[Fwd: CIWF China Livestock Report, October 2000]

[Guest guest]

> anpeople

> 2003/05/09 Fri AM 06:16:23 CST

 

A report for Compassion in World Farming

By Janice H Cox

October 2000

 

CHINA LIVESTOCK REPORT

 

Background Country Information

 

Government

 

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the only political party. It has

ruled since it won a civil war against nationalists (now established in Taiwan)

in 1949. Political power is based in personalities rather than in titles,

which are easily interchangeable and often misleading. The highest authority

officially rests with the Standing Committee of the CCP Politburo under the

party general secretary. The Standing Committee shapes government policy. The

general secretary of the CCP - currently State President Jiang Zemin - is

usually the most influential figure. The Premier is Zhu Ronghi.

The day-to-day running of the country lies with the State Council, which

controls the 45 ministries and implements the Politburo's decisions. The

elected National People's Congress (NPC) rubber-stamps the CCP leadership's

decisions. The president is the de jure head of state, but has little

political power. The NPC elects the president every five years. The army,

through the Central Military Commission (CMC), influences high-level

policy-making.

The 21 provinces have become responsible for a wide range of functions

previously only exercised by the central government. Even so, Beijing keeps a

close watch on the provincial governments and occasionally intervenes in policy

matters.

Corruption has been the scourge of the CCP since economic reform was initiated.

Jiang has described corruption as threatening " the very existence of the party

and state. " The root of corruption is the increasingly blurred line between the

public and private sector. Many officials operate in a dual capacity, using

their official position to charge fees for performing routine functions. Crime

is rife, and organised crime has reemerged, including Triad activity.

The judiciary comes under the direct control of the CCP.

The repressive and pervasive nature of the Chinese security apparatus

rules out effective activity by antigovernment groups. Large-scale protests are

relatively rare and are not tolerated by the authorities, who fear that public

gatherings may be used to voice grievances against the government.

International links: Asian Development Bank (ADB), APEC, Association of

South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, UN organisations. Seeking to

join World Trade Organisation (WTO).

 

Culture/People

 

Population: 1,236,914,658 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 26% (male 169,347,516; female 149,897,253)

15-64 years: 68% (male 431,164,591; female 404,513,208)

65 years and over: 6% (male 38,398,920; female 43,593,170) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.83% (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

Total population: 69.59 years

Male: 68.32 years

Female: 71.06 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan,

Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%

Religions: Daoism (Taoism), Buddhism, Muslim 2%-3%, Christian 1% (est.)

(Note: officially atheist, but traditionally pragmatic and eclectic)

Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing

dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan

(Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages.

Literacy (definition: age 15 and over can read and write):

Total population: 81.5%

Male: 89.9%

Female: 72.7% (1995 est.)

20 years ago only a third of all Chinese adults were able to read or write.

 

Economics

 

Twenty years ago, China was among the world's poorest countries, with

80 percent of the population living on incomes of less than US$1 a day.

Beginning in late 1978, the Chinese leadership has been trying to move the

economy from a sluggish Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more

market-oriented economy but still within a rigid political framework of

Communist Party control. To this end the authorities switched to a system of

household responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivisation,

increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in industry,

permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprise in services and light

manufacturing, and opened the economy to increased foreign trade and

investment. The result has been a quadrupling of GDP since 1978. Agricultural

output doubled in the 1980s, and industry also posted major gains.

However, the strong and sustained economic growth that China has

registered since the early 1990s is slowing. China registered annual GDP growth

of 7.8% in 1998, below the politically important 8% target that the government

had set. While this figure still makes China the fastest growing economy in

Asia in 1998-99, there is widespread international skepticism over the accuracy

of the figures. Concerns over deep-rooted economic problems are likely to

remain for some years. Loss-making state enterprises are responsible for the

'triangular debt' problem (involving the government and banks) that is partially

paralysing the economy.

 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.25 trillion

(1997 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1995 with use of

official Chinese growth figures for 1996-97; the result may overstate China's

GDP by as much as 25%)

GDP - real growth rate: 8.8% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,460 (1997 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

Agriculture: 20%

Industry: 49%

Services: 31% (1996 est.)

Labour force: Total 623.9 million (1995). Of which, agriculture and forestry

= 53%

Debt - external: $131 billion (1997 est.)

 

Geography

 

China is the world's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and

US). Its area is slightly smaller than the USA.

Total: 9,596,960 sq. km

Land: 9,326,410 sq. km

Water: 270,550 sq. km

 

Land use:

Arable land: 10%

Permanent crops: 0%

Permanent pastures: 43%

Forests and woodland: 14%

Other: 33% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 498,720 sq. km (1993 est.)

 

Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to sub-arctic in north

 

Terrain: mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas,

and hills in east

 

Agriculture

 

China remains a primarily agrarian country (85% of the population is

categorised as rural). However, agriculture has lagged behind other sectors in

recent years, and until a few years ago rural incomes grew much more slowly

than urban incomes. China is constrained by its limited cultivable land area

and insufficient water in the north. China's Ninth Five-Year Plan places

sustained and stable growth in agriculture and the rural economy at the top of

its agenda. The Plan aims: to achieve greater self-sufficiency in grain; to

raise farmers' standard of living; to make better use of technology and speed

up development of agro-processing industries; and to eliminate poverty. China

has recently announced that further reform of the grain distribution system will

be a high priority.

China now has a dual system of a " socialist market economy " with growing

market orientation in the agricultural and food sectors. State control through

production quotas, price fixing, and managed consumer supply is basically

restricted to a few core commodities, primarily grains (rice, wheat), where

the Chinese politicians still use market regulation and protection (primarily to

guarantee sufficient grain supply for urban consumers at low, relatively stable

prices).

World Bank-supported projects are helping to expand irrigation, promote

better use of marginal agricultural land, encourage use of improved seed

varieties, and check soil erosion. Government efforts have continued to

improve the management of natural resources through soil conservation projects,

investments in water transfer, storage and irrigation, and forest planting.

 

Environmental Protection

 

China's past two decades of rapid economic growth, urbanisation, and

industrialisation have been accompanied by steady deterioration of the

environment. The concentration of both air and water pollutants are among the

highest in the world, causing damage to human health and lost agricultural

productivity. Soil erosion, deforestation, desertification, and damage to

wetlands and grasslands have resulted in deterioration of China's national

ecosystems and pose a threat to future agricultural sustainability. There has

been an estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil

erosion and economic development.

China has already taken some steps to reduce pollution and deforestation, and

has staved off an abrupt worsening of environmental conditions in general. A

system of pollution control programs and institutional networks for

environmental protection is now in place at the national and local levels. As

part of the recent government reorganisation, China's environmental agency,

the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), has been upgraded to full

ministerial rank and its coverage expanded to include the " green " issues. For

better urban and industrial pollution control, action includes greater use of

economic incentives, and increasing use of public information campaigns.

Energy conservation efforts and the development of renewable sources of energy

have been expanded.

 

Technology

 

Infrastructure bottlenecks pose a threat to future growth in China.

Investment in transport, telecommunications, and energy has lagged behind that

in industry. The World Bank is supporting China in its efforts to reduce

infrastructure bottlenecks by expanding power, transport, water supply and

other facilities, and by implementing policy reforms that establish legal and

regulatory frameworks for infrastructure sectors.

 

Animal Protection Legislation

 

China has no legislation specifically covering the welfare of farm (or other)

animals. It has legislation covering animal hygiene/health (law of epidemic

prevention) and veterinary matters, and wildlife legislation.

 

" Traditional " Livestock Farming

 

The independent family farm had been the traditional farming system in rural

China for thousands of years prior to the founding of the People's Republic.

The typical farm was not only small, but also fragmented. In the wake of the

socialist revolution, nearly half of the cultivated land in rural China was

owned by landlords, who rented to peasant families. A land reform programme

was implemented in areas under the Communist Party's control, starting in the

1940s. Under this system, land was confiscated without compensation from

landlords and distributed to tenants.

Experiments with various forms of co-operatives began even before

completion of land reform in 1952. The collective farm was one such experiment.

The official approach to collectivisation was cautious and gradual initially,

with peasants induced to join on a voluntary basis. But in the Summer of 1955,

the party fell in behind an accelerated programme.

Forced collectivisation had some negative impacts upon farmers. Farmers often

slaughtered and consumed draught animals rather than having them confiscated by

the collective. To prevent peasants eating collectively owned draught animals,

the government imposed strict restrictions on slaughtering. Unlike pork, beef

was not always available in " free markets " because of these slaughter

restrictions. Therefore, before the reform, beef rarely appeared on the

dinner tables of ordinary people except for limited amounts of rationed beef for

the Muslim population.

