IX. Animal production

Structure of the Chapter:

Introduction:

After studying this chapter students should be able to describe milk production, foot-and-mouth disease and will master terminology connected with this topic.

 

Key Words:

Consumption - the amount used or eaten
Purchase - the things you have bought, an act of buying, to buy
Curb - to keep under control
Quota - a fixed amount or number that is officially allowed
Levy - an amount of money, such as a tax, that you have to pay to a government
Herd - a large group of animals of the same type that live and feed together
Lactation - production of milk
Skimmed milk - milk with most of the fat removed
Command - to deserve and get
Account for - to form the total of
Bull - a male form of cattle that has not been castrated
Fatten - to feed more food to animals because you want them to be heavier or fatter
Heifer - a young cow, esp. one that has not yet given birth to a calf
Suckler cow - a cow without market production of milk

Pre-reading Tasks:

What farm animals do you know?
Which of them are included into cattle?


listening

Specialist text:

Milk Production

Milk product surpluses arose because of the increased amount of milk being produced and reduced consumption. In 1986 it was estimated that accumulated intervention stocks stood at: butter 1,500,000t, milk powder 1,100,000t and beef 620,000t. Associated with this was the massive cost of the Common Agricultural Policy for the initial purchase of these, other products and their storage. It was for this reason that in March 1984 the EEC Agricultural Ministers agreed on a policy for curbing the increase in EEC milk production by the introduction of a system of quotas. The agreement allowed for a super-levy to be charged on all milk produced above a specific quantity or quota. Since the introduction of milk quotas in 1984 the UK dairy industry has seen dramatic changes. The number of dairy herds has fallen by 33%, whilst dairy cow numbers have fallen by 23%. The result being an increase in the average size of dairy herds. During the same period milk yield per cow has increased by approximately 2,000 litres per lactation. These factors combined have resulted in an overall decline in milk production.
The decline in liquid milk consumption has resulted in a greater percentage of milk being used for manufacture rather than sold as liquid milk. UK consumption patterns of milk have changed, with sales of whole milk significantly decreasing, whilst semi-skimmed milk sales increased by 50%. As consumption of skimmed milk is fairly static the increased consumption of semi-skimmed milk is reflected in the decreased consumption of whole milk. In 1995 sales of semi-skimmed milk were, for the first time, greater than those of whole milk and semi-skimmed milk accounted for 50% of household purchases in 1997. A further change in the liquid milk market during the 1990s was the move to purchasing milk in retail outlets rather than doorstep deliveries. By the end of the decade this had declined to about one quarter. Two major reasons for this are the opportunity for buying in large containers and the cheaper prices in large multiple retail stores. Milk sold for processing commands a lower price than that in the liquid milk market. Milk price as paid to the producers has to take into account the quality and lower price of milk sold for manufacture. Butter and cheese account for a large amount of the milk being processed by manufactures. Thus the more milk being processed into these products results in a lower producer price. Unfortunately for milk producers the decline in liquid consumption is paralleled by the decline in consumption of these products, thus lowering overall demand for milk.
In the UK there is a close relationship between milk production and beef production. Dairy herds commonly use beef bulls for crossing, and the crossbred calves, together with purebred bull calves from dairy herds, are fattened for beef. A number of heifers from the dairy herd are reared as replacements for suckler beef herds.

Comprehension questions:

  1. Since what time has the UK dairy industry seen dramatic changes?
  2. What has increased by about 2,000 litres per lactation?
  3. What has the decline in liquid milk consumption resulted in?
  4. What sales have increased by 50%?
  5. What accounts for a large amount of the milk being processed by manufactures?
 
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Activities:

I. Complete the table with the verb or noun which has been omitted:

Verb Noun
milk
utilize
exceed
agree
result
consumption
purchaser
achieve
reference
replacement

 
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II. Fill in the proper tenses and forms of the verbs listed below:

has suffered   there are
affects   can live
is   come from
there will be   have been slaughtered
Foot-and-mouth disease 1) an extremely contagious viral disease that 2) cloven-footed animals. 3) several types of virus with strains of different types. It is another notifiable disease with a compulsory slaughter policy. The majority of infections 4) imported meat as the virus 5) in frozen meat. At the time of writing, the UK 6) a serious outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. The extent to how many animals 7) is at present 4 million animals. Without doubt 8) effects on beef, lamb and pig meat supplies in the short and long term.

 
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III. Join the halves of sentences:

1) Deregulation offered producers   a) prices is very difficult.
2) Since deregulation, comparison of producer   b) methods of calculating farm prices.
3) The foundations of the future health of the calves   c) the best quality feeds on the farm for both beef and dairy cattle.
4) Purchasers of milk have varying   d) a variety of alternatives for selling their milk.
5) Grazed grass is the cheapest and one of   e) publish the information of calculating producer price.
6) The most important factor in efficient grass utilization is   f) are laid by good feeding and management throughout the first 3 months of age.
7) Not all purchasers of milk   g) the average grass height of grazed and ungrazed areas.
8) There will be a shortage of beef   h) for slaughter and dairy cows for milk production.

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IV. Match the words listed below with their definitions:

1) heifer   a) an amount of money that you have to pay to a government
2) levy   b) a large group of animals of the same type that live and feed together
3) bull   c) usually applied to a cow over 1 year old which has not calved
4) fatten   d) the flesh from calves reared especially for this purpose
5) herd   e) to feed more food to animals because you want them to be heavier or fatter
6) veal   f) a male form of cattle that has not been castrated

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V. Quiz

Look at the sentences below and choose the right answer.
1. The development of the incisor teeth can be used as an indication of the age of
cattles
cattle
a cattle
2. Since 1994 there ..... changes in the structure of the raw milk market.
were
have been
had been

3. A variety of alternatives for ..... milk range from dairy companies to producer representative organizations.
being sold
sell
selling
4. Milk Marque which was the largest voluntary co-operative ..... in April 2000 into three separate co-operatives.
was reorganized
was reorganizing
has been reorganized
5. After deregulation, the Milk Development Council was
establishing
been established
established
6. The activities of the Milk Development Council include the preparation of industry statistics, genetic evaluation and livestock improvement of
dairy cattle
milk cattle
milking cattle
7. There are reared a number of heifers from the dairy
head
heard
herd
8. A further change in the liquid milk market during the 1990s was the move to purchasing milk in retail outlets rather than doorstep
stores
deliveries
supplies
9. The number of dairy herds has fallen ..... 33%.
about
by
on
10. Unfortunately grazed grass is often
underutilized
underutilizing
underutilize
 
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Summary:

This chapter deals with the milk production, foot-and-mouth disease and comprises several activities for widening vocabulary and practising specialist terminology of this topic.

Literature:

The Agricultural Notebook edited by R. J. Soffe, Blackwell Publishing Company 2003
Carbonell I., Westall D.: English for agricultural and forestry students, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, 2001


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Checks:

Comprehension Check:

  1. Since the introduction of milk quotas in 1984
  2. Milk yield per cow
  3. In a greater percentage of milk being used for manufacture
  4. Sales of semi-skimmed milk
  5. Butter and cheese

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Check I:


Noun: utilization, excess, agreement, achievement
Verb: milk, result, consume, purchase, refer, replace

Check II

1) is, 2) affects, 3) there are, 4) come from, 5) can live, 6) has suffered, 7) have been slaughtered, 8) there will be

Check III:

1d, 2a, 3f, 4b, 5c, 6g, 7e, 8h

Check IV

1c, 2a, 3f, 4e, 5b, 6d

Check V

  1. b
  2. b
  3. c
  4. a
  5. c
  6. a
  7. c
  8. b
  9. b
  10. a
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