Structure of the Chapter:
After studying this chapter students should be able to describe milk production, foot-and-mouth disease and will master terminology connected with this topic.
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
What farm animals do you know?
Which of them are included into cattle?
listening
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.
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III. Join the halves of sentences:
IV. Match the words listed below with their definitions:
V. Quiz
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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.
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
Home page
Comprehension Check:
- Since the introduction of milk quotas in 1984
- Milk yield per cow
- In a greater percentage of milk being used for manufacture
- Sales of semi-skimmed milk
- 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
- b
- b
- c
- a
- c
- a
- c
- b
- b
- a
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