasture without group separation. As in Campinas, weaning is natural, and it is not common to use the creep feeding. After weaning, all lambs are confined. The animals receive ground sugarcane during the dry winter, associated with urea. Animals facing higher nutritional requirements, as in late gestation, lactation and feedlot lambs, are also fed corn bran. In Piracicaba, ewes are kept on pasture, and lambs stay with their dams until weaning, which takes place at 90 days of age. After weaning, lambs are fed in feedlot for a brief growth period, until they are sold for finishers. Ewe lambs remain in feedlot until they are ready for breeding. Forages used for supplementation of all animal categories are sugarcane during the dry season, and elephant grass during the rainy period. The concentrate offered in feedlot is corn bran. In the representative farm of Araçatuba ewes are also kept on pasture and lambs go to feedlot after weaning, which happens abruptly at 60 days of age. For ewe supplementation during the dry season, farmers use cotton briquettes. This is a byproduct from the cotton industry, abundant and of low cost in that region, employed for roughage supplementation. In the feedlot, supplementation is performed with ground sugarcane or elephant grass, during dry and rainy periods, respectively. According to panel participants, there is easy access to grain in the region, so creep feeding and feedlots are quite common. Most used cereals are corn and soybean. da Cunha et al. (2008) highlight that maintaining lambs on low-quality pastures until weaning with no concentrate supplementation is a common condition, which affects the performance of lambs and dams. There is lower digestibility and heterogeneity in quality, reducing milk production of ewes and decreasing nutrient intake by the offspring, resulting in lower weight gain and increased lamb mortality. In this situation, we must emphasize the extremely negative effect of the incidence of nematode parasitism, one of the greatest, if not the most important, obstacles to sheep production. It can result in reduced lamb growth rates due to reduced feed intake and nutrient absorption (Holmes 1987), besides requiring anthelminthic applications. In all regions, except for São José do Rio Preto, farmers and technicians stated that it is usual to apply such medicines monthly, in the whole flock. Still regarding health procedures, panel data show that vaccines are only used in São José do Rio Preto, Piracicaba and Araçatuba, to prevent clostridiosis. The absence of vaccinations in Campinas and Bauru is probably related to the high mortality rates verified in these regions. On the other hand, the excessive applications of anthelminthics in all regions except for São José do Rio Preto demonstrate that this is the favorite worm control method in most regions. Other control measures against nematodes, such as genetic selection and strategic treatments, are not usual and probably unknown to many farmers. That scenario predisposes to fast parasite resistance, due to selection of resistant worms and can result in great economic losses. However, in the representative property of São José do Rio Preto worming treatments are conducted in a rational way, only in affected animals, less frequently and with the adoption of supporting methods for treatment and prevention. According to dos Santos et al. (2005b), in the southeastern region of Brazil it has become common to keep ewes under grazing conditions, bred to meat-type rams. Lambs are nursed in pastures that are exclusive for lactating ewes and their offspring, and go to feedlot from weaning to slaughter. In some situations, the feedlot is used for lambs and their dams, since birth, enabling early weaning at 45 days of age and resulting in increased average daily weight gains and lower lamb mortality rate. da Cunha et al. (2005) highlight that feedlot since birth leads to faster lamb growth (0.250 to kg/day) than when sucking their dams under grazing conditions (0.150 to kg/day) and in higher survival, but it also brings higher ewe feeding costs. The option depends, according to the authors, on the available area and on the existence of facilities suitable for feedlot practice. Regarding reproductive handling, three situations were verified in panel meetings: systems in which ewes of genotypes that are able to breed year-round are mated to rams in specific times of the year, aiming at strategic periods for lambing and selling lambs (São José do Rio Preto); systems in which ewes of genotypes that are able to breed year-round are continuously kept with rams (Bauru, Piracicaba and Campinas); and systems in which seasonal ewes are used, and therefore bred only during autumn and winter (Araçatuba). As cited previously, panel data showed that the non-seasonal animals used are mainly Santa Ines and Santa Ines crossbred ewes and Dorper rams. The seasonal animals are represented mainly by Texel, Suffolk and their crossbreds. São José do Rio Preto is the only region to adopt strategic mating of non-seasonal animals, by the use of 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science Animal Science Journal (2015),

7 SHEEP PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN BRAZIL 7 delimited breeding seasons. Each farm performs more than one breeding season per year, with different ewe groups, so that lamb offer is possible in several months, even when prices are historically higher. The sheep producers association coordinates breeding seasons among farms, aiming to gather lambs in order to offer more numerous groups of finished animals for sale, enabling savings in transportation and improving negotiation power. In Bauru, Piracicaba and Campinas, delimiting breeding seasons is not usual. In this situation, rams are kept with ewes all the time, with the goal of having births during the whole year and, consequently, constant lamb offer. Pregnancy diagnosis is not a commonly used practice in any of the studied regions, because that is considered an expensive technique, incompatible with lamb production. However, this can hamper or delay the identification of ewes with reproductive problems, impairing culling and reproductive efficiency. Facilities and equipment The characteristics of facilities and equipment used for sheep also make clear that, in all regions, it is an important