Before " modernisation " , China had a developed system of rural

marketing. Rural brokers and butchers (usually family businesses) efficiently

linked cattle breeders, feeders and consumers through the market network.

After collectivisation (1955-1985), this system was replaced by a centralised

food distribution system that included state-run slaughterhouses.

After the death of Chairman Mao Zedong in 1976, moderate veteran leaders

who had been purged during the Cultural Revolution came into power again. In

1979, they initiated a series of sweeping reforms in agriculture. The most

important of these was the emergence and eventual prevalence of the household

responsibility system, which by 1984 had completely restored the primacy of the

individual household in place of the collective team system as the basic unit of

production and management in China. Then, beginning in 1985, control of

livestock products and markets were liberalised.

This change was triggered by external factors (e.g. international

trade, need for hard currency and improved technologies) as well as by internal

factors (e.g. ecological and climatic factors, social changes), but the

transition has been relatively smooth and well organised. New livestock owners

were not left to struggle on their own. Services were gradually privatised

starting with a progressive recovery of costs, and financing was developed

under a well-organised banking and agricultural credit system.

The introduction of family farming on land rented from the state on a

long-term basis has released the long-suppressed entrepreneurial spirit among

Chinese farmers. However, the land is still legally owned by the state

(villagers' collective) and subject to state regulations. Land transfer is

strictly controlled to prevent accumulation of land by large farms and the

emergence of a class of land-less rural families. This prevents amalgamation of

farm structures to give smaller numbers of large farms and, from a social

perspective, it helps to provide at least basic economic subsistence to China's

large rural population. However, one breakthrough in the early 1980s was that

all animals were sold to farmer households so the households were able to own

and raise their own animals. This greatly stimulated the enthusiasm and

motivation of the farmers.

Pork production fluctuated before 1949 because of the Sino-Japanese and

civil wars. After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, pork

output rose and surpassed 10 million tons by 1979. Small farmers use about 100

breeds of pig, including cross breeds. Consumers in country areas still have

traditional tastes - preferring the more fatty pork produced from traditional

breeds. China has a traditional pig breed, the Mei Shan, which is renowned

for its large litters - giving up to 20 piglets per litter. Small farmers

largely rear pigs as backyard pigs, or in special pig yards (small piggeries).

Some feed pigs on waste products, and others on concentrated feed or

by-products. There are some specialised pig farms, and others are mixed with

crops, and pigs fed crop residues.

Mutton has been a traditional delicacy in Chinese cuisine. Consumption

peaks in winter when family members get together for special " hot pot " meals.

Mutton also shows up in gourmet menus and is popular in restaurants. Mutton is

also considered the most important animal protein for Muslims. Traditionally,

most goats and sheep were raised in open pastureland or semi-desert areas in the

Northwest and Tibet. Indeed, almost all sheep in China were pasture fed before

the 1980s.

A wide variety of native chickens, ducks and geese are raised in rural

areas. Most poultry is produced by households using traditional production

techniques. Many traditional farm households keep a flock of poultry around the

farmstead to forage in the fields for whatever they can eat, supplemented by

some feed. Researchers estimate that this traditional method accounts for about

half of total poultry output. Farmers raise layers mainly to produce eggs for

their own consumption or for sale on the local market. They similarly slaughter

spent hens and other birds for their own consumption or sale in the local

market. The period of grow-out using traditional techniques is longer than with

commercial operations. Many small farmers now use modern poultry breeds,

because they buy their birds from commercial hatcheries. However, there are

moves afoot to reintroduce native genetics, because although these birds grow a

little slower they are thought to have more appropriate conversion traits and

eating quality.

The hunting and raising of waterfowl and their eggs is as ancient as Chinese

culture itself. The total number of waterfowl raised in China reached 2.17

billion in 1996. China has 25 species of waterfowl, but most are not utilised

productively. The two most widely bred species are ducks and geese, whose eggs

offer rich varieties of processed delicacies in Chinese cuisine. Traditionally,

waterfowl were raised mainly in the Yangtze River basin and the fertile area

south of it, which are crisscrossed with rivers, canals etc. linking up lakes

and ponds.

China's residents consume only low quantities of dairy products (less than

2kg of milk products per year). The Han ethnic people occupying the plains of

North China did not develop a tradition of consuming dairy products (and they

show high levels of lactose intolerance), but consumption was more common

amongst the Mongol, Manchu, Ugyurs and Zang people. In pre-1949 China,

modern dairies had been established in the outskirts of China's major cities.

Also, farmers in China's northeast, northwest and west had experience with

milk producing animals. In northern China, Yaks are kept for milk and cheese.

In the areas south of the Yangtze River, water buffalo are kept and also

milked.

Traditionally, China's beef supply has come from both pasture regions and

intensively cropped farming regions. Cattle in pasture regions were mainly

raised for meat, but in farming regions, cattle were raised for both draught

and meat purposes. Historically, even in China's farming regions, grazing was

important to reduce the cost of raising beef. China's policymakers considered

allowing cattle to be raised by households, but decided that as draft cattle

were a " means of production " according to Marxist theory, they should not be

owned or controlled by individuals. Given government-fixed low beef prices and

high production costs, most collectives in the farming regions abandoned

raising cattle for beef and kept cattle only for draught purposes. As a result,

beef production in farming regions declined dramatically after collectivisation.

The use of cattle for draught purposes has been an important factor in

traditional Chinese agriculture. Cattle had been domesticated and used as

draught animals for 6,000 years (and horses for 5,000). They were used mainly

for war, transportation and agricultural purposes. Cattle (cows and buffaloes)

are still used for draught purposes, despite the impact of forced

collectivisation and increased mechanisation.

The market demand for organic food is growing in China. Consumers are

becoming more aware of the China Green Food label, and it is expected that

these products' market share will develop.

 

Development of Factory Farming

 

Background

 

China is one of the largest agricultural and developing countries in the

world, with 9.6 million square kilometres and more than 1.2 billion people.

China uses 7 percent of the world's agricultural land, to feed 21 percent of

the world's population. Since the 1980s, China has had what amounts to a

livestock revolution, which is likely to carry well into this century. China

is the world's largest producer and consumer of most meat products. It produces

nearly five times more pork than the United States. In common with the trend in

many Asian countries, as development proceeds in China, there is a slowing

down of the rate of growth of food grain consumption per person, with consumers

switching to horticultural and animal-derived products. Although meat

consumption is lower than in wealthier countries, it seems to be growing along

with China's economy.

According to FAO estimates, average meat consumption in China increased from

39 kcal per capita per day in 1961-1963 to 286 kcal in 1991-1993 (three-year

average). Increased demand for meats, fish, poultry, eggs and milk is likely

to outstrip China's ability to produce these products. China has the potential

to become a large market for imported animal protein foods and feedstuffs, and

the United States in particular takes a great interest in this prospect. The

FAO view is that the Chinese people have to have more animal protein, and it

supports the promotion of livestock production. Prices for low quality grain

(feed grain) are down, and meat prices are stable (albeit these are

market-led), encouraging meat production through good farmers' margins. Grain

was previously removed from the market and stored (in large quantities), but

this practise has been discontinued, and grain stocks auctioned.

Meat consumption in China differs between regions, influenced by income

levels, fast-food chains, culture and diet. Per capita meat consumption in

urban areas is twice that in rural areas, due in part to the prevalence of fast

food outlets such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald's in city areas. China

is facing massive urban migration over the next decades, fueled by rapid

economic development, falling agricultural populations, growing urban labour

demand and the increasing income gap between rural and urban employment.

Urbanisation promotes commercial agriculture as declining numbers of farmers

have to supply a growing number of urban dwellers.

China's population is expected to rise continuously until 2030, and per

capita income is expected to increase simultaneously. Therefore, the level of

meat consumption and grain demand are expected to rise substantially, raising

concerns about whether China will be able to feed herself in the future. There

has been much analysis about this concern, fueled by the 1995 release of Lester

Brown's book entitled " Who Will Feed China? " . Brown's book put forward the

proposition that China's population growth, natural resource constraints and

economic expansion would limit the country's natural ability to feed itself in

the future.

Somewhat contrary to these concerns are growing reports of obesity in Chinese

cities. A 1998 survey of primary and secondary school students in Beijing

indicated that obesity had surpassed the 20 percent mark. Another survey of

300,000 students nationwide, conducted by the Ministry of Education and four

other government institutions during the same year, discovered that the rate of

obesity among boys in the 7-12 age group had increased from 2.7 percent to 8.65

percent in ten years, and the rate for city boys had grown to 12.02 percent.

