A European vision for the small ruminant sector. Promotion of meat consumption campaigns
Section snippets
The small ruminant sector within the European Union
In 2014 (Eurostat, 2016), Germany, Spain, France and the UK had the largest numbers of livestock of all EU nations. Although the sheep and goat sector is small compared to the beef or poultry sectors, it is nonetheless important in almost all states of the Union, especially in the UK and Spain (16.4%) which alone account for 56.1% of all EU-28 sheep and goats (39.7% and 16.4%, respectively). Sheep and goats can be important in the maintenance of rural economies and populations, and their
The small ruminant sector in Spain
In 2014, Spain ranked second in the EU in terms of the number of small ruminants production. With nearly 16 million sheep it was second only to the UK, and with a little over 2.5 million goats, only Greece had more heads (MAGRAMA, 2016).
In 2004, small ruminants made up 4.1% of Spain’s total livestock production, but by 2014 this had fallen to 2.0% (MAGRAMA, 2016). Numerous studies were conducted to identify the problems behind this decline and suggest appropriate solutions. Based on surveys of
Consumption of lamb and kid meat, and promotion campaigns
Statistics show there has been a fall in the consumption of lamb and kid meat of around 8% annually, accumulating a decline of around the 50% in the last 7 years (from 2.7 kg per capita in 2006–1.7 kg per capita in 2014) (MAGRAMA, 2016). The high cost of feed, especially for sheep, has resulted in high prices for the meat products derived thereof, and consequently in a fall in demand (Campo et al., 2008). Whereas some studies conclude that price, rather than food safety, quality or traceability,
Conflicts of interest
The authors whose names are listed immediately below certify that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in
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Cited by (4)
Nutritional enhancement of sheep meat fatty acid profile for human health and wellbeing
2018, Food Research InternationalCitation Excerpt :Sheep meat consumption occupies fourth position, among the major livestock species currently dominated by pork, poultry and beef in that order (Font-i-Furnols & Guerrero, 2014). The reasons for low sheep meat consumption patterns in most countries include high meat prices (Brand et al., 2013; Brester, 2016; Rodríguez-Serrano, Panea, & Alcalde, 2016), preference for fish in countries such as Japan and Norway, health and food safety concerns related to red meat (McAfee et al., 2010) and the fact that most North Americans do not eat sheep meat at all (Jones, 2004). In addition, diverse culinary backgrounds also affect consumer perception of sheep meat (Sañudo et al., 2013).
Quality and safety of meat products
2020, FoodsPGI Ternasco de aragón lamb in Spain
2019, Sustainability of European Food Quality Schemes: Multi-Performance, Structure, and Governance of PDO, PGI, and Organic Agri-Food SystemsExploratory study of pricing of sheep and lamb meats sold in on line markets across different countries
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