concern of farmers using low-cost materials. Animals are usually confined in two situations: (i) when the flock is small, for protection against thieves and predators (Campinas, Bauru, Piracicaba); or (ii) when the flock is more numerous, lambs are kept in feedlot with no access to pastures and adults are under a grazing system (São José do Rio Preto, Araçatuba). Housing employed for these uses are normally previously existing structures that were used as dairy, broiler or swine facilities and became useless after discontinuance of these activities. In all verified cases, these constructions were adapted for sheep use by making subdivisions with wire, net or wood fencing, lowering pre-existing feeders to allow sheep access, and installing new feeders. These are normally manufactured on site with the use of plastic barrels. In all studied representative farms there is availability of a tractor and a few implements, which are present in the property because of the other activities developed. In São José do Rio Preto, Piracicaba and Araçatuba the tractor normally has 75 hp, while in Campinas and Bauru it has 65 hp. Thus, we can say that the tractor power is related to the farm area and the other kinds of activities developed. Panel participants of São José do Rio Preto stated that main uses for the tractor in sheep raising are sugarcane clipping and grinding through a chopper coupled to the equipment, and the propulsion of carts for forage distribution and facilities cleaning. In the other regions, the tractor is used basically for forage and manure transportation, since forage cutting is performed manually and grinding in a stationary machine. Animal Science Journal (2015), Feed production As previously mentioned, all studied regions raise sheep in semi-confinement systems. Pastures used in the region of São José do Rio Preto are normally formed for sheep grazing, using Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp. cv. Tifton 85). In the other representative farms, on the other hand, pastures previously grazed by beef cattle are used, mainly of Brachiaria spp. Despite its advantage of propagating by seeds, Brachiaria grasses still present potential problems like lower nutritional value, prostrated growth that complicates worm control, and higher probability of photosensitization occurrence (da Cunha et al. 2008). In the regions of Campinas, Piracicaba and Araçatuba stocking rates are low, with annual means ranging 7 12 ewes per hectare, which means about 1 AU per hectare (AU: Animal Unit. One Animal Unit corresponds to 450 kg of live weight, and consists of a method for quantifying a great variety of types and sizes of domestic animals following a certain standard). Bauru and São José do Rio Preto presented higher stocking rates, from 22 to 24 ewes per hectare, corresponding to little more than 2 AU/ha. These values are in accordance with dos Santos et al. (2005a), who stated that mean stocking rate reached by sheep farms ranges from 12 to 20 animals per hectare. The same authors declare to be possible, under the same climatic conditions, to use higher grazing pressures over grasses of higher production, up to 35 ewes/ha during the year. According to dos Santos et al. (2002), stocking rates around 15 ewes/ha are the support capacity of natural pastures, especially in Brazilian arid regions, while artificially produced pastures that use the mentioned grasses would have potential to support more than 25 ewes/ha as an annual mean. The technique of pasture rotation is used in the regions of São José do Rio Preto, Bauru and Piracicaba, as well as the application of manure as fertilizer. Farmers of São José do Rio Preto also annually apply limestone on pastures. Sheep manure, in other regions, is usually used on other cultures, such as orchards or elephant grass stocking piles. Forages for use during the dry season are produced in all studied representative farms. The use of harvested and ground sugarcane is unanimous. Besides sugarcane, elephant grass stocking piles are also produced during the rainy period in Campinas, Piracicaba and Araçatuba. The ingredients of concentrate feeds offered to the flocks are not usually produced in representative sheep farms. In São José do Rio Preto and Araçatuba they are bought separately and then mixed on the property. In Campinas, Bauru and Piracicaba, corn bran is typically used as a concentrate, with no addition of other ingredients Japanese Society of Animal Science

8 8 C. RAINERI et al. Technical indicators The technical indicators raised for the representative farms of the studied regions are presented in Table 2. One of the most remarkable facts noted during panel meetings is the deficiency regarding flock data recording in farms. Participants of all regions declared not keeping such records, or even keeping individual identifications of animals. The technical indicators of the representative farm of São José do Rio Preto are superior for pregnancy rate, lambing interval, post-weaning weight gain and carcass yield. This can possibly be explained by the fact that most sheep producers in that region are associated with ANPOVINOS, having access to professional advice. In the other studied regions there are no sheep producers associations (Campinas) or most of the farmers are not affiliated with them (Bauru, Piracicaba and Araçatuba). Pregnancy rates of representative farms of Campinas, Bauru, Piracicaba and Araçatuba may be considered low, since sheep are considered a quite fertile species. It is possible that this situation is caused mainly by nutritional deficiency of ewes and by the difficulty in identifying and culling problematic animals, since data recording is not performed and pregnancy diagnosis is not common. According to panel participants, system characteristics such as long lambing intervals even when ewes of very low seasonality are used (all, except for Araçatuba), low weight gains before weaning (Campinas and Bauru) and after weaning (Campinas, Bauru and Araçatuba), and high lamb mortality (Campinas, Bauru and Araçatuba) present reasons in common. The explanations exposed in panel meetings for such situations are: (i) nutritional deficiency, which causes the birth of weak and slow-developing lambs and nutritional anoestrous in ewes; (ii) mating of excessively young ewe lambs, due to nonseparation of