The Millennium Institute's " China Agriculture Project " concludes that as

regards livestock production, as the Chinese economy matures there will be a

continued shift from backyard to commercial operations, and from draft power to

mechanisation. Infrastructure - like transport and communication - will be

improved, a wide array of quality breeds, inputs and technologies imported,

and the amount of feed required per kilo of animal protein will decrease.

At present, trade accounts for a very small share of China's livestock

economy. Government policies have severely limited exposure to world markets.

In the past, a strategy of grain self-sufficiency limited the growth of

domestic livestock production, while a policy of meat self-sufficiency

restricted imports of livestock products.

Of China's total animal protein consumption in 1995, pork accounted for

50 percent, eggs 17 percent, aquatic products 16 percent, poultry meat 12

percent, beef 3 percent, mutton and goat meat 2 percent and milk 0.2 percent.

 

Pigs

Pork output increased rapidly from 1980 to 1996. This increase was

government-fueled, with a series of policies to encourage farmers and

specialised households to raise pigs. These policies included increased

procurement prices, deregulating livestock markets, enhancing the feed

industry, providing " improved " breeds and feeder pigs, and setting up a

network of technical and veterinary services. The structure of pork production

has been changing since the mid 1980s, gradually shifting from individual farm

households using traditional methods to specialised livestock producing

households and commercial firms using modern technology.

China's pig rearing practices are different from those of western countries. To

date, most pigs in China are still raised by rural households. After the

dismantling of the communes in 1984, pigs were produced mainly by farm

households, with a small percentage coming from collectives and state farms.

There are currently three types of pig production in China: 1) Traditional or

small-scale backyard production; 2) Specialised household production; and 3)

Large scale enterprises.

The traditional or small-scale backyard pig production typically raises one

to several pigs. These producers accounted for almost 95 percent of total pork

production in the mid 1980s, but their share dropped to 81 percent in 1996.

They are found in all areas of China.

The specialised household pork producers typically raise 10, 20 or even 100

pigs. They often sign contracts with commercial or large-scale pig enterprises

to fatten pigs. Their numbers increased rapidly in the last 15 years.

The share of large-scale pig production enterprises and specialised

household production are mostly located around big cities, such as Shanghai,

Beijing, and Tianjin. In Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in the south, there

are very large pig farms, some with around 250,000 pigs kept in up to six

stories. Specialised household producers can also be found in grain producing

provinces or local areas that have grain brewery operations because of the

availability of by-products that can be used as energy food.

But while pork remains by far the most important product in China's

livestock sector (and growth continued to latest figures - 1998), it is

declining in relative importance, and constraints on the feed grain supply are

likely to slow future growth. Urban consumption of pork is significantly higher

than rural consumption. Urban consumers prefer more lean pork, and modern

breeds are used for peri-urban production, including large white, landrace

etc. Large commercial pig producers remain mainly Chinese, but there are also

some joint ventures. Canada, in particular, exports lots of pigs to China,

and organises training programmes. The UK's PIC is also an important supplier.

The Netherlands is a large supplier, and has established a training centre as a

joint venture between the two countries, with the participation of the Dutch

Ministry of Agriculture. Denmark is also an up-and-coming supplier.

Convenience foods are beginning to become more popular in China, as

hectic modern lifestyles - particularly in major cities (such as Shanghai) - and

career demands mean less available time. Modern processing and packaging

industries are cropping up, with at least sixteen foreign processing companies

within joint venture agreements in Shanghai alone, as well as independent

Chinese slaughterhouses, trying to capture the lucrative processed meat product

market in supermarket shelves.

Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China, export of pigs

and pork products have been a principal earner of foreign exchange. Until 1970,

the pork export share of total agricultural exports was around 10 percent.

Beginning in 1980, the quantities of exports of pork and pork products were

stable. But pork's share of total agricultural exports decreased as

agricultural trade expanded after foreign trade liberalisation and because the

government promoted the expansion of other agricultural exports.

China exports pork, mainly frozen, to countries such as the former

Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and some Southeast Asian countries. The level

of exports has been around 100,000-150,000 tons of frozen pork annually. It

will be difficult for China to expand the level of pork exports significantly

due to quality problems and the need to eradicate foot and mouth disease and

explore new markets.

China also imports some pork, with about 35% coming from the USA.

Three quarters of this is offal, rather than muscle meat, as many Chinese

dishes call for small pieces of strong tasting pork products. China's entrance

into the WTO may lead to immediate and unlimited access to the pork offal

market. Chinese producers cannot produce enough to satisfy local demand.

The Chairman of the Chinese Council of Agriculture (COA), Peng Tso-kewi,

admitted in 1999 that the country did not have effective foot and mouth control

measures in place. The COA invited Taiwan's domestic animal disease prevention

centres to join in discussions on how it could improve its ability to prevent

foot and mouth disease (FMD) spreading further in the wake of recent outbreaks.

According to Peng, factors contributing to the disease outbreaks included low

vaccination rates, and a lack of prevention plans amongst pig farm owners.

The increased intensification of pig farming has seen an increase in the

morbidity of swine respiratory diseases. Among the five major swine diseases

three which are international recognised as being attributable to significant

losses in the industry: Mycoplasma pneumonia (MP), atrophic rhinitis (AR) and

swine pleuropneumonia (AP) are all common in China and have caused severe

losses. In addition, swine influenza, Aujeszky's disease and porcine

reproductive and respiratory syndrome have also spread widely in China.

 

Eggs/Poultry

Foreign direct investment (FDI) played a large role in " modernising "

China's poultry industry by importing grandparent " genetic stock " and breeding

" genetic materials' domestically. The introduction of " superior " nutrition feed

milling paralleled the development of poultry genetics. Foreign poultry breeds

were introduced in the 19th and 20th centuries in addition to native breeds.

Poultry production and consumption increased rapidly from 1980 to 1998.

Production growth was stimulated not only by general market-orientated policy

reforms, but also by poultry breeding operations. Government plans call for

continued support of the poultry industry, as chickens, ducks and geese are

more efficient feed converters than pigs, cattle and sheep. The government's

" food basket " programme, initiated in 1989, encourages municipal governments

to support local egg and poultry producers. Potentially limiting factors to

broiler expansion include limited feedstuff supplies, infrastructure, training

and organisation of personnel to control diseases and environmental concerns.

The government encourages the development of hatcheries, poultry vaccines,

feed mills, slaughterhouses and marketing and processing facilities.

A rising proportion of households are now adopting modern production

methods and modern breeds. This trend is fueled by increases in the numbers of

feed mills and modern hatcheries and the availability of rural livestock

extension assistance. The numbers of specialised poultry producing households

(receiving most of their income from poultry) increased rapidly after rural

reforms were introduced in the early 1980s. Typically, a specialised household

will raise five batches of broilers a year with 1,000 to 2,000 birds in each

batch. In some areas, specialised households serve as contract growers for

large integrated poultry operations. These households employ both traditional

and modern production methods.

Currently, there are many large-scale poultry operations in China.

Located around large urban areas and near east coast ports. Some are domestic

facilities, but others are joint ventures with firms from the United States,

Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Japan. Modern facilities produce about 10% of

poultry. Thirty-seven large, modern integrated poultry enterprises supply a

large share of the poultry meat for urban consumers.

As regards egg production, small backyard producers are doing better than the

commercial sector. At present, the industry is in a state of overproduction.

Some 24% of output comes from the state or collective farms that are not making

profits and are facing financial difficulties. In contrast, the millions of

small backyard producers who account for 76% of production are managing to make

profits even in the present difficult situation because they invest less and

receive higher returns.

Before the mid 1980s, the Ministry of Internal Trade (MIT) owned all

large poultry slaughterhouses. MIT still controls most, but other government

entities, joint ventures, and private firms have entered the industry. There

are wide differences in slaughter facilities between coastal and inland, urban

and rural, and developed and underdeveloped areas.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Broiler team, which

visited China in 1997, noted that the birds from farm families are typically

sold in local food markets. Consumers pick out a live chicken, the vendor

kills it, scalds it, picks off the feathers, eviscerates it and hands the

dressed chicken to the customer. The team concluded that most spent hens from

traditional and specialised households - and most likely from modern facilities

- are still marketed through local food markets. On the other hand, broilers

from specialised households and modern broiler operations are sold to state or

joint venture slaughter operations.

