The Brazilian green beef: The importance of pasture management for animal performance and quality of the meat

Abstract

Brazil possesses circa 90 million hectares of good quality pastures and 15 million hectares of pastures that are currently in state of degradation. However, according to a report on changes in land cover and use in Brazil, published in 2014, the total area of cultivated pastures saw a reduction in its growth rate from 11.1% in 2010/2012 to 4.5% in the following period. The amount of degraded pasture land in Brazil is estimated to be at around 100 million hectares, including both planted and natural pastures. With the increase in herds and reduction of the planted area, it is necessary to use and improve pasture management techniques in order to increase meat production in Brazil. In fact, current productivity of Brazilian beef cattle, estimated at 5.1 @/ha/year, is considered low. It is a well-known fact that that there is a possibility to improve the efficiency of domestic livestock farming. An increase of just around 20% in the productivity of planted pastures in Brazil would be enough to satisfy the demand for meat, grains, timber products and biofuels for the next 30 years, without the need to incorporate new areas and thus destroy natural ecosystems. This could be done through rational intensification of management process for existing pasture areas, with an emphasis on the recovery of degraded pastures. It is possible to liberate areas for other production activities, reducing deforestation without compromising the supply of food to the population. Therefore, as the territorial, climatic and socioeconomic characteristics of the country predetermine the fact that in the next decades, pastures will continue to play a fundamental role in Brazilian cattle raising, the correct management of pastures and better adaptation to current grazing systems in addition to the genetic quality of beef cattle herds, tend to secure the role of Brazil as a reference in the production of pasture cattle-derived meat. Beef is a healthy source of vitamins, minerals, protein and energy, and the world market on average sells 3 million tons of fresh, chilled and processed meat, which accounts for 26% of world production. Recently, Brazil has become the largest exporter of beef, and the local production is based on animals raised on pasture. Bos taurus indicus is the most widely used genetic group in the country, due to their excellent adaptation to local climatic conditions and fodder. Data from the USDA's Annual Livestock Report shows that by 2017, Brazil's livestock population will reach 226,037 million heads, and of these, 85% will be pasture cattle. This allows for lower production costs, apart from the supply of a healthy product with high nutritional quality and great marketing appeal-the socalled “green beef” or, alternatively, the “grass beef.” The pasture-based production, whose main concern is production of quality meat, depends on the quantity and nutritional value of the fodder offered to the animals. Thus, pasture management leads to an increase in meat quality and higher animal performance, while being more beneficial to human health due to an increase in the amount of good fatty acids.