Australian Meat Research Articles

Pathways toward Climate-Neutral Red Meat Production

Ruminant livestock industries can support the climate stabilization ambitions of the Paris Agreement through interventions that reduce GHG emissions (predominantly biogenic methane) and sequester carbon in landscapes. This study explored pathways for the Australian red meat industry (grazing, feedlot finishing, and domestic processing) to become climate neutral, whereby the radiative forcing (RF) footprint is plateaued and there is no additional forcing contribution. Emissions timeseries (CO2, N2O, CH4) were compiled for 1990 to 2020 and projected to 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario (including an 18% increase in sheep and 13% increase in beef cattle) and with a range of production system and vegetation management interventions. The RF footprint peaked in 2018 at 7.13 mW/m2 and decreased to 7.07 mW/m2 in 2020. With the future expansion of the herd/flock and under business-as-usual conditions, the RF footprint is projected to increase by 2.8% by 2030. However, with a combination of interventions, production has the potential to increase with a decreasing RF footprint, a condition that can be described as climate neutral. The Australian red meat industry has made an historical contribution to global RF increase. However, with ongoing RF management, it is possible to increase food production within climate-neutral limits.

Quantifying pre-consumer food and nutrient losses from the Australian lamb and sheep meat value chain: a case study

To achieve sustainable development, United Nation members have agreed to reduce food loss along the pre-consumer food supply chain. Food loss and waste is a significant challenge facing Australia and the world, with an estimated one third of all food produced locally being lost or wasted. Globally, Australia is the second largest producer of sheep meat and, locally in Australia sheep meat is the second largest meat industry. Previous assessments of Australian livestock industries estimate low levels of food product losses from the sheep meat chain. This case study aimed to quantify nutrient losses at the point of slaughter of Australian lambs and sheep, using a mass balance approach with secondary data. The results from this study align with this previous assessment with respect to the level of products and nutrients downgraded at the point of slaughter, except for the impact of cadmium contamination on adult sheep liver and kidney downgrades. In turn, cadmium contamination emerged as a key contributor to micronutrient losses, notably dietary folate equivalents, and vitamin A retinol equivalents (RE). There was moderate to high uncertainty in the outputs of the assessment, predominantly due to the absence of data. Addressing these challenges, particularly the absence of offal production data, is crucial as it influences the overall accuracy of the results. This study identifies areas for improvement in the Australian sheep meat value chain, including data governance, at both the macro and micro levels. It also serves as a foundational step in understanding how reducing food and nutrient losses in the Australian sheep meat value chain could contribute to food security and nutrition goals.

Drivers of Sustainability Credentialling in the Red Meat Value Chain—A Mixed Methods Study

Sustainability credentialling is the communication of environmental, social, economic, or animal-welfare-related information about a producer or product. Demand for sustainability credentials has been increasing and the aim of this study was to describe the main drivers for this kind of information in Australian red meat value chains that reach consumers across Australia and internationally, mainly in Asia, the USA, and the Middle East. The mixed methods approach included consultation with red meat processors. Desk-based research explored drivers from outside the value chain identified in the consultation. Little evidence was found that consumers are a driver of sustainability credentialling. The main drivers were in the global financial system, expressed in coordinated climate action policies by financial service providers and emerging government climate-related financial legislation. The inclusion of Scope 3 emissions extends coverage to most value chain participants. Net zero transitioning presents many risks to red meat value chains, potentially involving costly interventions and greater difficulty accessing financial services, with direct implications for production costs and asset values. Urgent action is recommended to achieve the formal recognition and use of climate metrics that differentiate the management strategies that are applicable to short-lived biogenic methane compared to CO2 to achieve the Paris Agreement goals.