Even with its large increase in domestic poultry production, China's poultry

imports expanded from 68,000 metric tones in 1990 to 900,000 metric tonnes in

1997 (450,000 metric tonnes net). China is recognised as being second only to

Russia as a major importer of poultry. Most of the increase came from the

United States. In 1999, the United States exported a total of 735,000 tons of

chicken, duck and turkey products to China with an export value of US$455

million. The export of similar products is likely to increase markedly with the

implementation of the Chinese-US Agreement on Agricultural Co-operation. China

is also dominating the stage as one of the world's fastest-growing poultry meat

exporters. From 1992, the volume of China's poultry meat exports more than

tripled, reaching an estimated 430,000 tons in 1998.

China is by far the world's largest egg producer, with 1997 production

estimated at 336 billion eggs - more than double the next largest producer,

India. Most of this production is consumed domestically.

In October 1997, there was an outbreak of avian flu in Hong Kong that shut

down the importation of live birds and poultry from China. It also damaged

consumer confidence in poultry products in China, which is taking some time to

recover.

Two government Ministries are involved in poultry inspection: The

Ministry of Health (food safety) and The Ministry of Agriculture (meat

inspection). The Ministry of Agriculture also trains and supervises the

veterinarians who inspect poultry meat (but are employees of the plant).

Poultry production and consumption in China is forecast to increase

moderately over the next decade, Pork is the preferred meat, but there could

be a switch to poultry meat if China is unable to increase grain and oilseed

production to meet pig feed requirements.

 

Waterfowl

China is easily the leading player in the world's duck meat industry

accounting for 1.77 million tons or 70% of world output totaling 2.52mt.

Similarly, regarding goose meat production, China is the major producer with

1.63mt out of a world production of 1.76mt. Despite its own 25 species of

waterfowl, China is still searching for the " perfect bird " - one with good

meat, down, eggs and innards. Foreign duck species have been entering the

Chinese market one after another - including Cherry Valley ducks from Britain,

Tegel from Australia, Option from France, Maple Leaf from the USA, and two

other duck breeds from Canada and Denmark. The Ministry of Agriculture's plan

for the systematic expansion of waterfowl production places emphasis on the

breeding of fine species, tuning products to market needs, improved processing

and distribution and sound marketing. Small family farms will be helped to

expand production, while large farms, processing factories and feed-producing

facilities will be built in major producing areas. In East, South and Central

China where most of China's waterfowl are produced, one waterfowl producing

enterprise of considerable size will be developed in each province. It will

receive preferential government assistance for building breeding facilities and

feed producing factories, which will eventually serve regional needs.

 

Sheep/Goats

Mutton and goat meat output more than quadrupled from 1980 to 1996. In the

coming years, government policies that support more efficient feeding using

crop residues can be expected to continue to stimulate production in intensive

cropped areas. China is moving away from wool-use sheep to meat-use goats.

China's wool was low quality by international standards, and in view of

prevailing wool and meat prices, farmers switched from wool to meat. China's

goat and sheep operations are usually family concerns with an average flock of

less than 50 per household. Small farmers favour small ruminant production

because of lower start-up costs. There are a few large-scale commercial

goat/sheep operations on state farms.

China's mutton imports, which are negligible, are limited to hotels,

restaurants and food processors. They come mainly from New Zealand. China

exports small quantities - for example, 47,000 live sheep to Saudi Arabia and

Nepal in 1996.

 

Dairy

Dairy output expanded from 1.4 million tons in 1980 to 7.4 million in 1996,

although per capita consumption remains low. Milk is not a preferred protein

food in China. Tightening grain supplies over the next few years are likely to

reduce the rate of growth. State farms were established in the dairy sector,

and most dairy production is now from state farms. These state farms also

provided services to local farmers. Some former state farms are now being run

by groups of farmers, like collectives or co-operatives (as a step towards the

market economy from central planning). There are now a number of joint ventures

involved in the dairy processing industry.

 

Beef

Even though beef production rose six-fold between 1980 and 1996 (and

continued to rise - latest figures 1998), beef still accounts for only a small

share of China's total meat consumption. Analysts assess that beef output is

only likely to increase slowly in the short term, due to consumer preferences,

rising prices and slower income growth. However, China's agricultural experts

and policymakers are optimistic about the prospects for China's grass-fed beef

in the next decade. Also of interest is that imports of breeding cattle

( " genetic material " ) from Western countries (including USA, Australia and

Europe) have increased dramatically. As of March 2000, China permitted the

import of meat from the USA, coming from USDA (United States Department of

Agriculture) approved slaughterhouses. Australia and New Zealand are also major

suppliers of beef to China, the vast majority of which is designed for the

catering sector.

The traditional farming methods described above, which involved many

farmers keeping small numbers of cattle, declined in favour of systems whereby

larger numbers were raised on state farms located in the grassland areas

peripheral to China's densely populated central regions. As in dairying, some

former state farms are now being run by groups of farmers. Commercial cattle

raising employing larger numbers of cattle conditioned in feedlots by

specialised households is a very recent development. There is also an

arrangement whereby cattle can be moved from small farms with grazing to

feedlots for finishing (and then slaughter). These cattle are kept on grass

until around 12-18 months (200kg) and then moved to feedlots for 4-6 months.

 

Ostriches

South Africa, one of the world's major producers of ostriches, is assisting

China to establish ostrich farming, following a 1998 trip to China by South

Africa's President Thabo Mbeki. China has only about 30 commercial ostrich

farmers throughout the country. The plan is to develop the industry to 300

ostrich farmers initially (within a couple of years). The Chinese Ostrich

industry lacks the experience, expertise, technology and equipment to run such

a sophisticated and specialist livestock sector.

 

Slaughter

 

In the early 1980s traditional livestock marketing and slaughtering practices

were revitalised across China as the household cattle system was restored. The

low cost of marketing and slaughtering run by peasants put tremendous pressure

on the government distribution systems. Many mechanised slaughterhouses run by

the government were forced to close down. Rural entrepreneurs set up their own

system for cattle slaughtering in which " Villages Specialised in Cattle

Slaughtering " established networks of houses specialised in slaughtering (some

households slaughtering more than 1,000 cattle annually). Around 600 pig

slaughterhouses opened in China during the period January to October 1998.

According to a field study, the mechanised slaughterhouses processed less than

10% of the animals slaughtered in the five provinces in the farming region

(Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui and Sichuan). But the political system does

not allow large private firms to take over urban-based state run meat companies.

 

General

 

The present cabinet's strategy is to make few structural changes in the

agricultural sector, whilst focusing attention on what it deems to be more

urgent reforms in the urban sector. The land tenure system based on the land

contract system will not change. Farmland will continue to be owned by the

state, which will continue to extend land contracts to individual farm

households for 15, 30 and in some cases 50 years. The cabinet places great

emphasis on food security, and uses protection prices for grain. Intervention

storage of grain is high (est. 200 million tons in 1998). The government

invests in agricultural science and technology, including water conservation.

There is a strong agricultural science research and extension service in China,

and the authorities pay particular attention to disease control (the law of the

People's Republic of China on Animal Epidemic Prevention has been in force since

1 January 1998).

The Department of Agriculture supports the development of animal

husbandry towards commercialisation and intensification " shifting from speed

generated increase to efficiency generated increase by up-leveling management

and increasing accountings of science and technology, so as to rationally use

natural resources and continuously increase the productivity and economic return

for the purpose of improving the livelihood of the people and developing

economy " . Jia Youling, head of the Ministry's Animal Husbandry and Veterinary

Bureau maintains that beefing up the animal husbandry sector will spur the

development of other related trades, such as the animal feed and leather

industries, and give jobs to growing numbers of rural unemployed.

Shandong Province in East China is stepping up animal husbandry development

by using more overseas funds and increasing technological input. Local sources

said that Shandong had absorbed US$860 million in overseas investment by October

1998 for animal husbandry development, and more than 500 foreign-funded

enterprises had been established in the sector.

At the beginning of 1985, the government liberalised control of

livestock product prices and markets. The market mechanism promoted production

and had other effects, including: Permitting multi-ownership and

multi-financing of operations; Increased input to animal husbandry; Increased

search for efficiency, including output increases/yields and quality; and

Increased reliance on science and technology (according to statistics, around

42% of increased animal production was attributed to science and technology).

