ALTERNATIVE UTILIZATION OF SMALL RUMINANTS - THE CASE OF GERMANY

Peters, Kurt J.
Institute of Animal Science
Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany

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ABSTRACT

Protection of nature and utilization of landscapes are combined elements in the federal legislation for nature protection. Land use practices can be structured into different intensity levels and include:
· land use without economical objectives, such as social fallow land;
· land use where environment protection is prevalent, which includes biosphere reserves, nature parks, protected landscapes, and national parks;
· agricultural utilization of lands combines extensive utilization as grazing lands and intensive crop and pasture systems.

All existing sheep breeds can be used in landscape management. Fitting the demands of breeds with the possible supply of feed in a landscape system is the most important task to secure a sustainable sheep - landscape management arrangement.
The economic position of sheep husbandry in its combination of lamb production and the additional service provided for landscape management is not very stable.
The sheep husbandry system in Germany cannot compete with other livestock systems which respond to intensification with increased productivity. Therefore sheep husbandry systems increasingly depend on the service function rendered to landscape management and grazing services for areas under specific nature protection.
Sheep are only one grazing species which can be used for landscape maintenance.
Extensive grazing systems under landscape management arrangements do require access to high intensity feeding areas to stratify the production process in order to combine extensive rearing systems with intensive lamb fattening systems.
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INTRODUCTION

For centuries livestock keeping has been an integral part of agriculture systems in Europe. Initially kept to utilize vast grazing lands which could not be used for crop-production, livestock supplied important food products such as milk and meat but also fibre products for home consumption and for the growing markets in urban areas. The intensification of the agricultural sector, as a consequence of economic development, has promoted the establishment of intensive milk production systems, beef production from the dairy herd and the expansion of large scale intensive pig and poultry production systems. The sheep husbandry sector experienced during the same period a drastic change from wool to lamb production with more than 90 percent of revenues obtained from the sales of lambs.
In addition, strong competition for wool and lamb meat on the world market has lowered the economic feasibility of sheep husbandry. In Western European countries, sheep are mainly kept in marginal areas not fit to keep any other ruminant species. Small areas of pastures are utilized by small flocks to produce quality lamb. Thus, sheep production is an economically marginal enterprise in an agriculture sector which had to increase production intensity to keep in line with growing income expectations and the need to optimize labour productivity. Typical for the German sheep husbandry sector was a continuous decline of the national herd to about 1.2 million breeding ewes. Sheep production was stabilized due to the expanded use of "social - fallow" land, a result of small farmers going out of business, and due to the agricultural policies in the EU which promoted the continuous utilization of marginal areas by paying sheep herders a "ewe - premium" of 42 to 60 DM per ewe per year, and thirdly due to society's a growing concern for environment protection and the payment for landscape services.

EXTENSIFICATION AND LAND USE SERVICES IN EUROPEAN LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS

Two major sets of development trends are shaping the livestock sector in Europe. Typical of development trends in livestock systems is the growing importance of a dual strategy: livestock systems with high productivity potentials are intensified through high external inputs while livestock systems with an inherent lower productivity are used to utilize extensive grazing lands which allow the production of "natural products" or "bio food".
This development trend coincided with a growing concern of society about product safety, and consumer health, together with the value of a healthy environment and the negative effects on the environment caused by high intensity livestock agriculture.
A second factor promoting the expansion of extensive grazing systems is linked with EU agriculture policy to curb overproduction and to secure the continuous utilization of unfavourable regions within the European Union. Both factors have induced major policy regulations at the national level to provide incentives for extensive grazing systems, and for expanding environmentally sound management of landscapes. The legal basis for landscape management and extensification of agricultural areas is provided by the "federal law for the protection of nature". It determines that nature and landscape have to be protected, managed and utilized in such a way as to sustainably use or cure the ecology of landscapes that facilitate:
· the long term utilization of natural resources;
· the maintenance and/or promotion of bio-diversity;
· the maintenance and/or improvement of typical derived landscapes.

Protection of nature and utilization of landscapes are combined elements in the federal legislation for nature protection. Landscape management in this context is not only considered for maintenance but also for modifying landscapes. Modification is seen as a dual instrument for either promoting sound ecological management of natural resources or the use of land in agriculture without harming environment. At the federal level the law for the "protection of nature" is supported by the "federal land use legislation" through which special concepts for land use are determined in order to secure economical, social, cultural and ecological demands. The formation and implementation of these federal laws is a matter for the individual states, which finally formulate regulatory programmes and plans that provide the base for the sheep production sector to relate to various restrictions and land use possibilities.