Dynamic correction of dual−energy x-ray absorptiometry images improves chain speed prediction of lamb composition in abattoirs

A prototype, on-line Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometer (DXA) has shown high precision of the prediction of carcass composition for the purpose of improved sheep meat grading in the Australian lamb supply chain, albeit with small inaccuracies over time. These inaccuracies were present across hours, and more significantly across days, which were unacceptable for any accreditation of this device as an objective carcass measurement tool in Australia. This inaccuracy demanded the creation of a novel image−processing algorithm for the prototype DXA. This DXA was tested for repeatability of predictions of lamb carcass composition over minutes, hours, and days, using two developed image processing algorithms. There was high immediate repeatability for both algorithms when predicting lean muscle % in 40 lamb carcasses, with a maximum CV of 0.65% over five repeated scans. There was a decrease in the CV of the prediction of lean muscle % of 30 lambs scanned three times over a 48-h period from 5.93 to 1.19% when the superior algorithm was used. The inaccuracies of lean muscle % predictions were associated with increases in the unattenuated space pixel values in DXA images. Improvements of the current algorithm are required to demonstrate repeatability over time for the purpose of accreditation within the Australian sheep meat industry, and for possible expansion of this technology into international supply chains.

Research note: Expert opinions of feather sucking and licking behavior in meat chicken breeder birds

Feather sucking, or feather licking, has been reported anecdotally by employees in the Australian meat chicken breeder industry, but scarcely in the scientific literature. Consequently, the causes and implications of this behavior in meat chicken breeding chickens is relatively unknown. We surveyed 17 industry experts to generate hypotheses about feather sucking behavior. We aimed to understand the frequency and when it occurs, and attempted to understand what may cause an ‘outbreak’. The recruitment of participants was intentionally biased towards Australian perspectives; only 5 of the 17 participants were international. All participants, except 1, had seen feather sucking/licking behavior (94.1%) and most participants (80%) suggested that the behavior was most frequently observed during rearing. Participants presented varying concerns about this behavior, ranging from the perspective that it was ‘normal’ and had no impact on welfare, to concerns about mating injuries due to damaged feathers, increased risk of feather pecking and cannibalism, and psychological stress indicated by expression of repetitive (seemingly) functionless behavior. ‘Feather licking’, ‘feather sucking’, ‘feather eating’, and ‘feather pecking’ were terms used interchangeably, leading to confusion by participants about the cause and implications of the target behavior. The most common factors reported as the cause were boredom (52.9%), nutritional deficiencies (47.1%), and feed restriction (41.2%) and more than 80% of respondents agreed that stress contributes to feather sucking. The outputs from this study reflect only a small, but expert, number of opinions on feather sucking/licking behaviors in the Australian meat chicken breeder industry. A systematic understanding of this behavior is needed to provide insight into causation and the implications for welfare.

Diversity of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria isolated from Australian chicken and pork meat.

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are frequently isolated from retail meat and may infect humans. To determine the diversity of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in Australian retail meat, bacteria were cultured on selective media from raw chicken (n = 244) and pork (n = 160) meat samples obtained from all four major supermarket chains in the ACT/NSW, Australia, between March and June 2021. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was performed for 13 critically and 4 highly important antibiotics as categorised by the World Health Organization (WHO) for a wide range of species detected in the meat samples. A total of 288 isolates underwent whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to identify the presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, virulence genes, and plasmids. AST testing revealed that 35/288 (12%) of the isolates were found to be multidrug-resistant (MDR). Using WGS data, 232/288 (81%) of the isolates were found to harbour resistance genes for critically or highly important antibiotics. This study reveals a greater diversity of AMR genes in bacteria isolated from retail meat in Australia than previous studies have shown, emphasising the importance of monitoring AMR in not only foodborne pathogenic bacteria, but other species that are capable of transferring AMR genes to pathogenic bacteria.

Comparison between multiple-trait and random regression models for genetic evaluation of weight traits in Australian meat sheep.

Random regression (RR) models are recommended as an alternative to multiple-trait (MT) models for better capturing the variance-covariance structure over a trajectory and hence more accurate genetic evaluation of traits that are repeatedly measured and genetically change gradually over time. However, a limited number of studies have been done to empirically compare RR over a MT model to determine how much extra benefit could be achieved from one method over another. We compared the prediction accuracy of RR and MT models for growth traits of Australian meat sheep measured from 60 to 525d, using 102,579 weight records from 24,872 animals. Variance components and estimated breeding values (EBVs) estimated at specific ages were compared and validated with forward prediction. The accuracy of EBVs obtained from the MT model was 0.58, 0.51, 0.54, and 0.56 for weaning, postweaning, yearling, and hogget weight stages, respectively. RR model produced accuracy estimates of 0.56, 0.51, 0.54, and 0.54 for equivalent weight stages. Regression of adjusted phenotype on EBVs was very similar between the MT and the RR models (P > 0.05). Although the RR model did not significantly increase the accuracy of predicting future progeny performance, there are other benefits of the model such as no limit to the number of records per animal, estimation of EBVs for early and late growth, no need for age correction. Therefore, RR can be considered a more flexible method for the genetic evaluation of Australian sheep for early and late growth, and no need for age correction.