China is reported to have been racing ahead in agricultural biotechnology

research, unrestrained by the regulatory and ethical restraints prevalent in

the West. Reports of new animals created in 1999 included China's first

transgenic bull (Tao Tao from Fengxin Animal Testing Farm in Shanghai) and a cow

with a sheep's gene to produce milk with albumin (for treating hepatitis). Wong

Yangnian, head of the China Society of Bio-engineering, claims that China has

bred dozens of transgenic animal and plant species, and leads the world in

creating transgenic fish.

Four days of trade talks between China and the EU aimed at securing

China's admission to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) broke down on 31 March

with no agreement. This means that China is unlikely to join the WTO before

July 2000 as it had hoped, and may be struggling to enter before 2001. China's

meat products, except poultry, have a price advantage on world markets. For

sheep/goat meat the price is around 54% lower, making a sizable competitive

advantage. China continues to look for future markets in which to expand its

meat exports. The US is looking to China's accession to the WTO for increased

export opportunities. The American farm Bureau Federation economists suggest

that US agricultural exports to China could triple over the next three to five

years (surpassing $3 billion over time). In November 1999, the US Dairy Export

Council announced that China's entry to WTO could boost US dairy exports by

$135M annually.

Under reforms, private farmers in China are now able to establish their

own import-export companies to trade products on world markets. However, in

practice this is a difficult prospect and they are more likely to use existing

facilities/expertise, through specialist state and private trading companies.

South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding with China in April 2000

that would ensure greater penetration of the Chinese market by South African

plant and animal products. Agricultural exports to China were then minimal,

but South Africa was determined to make greater inroads into China.

Since 1981, the World Bank has supported many agricultural investments

in China, channeling more than US$9.4 billion into the sector. These projects

have promoted agricultural productivity and rural development and furthered

market liberalisation and market commercialisation, and encouraged investment

by the non-state sector in agribusiness and agro-processing. A controversial

World Bank investment, known as the " China Smallholder Cattle Development

Project " generated animal protection campaigning (particularly from the US).

This project has now been approved, despite the protest. The World Bank

justifies approval by pointing out that the cattle will be fed crop residues

(not grain), be largely reared by smallholders and only gathered for finishing

(final stages) in feedlots. Infrastructure development will include

slaughterhouse rationalisation, to provide regional capacity. Present

slaughterhouse capacity includes numerous small abattoirs, with most

constructed in the 1960s and with their original Russian-supplied equipment

outmoded and worn out (although there are some larger slaughterhouses near urban

centres built to export standard). The World Bank's objective is not to

increase capacity, but to update/improve. However, the World Bank's awareness

of potential animal protection scrutiny and protest appears to have been

substantially increased by this action.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) already supports several

agribusiness projects in China and considered this an important area for

development. However, it had received no new agribusiness projects in the

last couple of years - and attributed this to the weakness of the private sector

in this area. It said that existing agribusiness projects were normally joint

ventures (e.g. European and Chinese companies in meat processing). Most joint

venture activity involved Japanese and Chinese companies. IFC's development

role should fit World Bank strategy and it has to adhere to environmental

guidelines. But animal welfare/protection was clearly not yet an issue.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development funded broiler

chicken development in the early 1990s, including two broiler parent breeding

farms for the production of day old chicks (owned and operated by the Townships)

and a broiler slaughter plant (Shandong/Yantai Agricultural Development

Project). However, in a review in a staff working paper of August 1997, IFAD

concluded that " broiler chickens should not be included as a livestock

enterprise in projects supporting poor farmers because of the evidence that in

the long term small semi-intensive, group-operated poultry units can never

compete with the large industrial enterprises which eventually control the

market " .

A joint Canadian/Chinese project - the integrated Dairy Cattle Breeding

Project - was established in 1993 and continues (now in its second phase). This

project has as its goal the strengthening of the " genetic and managerial base

for increasing the quantity, quality and efficiency of milk production in

China " . Canada imports live cattle and semen to act as the " genetic base " from

which nucleus herds are developed. The project includes training in both Canada

and China. The goals of the project include increasing the quantity and quality

of milk production.

The Institute of Animal Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

conducts training courses for farmers, using both traditional and modern

methods. It sets up courses and invites participants, who decide themselves

whether they wish to learn traditional or modern methods. The institute

co-operates with commercial companies and with various institutions including

the UNDP and aid organisations.

The VIV-China intensive livestock trade fair, which was held in Beijing on

18-20 April 2000, was well attended, showing broad national and foreign

interest in intensive livestock production in China. The FAO confirmed that

foreign companies are already involved in the production of pigs, cattle and

poultry in China. Companies represented at VIV-China included equipment

suppliers, breeders, and veterinary product and feed suppliers. Western

countries prominently represented included the USA, Canada, the Netherlands,

the UK and Germany (with a couple of stands from French and Belgian companies).

The Canadian Swine Breeders Association had a large stand with generic

information about Canadian breeds and technology as well as company details.

Large US companies represented included Ag-World Exports of Illinois, which is

the largest North American exporter of purebred pigs and the largest exporter of

breeding sheep and goats. Also represented was Arbor Acres, Glastonbury CT

USA, which deals in broiler breeders (and appears to work in various

countries). Its literature included a " breeder management manual " . The UK

company Cherry Valley Farms was the first to sign up to VIV-China, and its

ducks are already well-known there. The World Poultry Science Association had a

stand.

The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture appeared to be the only government represented

officially, although the Dutch official commented that the UK was usually

present at such events " to promote the British product " . The representative of

the Dutch poultry equipment manufacturer, Stork, stated that it was the market

leader in China with more than 60 processing plants. However, Chinese

manufacturers had now begun to make similar (but simpler) equipment - with no

patent protection legislation to prevent this.

 

Farm Animal Welfare Problems

 

The European Commission made a mission to China in November 1995 in

connection with poultry meat exports. A further mission followed this in April

1996, during which serious shortcomings were revealed, and the Commission

suspended all imports of poultry meat from China as from 1 August 1996. A

further mission carried out by the Food and Veterinary Office in July 1997 found

that improvements had been made with regards to veterinary structures, disease

notification and poultry establishments, although major disease problems still

existed (Newcastle's Disease).

A further visit in September/October 1998 recorded remaining welfare

concerns in relation to the stunning of poultry: " It was not possible to assess

the current or voltage by monitoring equipment. However, observation of the

birds showed that large numbers of birds were not adequately stunned. This was

either a consequence of poorly constructed equipment (e.g. stunning bath

causing pre-stun shock) and/or insufficiently monitored use. The official

veterinarians were not paying attention to this aspect. " And rabbits: " Similar

problems observed. Many animals were not completely unconscious and some were

not stunned at all. This was either a consequence of the equipment (inadequate

amperage meters, no audible indication of tongs making contacts) or by

inadequate use (mainly wrong positioning). Here again, official veterinarians

were not paying attention to this aspect. "

These missions would have been examining export quality slaughterhouses.

But present slaughterhouse capacity in China includes numerous small abattoirs,

with most constructed in the 1960s with their original Russian-supplied

equipment outmoded and worn out. According to a filed study, the mechanised

slaughterhouses processed less than 10% of the animals slaughtered in the five

provinces in the farming region (Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui and Sichuan).

It is likely, therefore, that vast numbers of animals are being slaughtered in

China using no stunning or inadequate stunning.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Broiler team concluded

that most spent hens from traditional and specialised households - and most

likely from modern facilities too - are still marketed through local food

markets, as are broilers from farm families. In these cases, consumers pick

out a live chicken, the vendor kills it, scalds it, picks off the feathers,

eviscerates it and hands the dressed chicken to the customer. Broilers from

specialised households and modern broiler operations are sold to state or joint

venture slaughter operations.

Appreciation of animal welfare amongst Chinese officials and academics is

low or non-existent. Priority is given to increasing productivity and

investment, seemingly at any cost. The increasing research into agricultural

biotechnology research, unrestrained by the regulatory and ethical restraints,

is of great concern. This threatens both animal welfare and genetic integrity.

The rapidly increasing intensification of pig and poultry farming in

China has brought with it a marked increase in diseases, which are causing

considerable suffering and deaths. There is considerable " hidden employment "

in China, with numerous workers underemployed (but still officially in

employment). This means that on farms there would be more than enough stockmen,

so there will be more individual attention and care given to animals than in

western operations.

 

Environmental and Resource Problems Associated with Factory Farming

 

The People's Republic of China has a four-decade history using available

natural resources to meet its enormous population's food and fibre requirements.

This has placed the balance of the natural environment of certain sectors and

regions of China's rural economy under stress. Prior to 1978, the industrial

structure closely followed the Soviet model, including state farms. Natural

resource prices were kept very low as a means of maximising the profits of state

owned enterprises, which constituted the principal source of state revenue. As

a result there was profligate use and serious depletion of natural resources,

growing pollution and lack of attention to creating environmental

infrastructure, such as facilities for water treatment and waste disposal.

