China develops local cattle breed to reduce meat imports

Scientists at the Institute of Animal Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) have developed a local breed of cattle that, according to the country’s media, would reduce the dependence of China on imported beef. The productivity of “Huaxi” has been studied for 43 years in the Wulagai region of Inner Mongolia. China holds the independent intellectual property of the breed, which has also already been approved by China’s National Committee on Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources in late 2021.

According to the state-run China Daily, the Huaxi can adapt to different climatic environments in the Asian country and reaches a proportion of 53.95% meat per head. The animal can gain a maximum weight of 900 kg for males and over 550 kilograms for females. The intention is now to improve genetic selection.

So far, 41 Huaxi cattle ranches are operating in Inner Mongolia and Henan and Hubei provinces, involving 60 livestock companies. The expectation is to reach the production of 400 bulls per year by 2025, to account for at least 70% of the country’s beef cattle herd. One of the project’s researchers explained to the state newspaper that the breed’s breeding population tends to expand gradually over the next 5 to 10 years.

“By 2027, China is expected to control the key genetic resources of its beef cattle herd independently, ensuring supply security,” Li Junya told China Daily.

The researchers believe that the high production capacity of cattle can accelerate the sector’s development and increase farmers’ income. In addition, the rapid growth of beef consumption in the country has accelerated product imports. In 2021, purchases from other countries totaled 2.3 million tons, equivalent to a quarter of total consumption.

Brazil is a major supplier of beef to the Chinese market. According to the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries (Abiec), shipments totaled US$ 3.6 billion in the first half of this year, an increase of 86% over the US$ 1.96 billion recorded in the same period in 2021.

Source: Globo Rural

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