Heritability of breeding traits in meat breeds of sheep of different origin in the south-east of Kazakhstan

The productivity of sheep depends on a number of quantitative characteristics and, above all, on the live weight, clip, length, fineness, and density of wool. The article presents the nature of the heritability of these traits in meat breeds of Etti merino, Dohne, and Australian meat merino breeds imported to the foothills of the southeastern region of Kazakhstan. It has been established that the efficiency of breeding in experimental sheep depends on the degree of heritability of the bred trait, and that the improvement of productive traits of sheep largely depends on their heritability and variability. As a result of comparing the level of development of live weight, clip, density, length, and fineness of wool by the method of a single-factor variance complex, it was found that the genotypic diversity of economically useful traits in experimental animals is mainly objective. This is especially noticeable when determining the live weight and clip of wool from mother-sheep and daughter-sheep received from them at the same age. Moreover, the older the animals, the clearer this manifestation becomes. Approximately the same pattern is observed in both the density and length of the wool.

Australian Sheep Producers' Knowledge of and Attitude towards Post-Harvest Feedback: A Mixed-Methods Case Study.

Reducing food loss is a key target for Sustainable Development Goal 12-responsible consumption and production. This study aimed to explore Australian sheep producers' knowledge of and attitude towards post-harvest feedback and how these influence pre-consumer losses in the Australian sheep meat value chain. A mixed-methods approach was taken, using a structured survey and focus group discussions. Descriptive analysis was performed on the completed structured surveys and framework analysis was performed on the focus group discussion transcripts. The structured survey results showed that sale method was the main factor influencing the quality of feedback received on carcases. No respondents reported receiving feedback on edible offal. Most producers indicated that they wanted more detailed feedback on carcases and all respondents wanted more detailed feedback on edible offal. Four themes emerged from the focus group discussions: situation, knowledge, and attitudes of producers to the feedback system; factors, enablers, and barriers in the feedback system; equity in the feedback system; and sustainability of the value chain. In addition, several short-to-medium- and long-term strategies were identified by the authors to reduce pre-consumer losses in the Australian sheep meat value chain, based on the results of this study.

Measurement of Long-Term CH4 Emissions and Emission Factors from Beef Feedlots in Australia

One of the major challenges for the Australian feedlot and meat sectors is to have accurate and robust long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data. Long-term measurements of methane (CH4) emissions (2015–2017) were made at two Australian beef feedlots having different climates, cattle types, and management practices. Emissions were measured using the inverse-dispersion model (IDM) micrometeorological technique, using CH4 concentrations measured at the feedlots with a closed-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic technique (CP-FTIR). The emissions data were used to evaluate methods used by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to estimate CH4 emissions from feedlots in Australian national inventory calculations. Expressed as a CH4 yield (emissions per unit dry matter intake, DMI), the two feedlots had emissions of 13.1 and 18.9 g CH4 kg−1 DMI. The lower-emitting feedlot had emissions that were 30% lower than the national inventory calculations based on feed intakes, while the second feedlot had emissions that were similar to the inventory calculations. The accurate quantification of emissions from feedlots, as demonstrated as part of this study, is important for validating the national accounting methods and therefore the sector’s GHG emissions profile.

Dominant Salmonella Serovars in Australian Broiler Breeder Flocks and Hatcheries: a Longitudinal Study.