The environment suffered greatly during the " great leap forward " of the late

1950s. China moved from a nation of small farmers in 1949 to some 70,000 rural

people's communes thirty years later. In agriculture, lack of environmental

awareness led to policies that were ecologically unsound. The central planning

system, originally modeled on the Soviet system, caused wasteful production,

energy inefficient, polluting and not geared to demand. Yet not everything was

wasteful - as China continued to stress age-old practices of nutrient recycling

and use of organic and green manure (albeit that this was done because there was

a shortage of chemical fertiliser, rather for than environmental reasons).

The household responsibility system has induced increased numbers of

livestock to the point of serious overgrazing in some areas of northern China.

Desertification has been occurring as a result. In a presentation to the

" Sustainable Agriculture Group " in Beijing in 1998, Marlyn Collette, Counselor

(Development) of the Canadian Embassy in Beijing stated that " China now needs to

make the transition from an extensive use of grasslands, where a communal

approach to grassland has facilitated a livestock system where the scarce grass

resource is used as fodder for animals, which are raised for commercial use.

It can be demonstrated that farm income increases with a smaller number of

animals which are sold within three to four years, rather than the current

system where animals are held for ten years or more " .

However, the official statement of the FAO to the meeting, made by Ajmal M

Qureshi, pointed out that grassland is the largest ecosystem in China,

occupying an area about four times that of farming. Whilst recognising that

degradation, desertification, salinisation and over-grazing have caused a

decrease of about ? of usable grassland, the FAO noted that China could make

better use of this valuable resource, with efficient protection and

rehabilitation. Indeed, Mr Qureshi stated that the improvement of grass

livestock farming would be an urgent issue for China's sustainable agricultural

development of the future.

Ross (1988) accounts the great strides that China has made in setting up an

independent Environmental Protection Agency and curtailing industrial wastewater

discharges in the 1980s. Others argue that there is a close connection between

China's high population growth rates and deforestation, erosion, and problems

associated with agricultural intensification. Overgrazing has also been noted

as a problem. But despite these problems, Ross and the World Bank (1992) point

out that China probably has one of the most comprehensive environmental

protection systems in the developing world.

China has had laws covering many economic and environmental concerns for

a number of years. Since the first national conference on the environment, it

has created a series of laws to protect the environment. In 1979 it promulgated

its first " Law for Environmental Protection " that was subsequently expanded and

became final in 1989.

Since the early 1980s, when the Chinese government realised that the

development of ecological agriculture was a way to utilise fully its limited

agricultural resources and protect the environment, experiments on ecological

agriculture have been carried out in various regions. However, there are still

constraints, which make solutions to the multi-dimensioned sustainability

problem difficult to achieve. And the major sources of environmental stress -

poverty, population and current production practices - will remain for some

time ahead. In its submission to Agenda 21, the Chinese government said that

it had created a " strategy for sustainable agricultural development so as to

ensure the steady growth of agriculture and the rural economy " and acknowledged

" the great challenges confronting China's agriculture including the large

population, agricultural resources scarce on a per capita basis, and outdated

agricultural infrastructure " .

Water management is the single most important natural resource constraint in

China. Water shortages and higher water costs are driving farmers and

government units to invest more in water saving technologies. Additional water

is needed for non-agricultural sectors (such as municipal and industrial uses)

as well as agriculture, and intensification of livestock production will

exacerbate shortages. Water statistics do not reflect the level of the problem,

as China's water resources are unevenly distributed spatially and much of its

resources cannot be economically exploited because rainfall and runoff are

concentrated in three or four summer months. Furthermore, regional

distribution does not match agricultural (irrigation) demand. In northern

China, there is increasing competition for scarce water resources between

rapidly growing urban consumption and agricultural demand. Agriculture is

constrained by insufficient water in the north and its limited cultivable

land/pasture.

In response to the Strategy Action Project on Chinese and Global Food

Security in October 1997, which revealed growing water shortages in major food

processing areas of China with falling water tables and severe water pollution,

Lester R. Brown, President of the Worldwatch Institute said: " the information

gathered here and elsewhere leads me to conclude that water will be an even

bigger problem for China than I had originally expected. " Rivers and lakes are

increasingly being polluted by the industrial and urban sectors that increase

the risk that soil on irrigated fields will be degraded.

Environmental pollution by livestock has been recognised by the Chinese

Academy of Agricultural Sciences, mainly in some large-scale and intensive

sectors. They have also acknowledged lower productivity of livestock, labour

power and feed conversion, and higher animal mortality rates.

There is serious degradation of grassland in China, particularly the

rangeland in north-western China.

Three quarters of China's population is rural and depends on agriculture for

two-thirds of their incomes. Protecting and developing these incomes and

maintaining growth in agriculture is a national concern - and one that depends

on better irrigation.

China imported around 4.3 million tons of soybean meal in 1997/8, making

it the largest soy meal import market.

The German aid agency, GTZ, is developing a technical assistance

project in co-operation with the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture to develop

environmental strategies in connection with intensive agriculture in the north

China plain. They have conducted environmental assessments in preparation for

the project. The project introduction states that the treatment of animal

excreta has become a headache for China, adversely affecting sustainable

development of livestock farming. In 1997, the total amount of excreta

produced from livestock was calculated to be more than 1.7 billion tons.

 

Beef

 

Traditional farming methods, with many farmers keeping small numbers of

cattle, were considered environmentally sustainable. However, the system of

rearing large number in state farms in grassland areas peripheral to China's

densely populated central regions is considered both environmentally unsound and

wasteful use of land near population centres. Large scale commercial cattle

raising in feedlots (by specialised households) is a very recent development and

is considered environmentally retrograde.

 

 

Animal Protection Society Contacts

 

International Fund for Animal Welfare - IFAW China

Contact: Aster Zhang Li

1125~26 Golden Land Plaza

32 Liang Ma Qiao Road, Chaoyang Distr.

Beijing 100016

Phone: 86 10 6464 3599/6460 4888

Fax: 86 10 6464 3522

Email: " Zhang, Aster Li " <azhang; " Li, Yan Maggie " <yli

HYPERLINK " http://www.ifaw.org/ "

IFAW began working in China in 1994 to draw attention to the cruelty and

conservation threat to Asiatic black bears farmed for their bile for traditional

Chinese medicine. Since then, IFAW's programmes have expanded to cover a range

of animal welfare and conservation issues throughout the country (and approaches

include environmental education).

 

Government/Political Contacts

 

Ministry of Agriculture

11 Nong Zhan Guan Nan Li 11

East District

Beijing 100026

Tel: + 86 1 6419 3366 or 6500 3366

Fax: + 86 1 6419 2488 or 6500 2448

Minister -Chen Yaobung

The Ministry of Agriculture has established a complete service network for

animal husbandry and veterinary matters. This includes a national animal

husbandry and veterinary general station, and the provinces, prefectures,

counties and townships have established their own animal husbandry stations

(which work as technical extension and service bodies). The Department of

Animal Husbandry and Health of the Ministry of Agriculture is the body

responsible for the administration of national animal husbandry and veterinary

matters.

 

State Bureau of Environmental Protection

115 Xi Zhi Men Nei, Xiao Sie

East District

Beijing 10035

Tel: + 86 1 6601 1199

Fax: + 86 1 6601 1194 - Xie Zhenhua

 

State Bureau of Land Administration

25 Da Liu Shou Bei Chung

Hai Dian District

Beijing 100081

Tel: + 86 1 6832 1166

 

China Centre for Economic Research

Peking University

Beijing 100871

Tel: + 86 1 6275 1475

Fax: + 86 1 6275 1474

E-mail: HYPERLINK " FengLu "

FengLu

Contact: Dr Feng Lu, Economics Doctor

 

Ministry for Water Resources

1 Bai Guang Lu Er Tiao

Guang An Men

Xuan Wu District

Beijing 100761

Tel: + 86 1 6326 0494

Fax: + 86 1 6326 0365

Minister - Niv Maosheng

 

State Information Centre (SIC)

58 Sanlihe Road

Beijing 100045

Phone: + 86 1 6855 7203

Fax: + 86 1 6855 8561

Web Site: HYPERLINK " http://www.ihep.ac.cn/ins/SIC/sic.html "

http://www.ihep.ac.cn/ins/SIC/sic.html

 

China Green Food Development Centre

Tel: + 86 1 6422 8888-7205

Fax: + 86 1 6422 1175

E-mail: HYPERLINK " cgfdc,cn " cgfdc,cn: Liang Zhichao

The China Green Food Development Centre, which was launched more than

ten years ago, registers companies applying to use green food labels. They

arrange expert assessment visits and approve as appropriate. Green food labels

have two levels: Grade AA (free from pesticides and fertilisers) and Grade A

(limited application).

