99.75% of the global population of Holstein bulls can be traced back to two males, chief of the Sustainable Animal Production, Feed and Genetics Group at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Badi Besbes has said.
Besbes recently spoke about the loss of genetic diversity in the livestock sector at the Teagasc Sustainability in Agriculture: The Science and Evidence conference held at the Teagasc Research Centre in Ashtown, Dublin last week.
The map below shows the distribution of Holstein cattle around the world. The FAO has reports of 136 countries across the world with a presence of Holstein, or several types of Holstein in the country, Besbes told the conference.
The darker shades of blue illustrate a higher number of the national breed population being linked or related to Holstein. In most cases, Holstein are present in these countries as a cross breed, but also as a pure breed, he said.
“Unfortunately, in many countries, this cross breeding is occurring in a very indiscriminate way and many local populations do no longer exist because of the cross breeding with the Holstein population.
“We know that 136 countries reported the presence of Holstein, or several types of Holstein in the country, and what is striking is that, if you look at [the] current [population of] Holstein bulls worldwide, [it] can be traced to two males,” he said.
Giving a presentation on global agri-food systems, Besbes said the global population will grow by two billion people by 2050, which will see the demand for animal-sourced foods increase when compared to 2020, particularly for meat.
While the demand for animal-sourced foods, especially since the 1990s, has mainly been driven by the demand in Asia and particularly eastern Asia, this growth in demand will slow down in the next decade, he told the conference.
It is expected that demand for animal-sourced foods in most African countries will double by 2050 due to population growth. At the same time, the demand in Europe and Oceania is projected to stagnate and even decline, he said.
Livestock provide 14% of the global calorie intake, ranging from 3% in west Africa, to 26% in northern Europe and North America. Livestock provide 32% of global protein intake, ranging from 10% in west Africa, to 59% in North America, Besbes said.