A longitudinal study was conducted to determine the dominance and prevalence of Salmonella enterica subsp in Australian broiler breeder flocks and hatcheries. Twenty-two flocks (n = 3339 samples) were sampled over 6 time points beginning at placement until week 40. Hatcheries (n = 274 samples) were sampled following removal of chicks hatched from eggs originating from the 22 donor parent flocks. The percent of positive flocks (36%) and frequency of positive samples (15.6%) were highest during rearing at week 7. The frequency of positive samples decreased over the 40 weeks; however, the number of positive flocks remained relatively consistent. Geographical location had a greater influence on Salmonella detection frequency than company sample origin, despite differing management and vaccination protocols within and between companies. Twelve serovars were detected in total. The predominant serovars during rearing were Salmonella Mbandaka (32%), S. Saintpaul (27%), and S. Liverpool (18%). The predominant serovars detected during production were S. Cubana (27%), S. Saintpaul (24%), and S. Havana (13%). Salmonella Typhimurium, S. Ohio, and S. Hessarek were detected in the hatcheries. Of the serovars detected, only S. Typhimurium and S. Ohio were found in both broiler breeder flocks and hatcheries. However, detection did not correspond to the status of the flock eggs feeding into the hatchery. This study provides an up-to-date capture of the current Salmonella serovars circulating in the broiler breeder industry. Continued surveillance within the Australian Chicken Meat industry is imperative to mitigate and reduce the risk of salmonellosis in the community related to chicken meat. IMPORTANCE This study identified prevalent and dominant Salmonella enterica subsp in Australian Broiler Breeder flocks, as well as in hatcheries post chick hatch and removal, from eggs originating from these donor parent flocks. The captured Salmonella data was further compared to the most common Salmonella serovars isolated from broilers, as well as human salmonellosis notification data, which is useful for consideration of the circulating serovars within the chicken meat industry and their significance in public health. As there are multiple entry points for Salmonella during the entire chicken meat production chain that can lead to carcass contamination, it is important to distinguish serovars present between the different stages of vertical integration to implement and enable Salmonella control strategies.

Drought‐induced relocation of ant colonies and its consequences for the long‐term spatial ecology of a population under stress

Abstract Maintaining a central refuge such as a nest or burrow can offer protection against environmental stressors but comes at the expense of the capacity to disperse to new locations. This trade‐off with mobility can be detrimental when environmental conditions become adverse for extended periods, necessitating animals to relocate in order to track shifting niche envelopes. Long‐lived ant colonies that invest in the construction of large nests are especially susceptible to changing environmental conditions. The Australian meat ant, Iridomyrmex purpureus, build large terrestrial nests at sites that balance shade and solar exposure. Long‐term study of a population of meat ants showed low nest turnover and a stable spatial distribution of nests across typical rainfall years. With the onset of drought, a dramatic surge in the production of new nests occurred through a process of budding that far exceeded historic trends. This appears to have allowed colonies to relocate nests into areas with more favourable microclimate conditions in a strategy reminiscent of the production of runners in stressed plants. The consequence has also been the packing of nests into a narrow habitable zone that has resulted in an apparent increase in competition among large rival colonies. Following the break in drought and the thinning of some nests through abandonment, competition has progressively eased in later years. The surge in nest budding triggered by acute environmental stress in this population offers a possible strategy for long‐lived colonies to effectively migrate across the landscape. With changes in environmental conditions becoming more frequent and severe with the climate crisis, any strategy available to central place foragers to track windows of preferred conditions is likely to become increasingly important. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Colony-level aggression escalates with the value of food resources

BackgroundTheory predicts that the level of escalation in animal contests is associated with the value of the contested resource. This fundamental prediction has been empirically confirmed by studies of dyadic contests but has not been tested experimentally in the collective context of group-living animals. Here, we used the Australian meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus as a model and employed a novel field experimental manipulation of the value of food that removes the potentially confounding effects of nutritional status of the competing individual workers. We draw on insights from the Geometric Framework for nutrition to investigate whether group contests between neighbouring colonies escalate according to the value to the colony of a contested food resource.ResultsFirst, we show that colonies of I. purpureus value protein according to their past nutritional intake, deploying more foragers to collect protein if their previous diet had been supplemented with carbohydrate rather than with protein. Using this insight, we show that colonies contesting more highly valued food escalated the contest, by deploying more workers and engaging in lethal ‘grappling’ behaviour.ConclusionOur data confirm that a key prediction of contest theory, initially intended for dyadic contests, is similarly applicable to group contests. Specifically, we demonstrate, through a novel experimental procedure, that the contest behaviour of individual workers reflects the nutritional requirements of the colony, rather than that of individual workers.

