DIAGNOSIS OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF OVINE GENETIC RESOURCES FROM THE COQUIMBO REGION TO MAGALLANES Y ANTARTICA CHILENA REGION

Abstract

The present study made a diagnosis of the distribution of sheep breeds and crosses, from the regions of Coquimbo to Magallanes y Antártica Chilena, by number, sex and age. Data was collected through surveys included sheep producers, slaughterhouses and livestock markets, and supplemented with information provided by the Seventh Chilean Agriculture and Forestry Census, 2007.

The study found that the surveyed regions has a total of 25 breeds and 6 commercial crosses, and crossbreeds made by sheep producers to obtain animals with higher productivity. The major breeds, and their respective participation within the national fock, are: Corriedale (74%), mainly present in the southern regions; Suffolk 6%, mainly in the central zone; and Australian Merino, with 3%, in the central north and austral zones. The crosses made by sheep producers represent 12% of all sheep. Only a small proportion of sheep sales are through livestock markets, and in general most regions of the country lack authorized slaughterhouses to process sheep. Cold storage facilities occur south of the Bio Bio region, and the bulk of local production is consumed by the domestic market.