"Recent development and trends in national and international trade of breeding stock in Central and Eastern Europe" - H. Sonn, Zuchtvien-Kontor, Munich; Bin

H. Sonn, Zuchtvieh-Kontor, Munich, Germany

The political and economic changes since 1989 have caused a revolutionary change in the trade of breeding stock in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Until then, the USSR imported 8,000 to 10,000 breeding cattle from Europe annually, mainly from Western and Eastern Germany and from Denmark. In addition, in the course of the total "Holsteinization" policy, hundreds of thousands Doses of deep frozen semen were imported from North America.

Imports of breeding pigs occurred in unimportant quantities; in sheep, there was no interest in imports.

The other countries of the former Eastern Block have constantly imported breeding cattle and cattle semen, and also breeding pigs and sheep from Western Europe and from North America, according to available foreign exchange and by means of barter trade against slaughter cattle and pigs.

Holstein genetics was primarily in demand, however also the Simmental and Brown Swiss had their customers. In addition, some countries such as Poland and Hungary have imported specialized beef breeds from Western Europe for the establishment of nucleus herds.

With the economic changes the former importing countries fell away because of the lack of financial resources. Suddenly, the central import-export organization in Moscow had no more means for the annual import of the 6,000 to 8,000 required head of breeding cattle.

In the centralized system of the USSR cattle production was concentrated in the suitable grassland areas of the Baltic countries, as well as in Belorussia, Central Russia and the Ukraine, whereas livestock breeding was neglected in the eastern zones. The collapse of the central distribution system has caused big problems concerning food supply in the industrial areas in Central and Eastern Europe.

The aims of autonomy and independence in the districts of the Ural, Siberia, Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan had the consequence that these areas began to develop more self-sufficiency and to build up own animal production organizations. Based on rich industry and mineral resources these areas generally had the means to enlarge and to improve their cattle herds.

As the supply of breeding stock through the central organization in Moscow did not exist any more, as the ways to suppliers in Western Europe generally were not known and as, last but not least, offers from countries of Central Europe were considerably cheaper than those of Western Europe - although also more modest in quality - a rather intensive trade of breeding cattle developed especially from the Baltic States and Hungary into the districts of the Ural, Siberia and into Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The needs of breeding stock for the rebuilding of the cattle herd in East Germany offered an additional and attractive chance of cattle exports to Czechia and Hungary which meanwhile is slowly fading away.

The countries of Western Europe had to confine themselves to rather modest exports of breeding cattle and pigs, going to the few farms which got foreign exchange for the import of breeding stock either with government help or by their own means. These exports were punctually distributed an all countries and areas of Central and Eastern Europe reaching as far as Siberia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

However, the Netherlands must be mentioned as an exception, as they succeeded in organizing some attractive compensation contracts of several thousand breeding heifers with the Ukraine, and in general, the Dutch merchants were more successful in finding access to solvent partners in the Eastern zones.

How to judge the actual trends?

The available statistics as well as observations and information show especially that in the near future an enormous need of high performing breeding stock is to be expected, especially breeding cattle, but to a lesser degree also breeding pigs and sheep.

Independently from the change in farm structures, a remarkable decrease of the cattle herds is evident in all countries and areas of Central and Eastern Europe. This decrease is caused partly by the shortage of feed which followed the past years of drought, but essentially by the sales and slaughtering of large parts of the cattle herds, as the production costs for milk and meat were higher than the sales revenues almost everywhere.

The aid activities of western countries which provided milk and meat products at low costs for the suffering population have helped, to a certain degree, supply food to people and generated for other segments of the population; however, they have also contributed to a decline of agricultural production in a fatal way. This ruining of farms is due to short sighted economic policies.

There is no doubt that in the long term satisfactory nutrition of people can only be obtained if the production of meat and milk is profitable. It is up to politics, whether this will be managed by increased prices or by a subsidizing policy, but measures have to be taken in such way that the interest in production is restored.

In any case there is an enormous need in high performing breeding stock in order to start up sufficient production of milk and meat.

The greatest need is for cattle, especially for Holstein-Friesians. However, experience in many areas has shown that the blind policy of "Holsteinization" in the past has not been the best solution and that many areas will be better served with other breeds. There will be places for the Simmental and the Brown Swiss breeds, also the Red Angler cattle which has been neglected for many years become of find interest again. Apart from the dairy breeds, specialized beef breeds will be helpful for a better use of extensive grazing lands.

In pig production, there is a considerably restrained demand for the development of modem meat type hogs which will replace gradually the robust, but fat pigs. The trade in respect of breeding pigs, is handicapped by health problems, which have to be considered especially in the large units.

The breeding aims in CEEC have been different from those in Western Europe thus, in the past there has been little interest in importing, except as regards Hungary and Poland, who imported some mutton sheep.

In the near future, however, wool production may lose its importance in Central and Eastern Europe and consequently lamb and mutton production will gain ground, particularly because the Islamic world, chiefly the Middle East, will offer an increased demand in sheep for slaughter. Thus a slight development in the import of mutton breeds from Western Europe by Central and Eastern Europe may be expected.

The needs for high performing breeding stock in cattle, pigs and sheep will be covered mainly by the countries of Western Europe. However, the chances are that the national herds of the Baltic States, of Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary will recover quickly and these countries may be able to offer soon breeding stock, cattle, pigs and sheep, to the Eastern countries, and also to Southern Europe, to North Africa, Turkey and to the Middle East countries.

The establishment of efficient milk and meat production cannot be managed only by the introduction of high-performance animal genetics. The use of modem technical equipment and staff training have to go hand in hand. If reasonable use of high performing genetics is not limited to a few pilot farms, if the general level of production has to be improved, then the necessary preconditions for the efficient use of high producing genetics exist and have to be managed simultaneously.

This will be a great task which can be solved successfully only by an intensive commitment of the partners in the East and in the West in technical and economic cooperation, and it will open perspectives full of hope. However, this will only be solved under the condition that human reason gets the upper hand and that the explosive mixture of different nationalities and philosophies as well as of extreme social contrasts is kept under control, and peacefully developed towards stable states and healthy economies.

Table I. Average annual export of breeding stock 990 - 1995