The diversity of ruminant rearing systems in Guadeloupe: positions within the industry and its sanitary regulations

摘要

In Guadeloupe, according to farmers, the recent crises in animal health and food security have had as a consequence a substantial increase in the demand for locally produced meat. The latter has the advantage of a distinctly innocuous image, undoubtedly encouraged by the spatial and cultural proximity existing in this small island territory, which is still very rural. The effectiveness of any intervention by the INRA Centre for the French West Indies and Guyana will depend on a better understanding of this reality. The study of ruminant rearing systems, whose results are presented in this paper, constitutes the first stage of a collaborative research involving the animal scientists and agricultural economists of the Centre. We characterised 5 cattleand 4 goat systems. The cattle and goat industries are characterised by the coexistence of a diversity of rearing systems and production strategies, resulting from a range of objectives such as income generation and maintenance of inheritance, includingmarketing and consumption practices. The description of the ruminant systems identified is followed by a hypothesis on the conditions for their existence and their possible evolution in the context of the recent strengthening of the application of French and European regulations.