<i>Corrigendum to</i>: Environmental impacts of the Australian poultry industry. 1. Chicken meat production

<sec> Context Steadily increasing consumption of chicken meat (Australia’s most consumed meat protein) has resulted in expanded production. With societal expectations that industries improve sustainability, understanding baseline impacts is vital. </sec> <sec> Aims This study determined carbon footprint (kg CO<sub>2</sub>-e), fossil energy (MJ), fresh water consumption (L), stress (LH<sub>2</sub>O-e) and scarcity (m<sup>3</sup>), and land-occupation (m<sup>2</sup>) impacts for conventional (C) and free-range (FR) production systems, identified hotspots and the implications of changes in production over the past decade, to establish targets for future improvement. </sec> <sec> Methods In the largest study of its kind, attributional life-cycle assessment with data collected for ∼50% of birds processed was used, reporting impacts per kilogram of the typical market mix of chicken products, and boneless chicken. Uncertainty was assessed through Monte Carlo analysis, and results are presented as the means and standard deviation. </sec> <sec> Key results Slightly lower impacts per kilogram of chicken meat product were observed for C production (2.1±0.03kgCO<sub>2</sub>-e, 18.0±0.3MJ, 178.6±22.4L, and 10.2±0.1m<sup>2</sup>) than for FR (2.2±0.03kgCO<sub>2</sub>-e, 18.5±0.3MJ, 189.6±24.6L, and 10.6±0.1m<sup>2</sup>). Feed production was the major hotspot, followed by grow-out and meat processing. Land use (LU) and direct land use-change (dLUC) impacts associated with imported soymeal added 1.7±0.3 and 1.8±0.3kgCO<sub>2</sub>-e to C and FR respectively. FR carbon footprint and land occupation were significantly (<i>P</i><0.05) higher. Since 2010, fossil energy, arable land, and greenhouse-gas emissions have declined. One countertrend was LU and dLUC emissions, which increased due to changed soy imports, resulting in a slightly higher C carbon footprint. </sec> <sec> Conclusions Multi-indicator analysis is fundamental to understanding, communicating, and improving performance, and distinguishing between short-term fluctuations and long-term trends. Since 2010, feed-production impacts have increased (due to imported soymeal in poultry diets), indicating that alternative feed protein sources are a priority. Efficiency improvements reduced per-kilogram impacts across other indicators, demonstrating a positive trend in producing more food from fewer inputs. </sec> <sec> Implications Australian chicken meat is a low-impact animal protein. Future improvements require alternative feed proteins, technology adoption and practice change to maintain or reduce impacts as production expands alongside consumer demand. </sec>

Chinese Consumer Assessment of Australian Sheep Meat Using a Traditional Hotpot Cooking Method

Hotpot is a widely popular cooking method for sheepmeat in China. This study measured the sensory responses of 720 untrained Chinese consumers to Australian sheepmeat cooked using a hotpot technique with methods based on Meat Standards Australia protocols. Shoulder and leg cuts of 108 lambs and 109 yearlings were scored on tenderness, juiciness, flavour and overall liking with linear mixed effects models used to analyse the influence of muscle type and animal factors on these scores. On average, shoulder cuts were more palatable than legs cuts for all sensory traits (p < 0.01) and lambs compared to yearlings (p < 0.05). Intramuscular fat and muscularity were identified as strong drivers of eating quality (p < 0.05), with greater palatability for both cuts as intramuscular fat increased (range 2.5 to 7.5%), and muscularity decreased (as measured through loin weight adjusted for hot carcase weight). Consumers were unable to detect differences between animal sire type and sex in sheepmeat hotpot. These findings suggest shoulder and leg cuts performed comparatively well in hotpot compared to previously tested sheepmeat cooking methods and emphasise the importance of balanced selection for quality and yield traits to ensure that consumer satisfaction is maintained.