groups and to inexistence of well-defined breeding seasons; and (iii) intense inbreeding, since mating of a ram and his daughters and granddaughters is common in this system. The low weaning weights would be, still according to panel participants, a consequence of inadequate milk production by the dams (due to inadequate maternal ability or nutritional deficiency) and of low genetic potential for weight gain. As shown, lambs from the systems verified in Campinas and Bauru are older and present very low average daily gains and carcass yield. Those characteristics are remarkably incompatible with the quality standards desired by industry and consumers. Thus, it is not surprising that farmers from these regions have expressed difficulty in marketing their animals, as informed in panel meetings. This context is consistent with the observations of Falcão et al. (2006). These authors state that as a consequence of the technical difficulties and of the supply chain disorganization, lamb slaughter is late. This compromises carcass quality and limits access to the main market channels, slaughterhouses and supermarkets. Therefore, lamb offer becomes precarious and irregular around the year. The impact of nutritional deficiency on productivity in this case is clear. Consequently, strategies for nutrient supply must be established through supplementation, aiming at maximization of the possible weight gains in the production system, or even at maintenance of body condition during the dry period (Paulino 1998). Doubtless, the main problems faced by sheep producers in the five studied regions are, as observed by Campos (2003), related to technological questions, especially when it comes to the definition of adequate handling and reproduction techniques, as for breeding, lambing, selection, prophylaxis, health procedures, feeding and growth rate, in order to enable high profitability. In São José do Rio Preto, technical indicators of the representative farm (pre-weaning mortality rate, pregnancy rate, prolificacy rate, lambing interval, birth Table 2 Technical indicators of representative lamb production farms of the studied regions R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Pregnancy rate (%) Prolificacy rate (%) Lambing interval (months) Birth weight (kg) Weaning age (days) Weaning weight (kg) Pre weaning ADG (kg/day) Pre weaning mortality (%) Slaughter live weight (kg) Slaughter age (days) Post weaning ADG (kg/day) Carcass yield (%) R1 = São José do Rio Preto. R2 = Campinas. R3 = Bauru. R4 = Piracicaba. R5 = Araçatuba. ADG, average daily gain. The ADGs were calculated by the authors, according to the information of weight and ages Japanese Society of Animal Science Animal Science Journal (2015),

9 SHEEP PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN BRAZIL 9 weight, average daily gains, slaughter age and carcass yield) are more adequate to economic viability, if they are achieved at low cost. According to the panel participants, the reduction of lambing interval has been a goal of the farmers association, and has already presented improvements. As stated by dos Santos et al. (2005a), in order to achieve positive results in sheep raising, it is necessary, other than good individual performance and quality, to have a high availability of lambs for slaughter. That is the result of a high number of lambs born and a low production cost. The productive efficiency of a flock is directly related to the amount of lambs weaned per ewe per year. Thus, obtaining of a greater number of lambs born and weaned per dam provides a greater number of animals for sale, for dam replacement and for flock selection (Pilar et al. 2002). Nevertheless, in order to achieve high production with economic efficiency, the sheep farmer shall invest in genetically specialized animals, associated with modern technologies, such as health management, adequate nutrition and reproductive handling techniques (Pilar et al. 2000). Following this logic, the greatest concern among the presented indicators could be lamb mortality, to which birth weight is strongly correlated. Birth weight is an important characteristic for decisively influencing lamb survival probability, as with its subsequent weight gain (Pilar et al. 2000). The data obtained in this research are in agreement with what has been exposed by Falcão et al. (2006). The authors claim that the productivity of lamb production is still low, despite the changes in the latest years. The main obstacles observed by them were: (i) deficient feeding systems, especially in critical periods; (ii) low genetic quality of flocks; (iii) health issues, especially nematode parasitism; and (iv) deficient reproductive handling. Lacki (1995) asserts that low revenues are often a reflex of elementary mistakes committed by farmers regarding the use and application of technologies. This is not limited to the lack of modern inputs, of improved technologies, animals of high genetic potential, sophisticated machines or credit; it depends fundamentally on the farmer s capacity to apply those items to physical and productive difficulties, in a context of shortage of inputs and financial resources. Falcão et al. (2006) highlight the inefficacy of production systems, with the slaughter of old animals, with no standardization and low carcass quality, as the main reason for the sector s inability to produce enough lamb meat to supply the demand. The same authors state that although sheep raising has improved its participation in Brazilian agribusiness, and is expanding, there are still many challenges that must be overcome by the supply chain, such as lack of systematized information about the activity; access to diagnosis, inputs and specialized Animal Science Journal (2015), technical assistance; records about the producers; specific health programs; compatible credit; supply chain articulation; adequate technology; seasonality and quality of products; and specific legislation. Conclusion The data collected at panel meetings elucidated several aspects of São Paulo state lamb production. This research provides elements for understanding productive processes, for diagnoses on efficiency and competitiveness of the sheep industry in the state of São Paulo and for identification of key issues faced by the activity. 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