Cattle rearing in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil / Panorama da bovinocultura no Rio Grande do Sul

ABSTRACT

Background: The economy of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) relies majorly on agriculture; among the livestock production chains, cattle production has the largest economic, historical, and cultural importance in RS. The cattle industry is the main zootechnical activity in RS. Due to this, there is an actual need for updated characterization of the animal population, considering the population dynamics and the requirements imposed by the Official Veterinary Service (SVO) to meet certain characteristics. This would facilitate appropriate policies and measures to safeguard the health of the cattle in RS, as well as safeguard public health, and consequently avoid the economic impacts of possible health events.Materials, Methods & Results: Based on data from the livestock survey of 2013 from the Department of Animal Health (DDA), the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Agribusiness of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (SEAPA-RS), descriptive and spatial analyses of the cattle population were performed using software R and ArcMap TM 10, respectively. It was observed that the state has more than 13 million cattle distributed over approximately 346,000 farms. The majority of the bovine population consists of females over the age of 36 months. The predominant function of these farms is a complete cycle (breeding to fattening). Beef production is the predominant activity, followed...