Lead contamination in Australian game meat

Lead-based ammunition (gunshot and bullets) frequently leaves small lead fragments embedded in the meat of wild-shot game animals. Australia produces several commercial game meat products from wild animals harvested with lead-based ammunition and has a growing population of recreational hunters. However, no studies have previously investigated the frequency of lead fragments or lead concentrations in Australian game meat. We examined 133 Australian minced game meat items of four types for evidence of lead contamination. Samples were meat from kangaroos (Macropus and Osphranter spp.; n=36) and Bennett’s wallabies (Notamacropus rufogriseus; n=28) sold for human consumption, and deer (‘venison’; multiple spp.; n=32) and stubble quail (Coturnix pectoralis; n=37) harvested for private consumption by recreational hunters. All packages were studied by digital radiography to detect the presence of radio-dense fragments, assumed to be lead fragments from ammunition. Visible fragments were absent in commercially available kangaroo products, but were present in 4%, 28% and 35% of wallaby, venison and quail, respectively. Mean meat lead concentrations (mg/kg wet weight) were 0.01 ± 0.01 for kangaroo, 0.02 ± 0.01 for wallaby, 0.12 ± 0.07 for venison, and 1.76 ± 3.76 for quail. The Australian food standards threshold for livestock meat (0.1 mg/kg w.w.) was not exceeded by any kangaroo or wallaby products but was exceeded by 53% and 86% of venison and quail, respectively. Radiography only detected 35% of samples that were above the food safety threshold. While average lead concentrations in commercially available macropod (kangaroo and wallaby) meat were low, those in recreationally harvested game meat may pose health risks for hunters and associated consumers.

Unlocking the monetary value: investigating the importance of quality information in Australian red meat chains

Context This study assesses the monetary value of product quality information, specifically feedback from slaughter and production methods, within the Australian beef and sheep meat supply chains. Aims The primary objective was to investigate the value assigned by supply chain actors to product quality information, measured as willingness to pay for receiving it or willingness to accept payment for providing it. The study also aimed to explore how the value of this information varies based on information quality and quantity. Methods A contingent valuation approach was employed, utilising survey data from 104 producers. Logit models were used to identify the factors influencing meat producers’ willingness to accept payment and willingness to pay. Key results Over one-third of cattle and sheep producers expressed interest in receiving feedback from slaughter information and providing production methods information. Production methods information had the highest mean value at the premium information quality and quantity level, with values of AU$20.49/head in the beef industry and AU$10.13/head in the sheep industry. Conversely, feedback from slaughter information had the lowest mean value at the low information quality and quantity level, with values of AU$0.83/carcass in beef and AU$0.14/carcass in sheep. Farmers’ experience and education level significantly influenced their willingness to accept payment and willingness to pay for product quality information. Conclusions A significant proportion of producers within the Australian beef and sheep meat supply chains express a desire to provide or pay for product quality information. The value assigned to this information demonstrates a positive relationship with higher information quality and quantity. However, variations in expressed value of different information types, and the influence of farmer and farm characteristics, suggest the presence of chain failures that disrupt information valuation. Implications These findings have important implications for improving the performance of the red meat supply chains. Understanding the factors that influence the valuation of product quality information allows stakeholders to develop targeted strategies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of information exchange. This may involve addressing chain failures, and implementing measures to ensure consistent and accurate valuation of information. Ultimately, these improvements can contribute to enhanced decision-making processes and overall supply chain performance in the Australian beef and sheep meat industry.

Digital tool for driving circular economy outcomes in the Australian red meat industry

This study presents the development of a novel digital tool aimed at facilitating the preliminary sizing and economical evaluation of integrated resource management facilities for wastewater treatment in red meat processing plants. The tool is designed to transform conventional wastewater treatment facilities in these plants into resource recovery plants, with a strong emphasis on enhancing environmental compliance and reducing the overall carbon footprint. Key objectives include the reduction of nutrient emissions, wastewater recycling, waste minimisation, and biogas energy production. The framework for developing this digital tool incorporates considerations of scale, the urgency of wastewater issues outlined by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) for Australian red meat processors, and adaptability for plants of varying sizes. By providing decision support for wastewater treatment and waste management, this model aims to assist the red meat processing industry in aligning with net-zero goals through resource recovery and the adoption of a circular economy.

Supply Chain Automation in the Australian Red Meat Industry

Supply Chain Automation in the Australian Red Meat Industry

ВОСПРОИЗВОДИТЕЛЬНАЯ СПОСОБНОСТЬ И СРОКИ ПЛОДОНОШЕНИЯ МАТОК МЯСНЫХ ПОРОД РАЗНОГО ПРОИСХОЖДЕНИЯ НА ЮГО-ВОСТОКЕ КАЗАХСТАНА

The results of studies on determining the reproductive capacity and gestation period of Etti merino ewes in purebred breeding (EM × EM) and two-breed crossing of Etti merino ewes with Dohne and Australian meat merino rams in the conditions of the foothill zone of Kazakhstan are presented.