Mixed grazing of cattle with sheep and goats as a solution for livestock farmers in Greece and other countries around the Mediterranean Sea: a review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34117/bjdv10n8-020Keywords:
co-grazing, livestock, natural environment, primary productionAbstract
The management of common pastures is often a matter of conflict between cattle farmers and small ruminants (goats and sheep), especially in areas with small pastures and low capacity. This conflict is reflected in a relevant opinion survey in Evrytania (Central Greece) where cattle farmers consider that cattle can graze together with goats and/or sheep while goat and sheep farmers consider that cattle should be restricted to separate pastures. However, international experience as reflected in publications, mainly from the USA, shows that the co-grazing of cattle with goats and/or sheep, under certain conditions, can yield multiple benefits which have not been particularly highlighted in Greece. The aim of this paper is to investigate the potential of co-grazing of cattle with small ruminants and to list the benefits of this practice.
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