Land use practices can be structured into different intensity levels as shown in Figure 1 and include:
· land use without economical objectives, such as social fallow land;
· land use where environment protection is prevalent, which includes biosphere reserves, nature parks, protected landscapes, and national parks;
· agricultural utilization of lands combines extensive utilization as grazing lands and intensive crop and pasture systems.

Figure 1. Intensification levels of land utilization and of environmental protection

The degree of protection and the priorities in conserving nature differ accordingly. Despite the social obligation of land owners, protective measures of major interest to society are beyond the economic possibilities of private agricultural production systems. The particular demands of the public policy in relation to environment protection and maintenance of landscapes as a cultural heritage, and to retain large areas for leisure and pleasure of a growing urban population is clearly a task requiring public support.

NATURE PROTECTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR LAND USE

Protection measures in landscape management include:
· abiotic protection: mitigation of nutrient flows into ground water, reduction of nutrient load;
· aesthetic protection: increasing diversity of plant association and landscapes;
· biotic resource protection: propagation of rare species, plant associations and biotops;
· physical resource protection: maintenance of areas for sport events, leisure and tourism.

The type of protective measures differ according to the type of landscape and the objectives associated with specific ecosystems, as illustrated in Chart 1.

Chart 1. Service aspects in landscape husbandry

The maintenance of derived landscape is increasingly accepted as an important service activity to retain a cultural heritage and at the same time to prevent landscapes from neglect and from growing into a fire hazard.
Protection measures implemented by the agricultural and environment administration have led to a dramatic expansion of agricultural areas exposed to a varying degree of protective measures. For grassland areas, the concepts of extensification and reduced utilization has promoted the use of livestock and especially sheep for maintenance services (Table 1).
In national parks, the utilization of grazing areas can be totally restricted, or if the protective objectives have already been reached, a limited degree of utilization over short periods of time is possible for certain areas.

Table 1. Areas with reduced utilization potential in Germany

1) estimates; 2) incl. off shore marshes and water areas with ca. 72 percent of total

FRG: Total area: 36.6 Mio ha; Agric. area: 17.3 Mio ha

In protected landscapes the main objective is to reduce nutrient flow and prohibit nutrient loading of soil and water. Reduced fertilizer use is a general protection measure to improve the flora and fauna diversity, reduced grazing durations can be imposed, too. In nature parks the main objective is succession control, and the regression of eco-systems to their original state before intensive agricultural changed the eco-balance. Similar protective measures also exist in biosphere reserves. The denomination of protective landscape can cover moors, marshes, fluvial and meadow systems, heather, and sandy dry pasture systems.
The economical consequences of these restricted utilization concepts, as imposed on private agricultural lands, are an issue of constant debate and can only be solved through detailed economic analysis of the impaired returns from affected lands. An example of the recompense derived from an economic analysis is given in Table 2. Another message to identify the value of services provided to landscapes, if considering the available alternatives, and provide a higher compensation to livestock holders, that all other alternatives are more costly. Table 3. compiles an example of compensation payments for services to landscapes in the State of Brandenburg.
Table 2. Economic consequences of restrictions in utilizing grazing areas

1) range depends on specific farm conditions

Table 3. Landscape and biotop management with sheep and goats

(State of Brandenburg, Min. Environ.)

1. Biotop management service

core service 150 DM/ha
compensation payment 300 to 600 DM/ha
depending on magnitude of grazing
restrictions and quality of grazing area

2. Natural sanctuary management

cut and carry with regulations of frequency and time:
hand cutting 850 DM/ha
machine cutting 200 DM/ha

