| Abstract [eng] |
In Lithuania, cattle farming are the most important field of livestock sector. Over the last years there has been increased attention on milk and dairy products. The largest part of livestock production is milk in particular. Sudden price shifts and unequal milk purchasing conditions, where smaller producers receive a lower price, have considerably reduced the number of small milk producers. Even the number of farms keeping 10–19 cows has declined, although earlier this group of milk produces used to grow. Due to increasing productivity of cows the amount of milk purchase has not dropped as significantly as the number of cows. There is no sufficient local milk supply for Lithuanian milk processors; importation of raw milk is growing fast. In order for the Lithuanian dairy sector to be export–oriented, further increase is cow productivity is needed. Dairy sector output, milk cost and dairy production effectiveness depend on the productivity of cows, it is therefore necessary to control the cattle productivity, which is the basis for breeding development. In order to increase the productivity of dairy breeds, genetic material of the Holstein breed from the USA, Canada and Denmark is widely used, which reduces the diversity of the local populations. During the inspection period 01.10.2011 to 30.09.2012, 4378 total herds were inspected in Lithuania, comprising 140170 cows, that is, 43.02 % of the total cows kept. 42446 cows, or 30.28 %, were kept in agricultural holdings or other companies, while 97724, or 69.72 % of the inspected cows, were kept in family farms. 105794 cows of the Black Pied breed, or 74.01 %, 35 188 cows of the Brown and the Red Pied breed, or 24.62 %, and 1961 cows of other breeds, or 1.37 %, were inspected. The average milk yield by an inspected cow was 6 703 kilograms of milk of 4.34 % fat and 3.35 % protein content. It represents a rise of 311 kilograms of milk, 13.0 kilograms of milk fat and 9.0 kilograms of milk protein since 2010–2011. It seems possible to assume that during the last decade the Lithuanian dairy cattle has been characterised by an increase in milk yield and protein content, while milk fat content not only has not increased but has even had a tendency to decrease. In 2013, the number of cows and their herds varied quite widely in different districts of North Lithuania region. The largest number of cattle was in Kelmė district – 30004, or 31.89 % of the total number cattle kept in the district, 29.9 % of the total number cows in the whole North Lithuania region, or 7.44 % of the total number of inspected cows in the country. The largest number of cows is kept in Kelmė district (13225), 3418 of which are inspected, which constitutes 25.79 % of the total number of cows kept in the whole North Lithuania region, or 2.45 % of the total number of inspected cows in the country. [...]. |
