engleski

Significance of animal hygiene in sheep breeding on farms regarding to ecological production

Sheep breeding in Croatia has a long tradition based on the natural resources for intensive breeding of small ruminants such as geographical location, climate and quality pastures which can be found in all parts of the country. Sheep production is based mostly on lamb breeding and milk production for making autochthonous cheese well known in the country and abroad. Therefore, there is interest in extending current production capacities in order to export products on foreign markets. In order to increase the production, more raw materials is needed and, accordingly, one may expect the development of sheep breeding on small, or large farms. In such production animal hygiene is of great importance as a scientific discipline involved in studying of optimal sheep keeping conditions and accommodation, a prerequisites for successful sheep breeding. This study describes the most frequent breeding models and ongoing standards regarding accommodation applied in countries with developed sheep production. Besides, there is a growing tendency to direct sheep breeding towards ecological production where the sheep breeders in Croatia expect their prospect. Accordingly, the current study brings the most important standards for sheep breeding in an ecologically acceptable way, as well as the necessity to supplement the existing "Regulation on the ecological production of animal products" in the field relating to animal hygiene.

sheep breeding; sheep - pen; sheep houses; microclimate; pasture; ecological production

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