3. New establishment of extensive pastures on former crop land

in initiation year 480 DM/ha
thereafter 200 to 500 DM/ha

THE USE OF LIVESTOCK IN LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

The main objective of promoting a valuable, location specific vegetation can lead to the use of various landscape management strategies.
In "Cut and Carry systems", grassland is cut once a year (in a late stage of maturity, and the material is either used for hay making or for decomposition). "Cutting systems" decrease diversity of vegetation species and promote tall grasses, herbs and woody legumes. If the land management plan decides on the promotion of such a vegetative system, grazing has little chance.
"Grazing" on the other hand is characterized by a selective use of particular species, by trampling, and by the animals' preference to defecate and rest in particular places of the grazing area, leading to an uneven distribution of nutrients. The grazing of sheep may not be the optimal form for utilization grazing areas and extensive pastures. The particular selective grazing habit of sheep, and the preference for short-growing grass species, lead to the expansion of herbs and tend to eliminate taller grass species. This tendency is of particular importance if the grazing land has a rather high inherent growth potential. In areas with low soil fertility, sheep have a relative advantage over large ruminants due to their lower nutrient demand and a better utilization of the particular vegetation association.
In diverse landscape, grass should not only be used by sheep alone, but should be utilized through the combined grazing of cattle, horses and sheep according to the agreed objectives in a landscape management plan. In Figure 2, the relative applicability for different grazing species extensive production systems, using grazing land and managed landscape, is compared for specific conditions related to topography, soil conditions, yield potential, and area required. Sheep are, in general, much better than any other grazing species except possibly for an extensive cow/calf operation if large grazing areas are available. Sheep husbandry systems are best fitted if herding is practiced, which clearly indicates that herding systems are extremely useful for a flexible approach to manage even extreme landscapes.

WHICH SHEEP BREED FITS?

All existing sheep breeds can be used in landscape management. However, it is important to determine the right breed for the specific grazing environment. The most important determining factor is the mature body weight of the sheep breed, its feeding demand and the feed potential of the area to be used. Large and heavy mutton breeds do evidently require a productive pasture, whereas small land breeds of sheep can thrive well on marginal grazing areas. Fitting the demands of breeds with the possible supply of feed in a landscape system is the most important task to secure a sustainable sheep - landscape management arrangement.
Sheep breeds adapt to the particular diet offered by the natural vegetation. Lambs learn from their dams which species to select, what to eat and what to avoid. We can assume that this learning pattern is responsible for the often observed specific association of certain breeds with certain landscapes. And it is also clear that smaller breeds can afford to use a wider range of vegetation to select from since their total annual feed intake is much lower than larger breeds.

ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY IN SHEEP - LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

The economic position of sheep husbandry in its combination of lamb production and the additional service provided for landscape management is not very stable. In Figure 3, the proportion of functions contributing to the total income indicates that sheep husbandry systems implemented in marginal areas suffer from a decreased output of lambs and depend heavily on subsidies and the income from landscape services. Since it is rather doubtful that the payments for landscape services are increasing to a large extent, efficient lamb production will remain a very important production output even in sheep herds kept for landscape management.
The location specific selection of the most suitable ewe breed fitting the environment needs to be complemented with a market oriented breeding strategy aimed at the production of quality lambs. Breeders have to realize that economically important traits have a different significance for ewes, and for lambs produced out of these ewes, targeted for a market with high quality standards. The dichotomy of traits can only be overcome by crossbreeding strategies using terminal ram breeds to produce fast growing lambs with a high carcass quality, from ewes adapted to extensive grazing conditions. Such a strategy demands specific production stratification within or between flocks which will allow the extensive reproduction process in landscape management areas, and a final lamb fattening process after weaning on very productive pastures or with creep feeding arrangements even before weaning. This production strategy also includes the concept of utilizing compensatory growth of lambs grown under rather marginal conditions and fattened intensively during a short post-weaning period.

Figure 2. Relative applicability of extensive production system

Figure 3. Change of income function in sheep systems

CONCLUSIONS

The sheep husbandry system in Germany cannot compete with other livestock systems which respond to intensification with increased productivity. Therefore sheep husbandry systems increasingly depend on the service function rendered to landscape management and grazing services for areas under specific nature protection.
Large challenges exist in setting service charges or compensation payments for all areas in which the utilization has been limited for reasons of nature protection.
Sheep are only one grazing species which can be used for landscape maintenance. It depends on the type of protection determined by the ecologist, which in turn decides on the livestock species to be used and the specific role of sheep in landscape services.
Combining the objectives in landscape management with those for quality lamb production remains a major challenge in relation to the economical sustainability of sheep husbandry.
Breeding strategies are needed to use small and less demanding ewe breeds with a high maternal performance which fit into extensive grazing conditions, and specialized mutton breeds to produce fast growing lambs with a high carcass quality in a systematic cross breeding program.
Extensive grazing systems under landscape management arrangements do require access to high intensity feeding areas to stratify the production process in order to combine extensive rearing systems with intensive lamb fattening systems.