 

State Statistical Bureau

Web Site: HYPERLINK " http://www.stats.gov.cn/ " http://www.stats.gov.cn/

 

Academic/Research/Veterinary

 

Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine

No.33 Nongfengli

Dongdaqiao

Beijing 100020

Tel: + 86 1 65002974 65005934 65938650

Fax: + 86 1 65005670

E-mail: HYPERLINK " caavxshb "

caavxshb

Contacts: Prof. Chen Yaochun, President; Shi Juan, Secretary

The CAAV has about 60,000 members across China, consisting of professionals

working in animal husbandry and veterinarians. It works in the field of

technical information and exchange, including overseas contacts.

 

Institute of Animal Science

Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

2 Yuanmingyuan West Road

Haidian

Beijing 100094

Tel: + 86 1 62895372 62895371

Fax: + 86 1 62895351

E-mail: HYPERLINK " xmskyczy "

xmskyczy

Contacts: Xu Jinhua, Associate Professor. Tel: 62815862; Xu Shang Zhong,

Animal Breeding and Genetics - Associate Professor and Secretary General. Tel:

62890940; Dr Wang Lixian, Swine Science Division - Associate Professor. Tel:

62899906; Li Dong, Prof. Researcher. Tel: 62816005.

Institute of Animal Science was founded in 1957 and falls under the Chinese

Ministry of Agriculture. It has 190 staff, including 50 senior research

fellows. The Institute is a national body, and carries out research,

extension and training. It has five research divisions at Haidan: Nutrition

and feed; Feed crops; Genetics; Animal reproduction; Biotechnology; and an

experimental farm (in another county).

 

China Agriculture Science WWW (CAW)

Web Site: HYPERLINK " http://www.chinainfowww.com/caw/ "

http://www.chinainfowww.com/caw/

CAW's Web Site includes information on all aspects of China's

Agriculture Sciences and Technologies. The main tasks of CAW are:

To introduce on the WWW: All Agricultural Academies, Agri.

Institutes, Agr. Research groups, Agri. Extension Stations, Agri. Science

Management Organisations etc. in China to promote the information exchange and

co-operation in research, education and agricultural technological trade within

China and between China and other countries.

To provide information and consultation services for all agricultural

scientists, professors, experts, managers, farmers, agricultural officers

in China and abroad with the most recent information on China's Agriculture and

technology.

 

International Organisations

 

United Nations Development Programme

2 Liangmahe Nanlu

Beijing 100600

Tel: + 86 1 6532 3731 - 388

Fax: + 86 1 6532 2567

E-mail: HYPERLINK " undp " undp

Web Site: HYPERLINK " http://www.edu.cn/undp/ " http://www.edu.cn/undp/

Contact: Jia Lusheng, Senior Programme Officer

E-mail: HYPERLINK " lusheng.jia " lusheng.jia

UNDP's role in China is primarily " capacity building " - education,

poverty alleviation and gender/environmental issues, and its work focus has

changed from technical transfer to human development. It has conducted

agricultural training, but not for livestock production. UNDP works at the

macro policy level. Poverty alleviation programmes have involved livestock

projects, but on a very small scale - for example, in Muslim areas there are

programmes involving just a couple of sheep per household. UNDP policy

encourages mixed farming (some crops, animals, fruit etc.). it also

encourages projects involving the production of " biogas " from farm wastes.

 

Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)

Jianguomenwai 4-2-151

Beijing 10060

Tel: + 86 10 6532 2835

Fax: + 86 10 6532 5042

Web Site: HYPERLINK " http://www.fao.org " http://www.fao.org

Contact: Xu Ji, National Professional Officer

E-mail: HYPERLINK " xu.ji " xu.ji

The FAO's programmes in China depend largely upon the nature of requests

from the Chinese government e.g. technical assistance, information etc. FAO

liaises closely with the PRC Ministry of Agriculture in matters such as

policy/strategy. For example, they worked with the government to develop a

national strategy in preparation for the 1996 World Food Summit. The FAO in

China has not given technical assistance as regards Chinese slaughterhouses.

 

World Bank Country Office in China

9th Floor, Building A

Fuhua Mansion

No. 8, Chaoyangmen Beidajie,

Dongcheng District

Beijing 100027

Tel: +86 10 65543361 ext. 2030

Fax: +86 10 65541686

General E-mail: HYPERLINK " lli2 " lli2

(Ms. Li Li)

Contact: Juergen Voegele, Rural sector coordinator

E-mail: HYPERLINK " jvoegele " jvoegele

The World Bank office in China does not support intensive farming - mainly

because it believes that the market does this. But it does support some

livestock programmes at individual household level, mostly cattle, but also

(albeit very little) chicken/ducks (backyard and small cage units) and

sheep/goats (although sheep and goats are less favoured as the Bank believes

there are too many sheep and goats in China, and grazing is causing land

degradation and desertification).

 

International Finance Corporation

9/F, Tower B, Fuhua Mansion

No 8, Chaoyangmen Beidajie

Dongcheng District

Beijing 100027

Tel: +86 10 6554 4191

Fax: +86 10 6554 4192

Contact: Li Yao, Project Officer

e-mail: HYPERLINK " yli2 " yli2

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank, was

established in 1956 with a mandate to promote private sector investment in

developing countries (with the aim of reducing poverty and improving people's

lives). China is now IFC's fastest growing client country and also ranks as

IFC's ninth largest client country. It works through financing private sector

project, helping mobilise finance and providing advice and technical

assistance. There is no standard application form, or set strategy for IFC

financing. They are ready to be approached with any new venture or expansion

plan. IFC will appraise each on its merits. IFC supports several agribusiness

projects in China.

 

GTZ

Sunflower Tower Room 1100

Maizidian St. 37

Chaoyang District

Beijing 100016

Tel: +86 10 8527 5180 ex. 20

Fax: : +86 10 8527 5185

E-mail: HYPERLINK " gtzchina " gtzchina

Contact: Dr Axel Doerken

E-mail: HYPERLINK " doerken " doerken

GTZ is the German development aid agency. It has a technical assistance

project on the environmental impact of intensive agriculture in the north China

plain.

 

Industry

 

PIC China

Shanghai Branch

Office 1202

37 Shuicheng South Rd (N)

Shanghai 201103

Tel: + 86 21 6270 2737

Fax: + 86 21 6270 2590

E-mail: HYPERLINK " picchina " picchina

 

 

 

 

Sources:

 

Background Country Information

CIA Factbook. HYPERLINK http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/

http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ . Accessed 8/5/99.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advice. HYPERLINK

http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/ http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/ . Accessed June

1999

Source: United Nations Publications. Country at a Glance. HYPERLINK

http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation/e_infonation.htm

http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation/e_infonation.htm Accessed 17

August 1999.

World Bank Group Countries HYPERLINK

http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/offrep/

http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/offrep/ . Accessed 19/5/99.

United Nations Agenda 21 - Natural Resources

HYPERLINK http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/japan/natur.htm#agro

http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/japan/natur.htm#agro . Accesses

23 June 1999.

" Traditional " Livestock Farming

Unites States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

International Agriculture and Trade Reports: China - Situation and Outlook.

July 1998.

Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC), UK - Economics Department. Country Fact

File - China. Updated October 1997.

Justin Yifu Lin. Agricultural Development and Reform in China. International

Agricultural Development. 3rd Edition. 1998. Edited by: Carl K. Eicher &

John M. Staatz. John Hopkins University Press.

Ahmed E. Sidahmed et al. The impact of the shift from central planning to

market economies on livestock systems in Asia and Eastern European countries:

The experience if IFAD. Invited paper for presentation at the international

symposium on " Strategy for Agricultural Technology Development in the Northern

Area of the Korean Peninsula " . Kangwon Korea. September 22-27 1997.

Department of Animal Husbandry and Health; China National Feed Industry Office;

Ministry of Agriculture; People's Republic of China. A Brief Introduction on

China's Animal Husbandry. July 1999.

Ma Chuang and Zhao Qinghua, China features, Beijing. China's waterfowl

production takes off. World Poultry - Elsevier. Volume 14, No. 4, 1998.

National Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Service, China Web Site. HYPERLINK

" http://www.cav.net.cn/xmj/eng/97xumu.htm "

http://www.cav.net.cn/xmj/eng/97xumu.htm . Accessed 6 April 1999.

Wang Mengjie and Ding Yi. The importance of work animals in rural China. World

Animal Review 86. 1996/1. FAO.

Meetings during personal visit in April 2000: -

The United Nations Development Programme, Beijing

The World Bank, Beijing

Food & Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Beijing

Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing

Development of Factory Farming

Zhang Cungen, Institute of Agricultural Economics, Chinese Academy of

Agricultural Sciences, Beijing. " The Livestock Revolution in China " .

Proceedings of the workshop on the implications of the Asian economic crisis for

the livestock industry. Held in Bangkok, 6-9 July 1999. FAO.

Allan N. Rae, Centre for Applied Economics and Policy Studies, Massey

University, New Zealand. China's development, food consumption and livestock

feed policy interactions. Agricultural Policies in China. OECD.

Gigi Di Giacomo. China: a dragon in reserve? Institute for Agriculture and

Trade Policy. October 1997.

Wen Chihua. Obesity: a growing problem. China daily. 7 September 1999.

China Agriculture Project. The Millennium Institute. HYPERLINK

" http://www.igc.org/millennium/chinaag/summaries/Livestock.htm "

http://www.igc.org/millennium/chinaag/summaries/Livestock.htm Accessed 27 July

1999.

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (non-governmental

research organization located in Austria).

http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/LUC/ChinaFood/argue/argue_01.htm. Accessed 5

April 2000.

Unites States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

International Agriculture and Trade Reports: China - Situation and Outlook.

July 1998.

Albert Nyberg and Scott Rozelle. Accelerating China's Rural Transformation.

The World Bank, Washington DC, USA. August 1999.

Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC), UK - Economics Department. Country Fact

File - China. Updated October 1997.

China Online. China relaxes import regulations on US agricultural products.

HYPERLINK

" Http://chinaonline.com/industry/agriculture/currentnews/secure/B100032401.asp "

Http://chinaonline.com/industry/agriculture/currentnews/secure/B100032401.asp .

Accessed 32 March 2000.

VIV China. HYPERLINK " http://www.viv.net " http://www.viv.net . Accessed 15

February 2000.

Foot and Mouth out of Control. Pig Progress Volume 15, No. 5 1999.

Dr Cai Boaxiang, Director of Animal infectious diseases research laboratory,

Nanjing Agricultural University. World Review - China. Respiratory Diseases

Pig Progress 1998.

Pig Progress special June 1998.

Anabel Evans. Shanghai breathes fire into primary production. PIGS-Misset.

Volume 13, no. 4, 1997.

Alfred Sayila, Tradynamics Agency, Zambia. South Africa boosts China's

ostrich sector. World Poultry - Elsevier. Volume 14, No. 7 '98.

China Dominates the Far East Scene. Poultry International. March 1999.

China - characteristics of the egg sector. Poultry international. March 1999.

Ma Chuang and Zhao Qinghua, China features, Beijing. China's waterfowl

production takes off. World Poultry - Elsevier. Volume 14, No. 4, 1998.

Justin Yifu Lin. Agricultural Development and Reform in China. International

Agricultural Development. 3rd Edition. 1998. Edited by: Carl K. Eicher &

John M. Staatz. John Hopkins University Press.

Zhao Huanxin. Animal Husbandry to be Beefed Up. China Daily. 13 January 2000.

Department of Animal Husbandry and Health; China National Feed Industry Office;

Ministry of Agriculture; People's Republic of China. A Brief Introduction on

China's Animal Husbandry. July 1999.

Ma Scichuan and Li Wei. Poultry Diseases in China. Poultry International.

September 1998.

Stewart Truelsen. The China Factor in American Agriculture. From the American

Farm Bureau. For the week of November 22, 1999.

Reuters. China trade to benefit U.S. HYPERLINK

" http://cnnfn.com/1999/11/24/asia/wires/china_dairy_wg/ "

http://cnnfn.com/1999/11/24/asia/wires/china_dairy_wg/ Accessed 24 November

1999.

Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.

HYPERLINK " http://www.econ.ag.gov/briefing/wto/china.htm "

http://www.econ.ag.gov/briefing/wto/china.htm Accessed 31 March 2000.

Jasper Becker. Safety fears as scientists play God. South China Morning Post.

July 10 1999.

The Sowetan (Johannesburg). SA and China sign trade deals. By Wagheid Misbach,

Political correspondent. April 28 2000.

World Bank. Agricultural productivity and the rural economy: China.

HYPERLINK

" http://wbin0018.worldbank.org/eap/eap.nsf/a71f97484cde7250852567c900767289/6049\

af06c4b92427852567d1006bf6f1?OpenDocument "

http://wbin0018.worldbank.org/eap/eap.nsf/a71f97484cde7250852567c900767289/6049a\

f06c4b92427852567d1006bf6f1?OpenDocument . Accessed January 2000.

China - smallholder cattle development project. Project ID CNPE45264.

HYPERLINK " http://www.worldbank.org/pics/pid/cn045264 "

http://www.worldbank.org/pics/pid/cn045264 . Accessed 17 March 2000.

Factory Farming in China. EarthCare News. December 1998.

Hajime Nabeta. IFAD?s experience in supporting smallholder poultry production

systems. Technical issues in rural poverty alleviation. Staff working paper

21. August 1997.

Grassland Management and Livestock Production in China. Report of the

sustainable agriculture working group. China Council for the International

Co-operation on Environment and Development. China Environment Science Press.

1998.

Meetings during personal visit in April 2000: -

Representatives/exhibitors at VIV-China intensive livestock trade fair, China

International Exhibition Centre. 18-20 April 2000.

The United Nations Development Programme, Beijing

The World Bank, Beijing

International Finance Corporation (IFC), Beijing

Food & Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Beijing

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Beijing

Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing

Farm Animal Welfare Problems

European Commission. Report on a routine veterinary mission to the People's

Republic of China on animal and public health. 19 September - 1 October 1998.

XXIV/1452/98-MR-Final.

Environmental and Resource Problems Associated with Factory Farming

Zhang Linxiu, Huang Jikun, Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Institute

of Agricultural Economics, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Scott

Rozelle, Department of Economics, Stanford University, USA. Agricultural

Policies in China. OECD.

World Bank. Agricultural productivity and the rural economy: China.

HYPERLINK

" http://wbin0018.worldbank.org/eap/eap.nsf/a71f97484cde7250852567c900767289/6049\

af06c4b92427852567d1006bf6f1?OpenDocument "

http://wbin0018.worldbank.org/eap/eap.nsf/a71f97484cde7250852567c900767289/6049a\

f06c4b92427852567d1006bf6f1?OpenDocument . Accessed January 2000.

HYPERLINK " http://www.worldbank.org/pics/pid/cn045264 "

http://www.worldbank.org/pics/pid/cn045264 . Accessed 17 March 2000.

Grassland Management and Livestock Production in China. Report of the

sustainable agriculture working group. China Council for the International

Co-operation on Environment and Development. China Environment Science Press.

1998.

Factory Farming in China. EarthCare News. December 1998.

China human development report - human development and poverty alleviation 1997.

United Nations Development Programme.

Agenda 21. China's report. HYPERLINK

" http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/china/natur.htm#agro "

http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/china/natur.htm#agro . Accessed

20 August 1999.

Albert Nyberg and Scott Rozelle. Accelerating China's Rural Transformation.

The World Bank, Washington DC, USA. August 1999.

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (non-governmental

research organization located in Austria).

http://www.iiasa.ac.at/LUC/ChinaFood/argu/argu_01.htm. Accessed 6 February

2000.

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (non-governmental

research organization located in Austria).

http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/LUC/ChinaFood/indepth/id_7.htm. Accessed 5

April 2000.

Unites States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

International Agriculture and Trade Reports: China - Situation and Outlook.

July 1998.

Millennium Institute: China Agricultural Project. HYPERLINK

" http://www.igc.org/millennium/chinaag/prlong.html/ "

http://www.igc.org/millennium/chinaag/prlong.html/ Accessed 27 July 1999.

Zhang Cungen, Institute of Agricultural Economics, Chinese Academy of

Agricultural Sciences, Beijing. " The Livestock Revolution in China " .

Proceedings of the workshop on the implications of the Asian economic crisis for

the livestock industry. Held in Bangkok, 6-9 July 1999. FAO.

 

 

This report has been made possible with the support of the International Fund

for Animal Welfare