Nutrition for Sheep-meat Production

In most developed countries, food production exceeds the demand. Affluent consumers become more selective about their purchase and consumption choices, and these depend as much on ethical and emotional considerations as on strict nutritional grounds. The perception that dietary fat, in general, and saturated fat, in particular, are linked to obesity, circulating cholesterol and cardiovascular disease is common. This perception has dramatically affected the demand for animal products, especially for red meat. This trend is expected to continue, so that the challenge facing the sheep-meat industry is to produce lean, healthy meat under humane, ecologically sound conditions. This will require a solid scientific and technical foundation in the biology underlying animal production.