In 2016, France ranked 6th in Europe for ewes and mated ewe lambs, with 5.35 million heads including 29% dairy. For meat sheep, the livestock herds are declining where they compete with other types of production (sales culture, beef cattle). Concerning goats, France is the 1st European producer of goat's milk (4th for the number of heads of goats). The goat sector inlcudes more than 6 000 professional breeders where 47% transform their milk on the farm mainly into cheese, 48% deliver their milk to a cheese factory, 5% have "mixed" productions, that is they transform a part of their milk on the farm and deliver the other part to a cheese factory. The ovine herd has 7.2 million ewes (2015), essentially located south of the Loire river with very diverse production models.

The ovine and caprin group wishes to favor interdisciplinary exchanges over a large perimeter from genetics to consumers including:

=> scientists from different INRAE division: Animal Physiology and farming systems - Phase; Action, Transitions and territoiries - Act; Animal Genetics, GA; Econoy and social sciences - EcoSocio; Animal Health, SA

=> scientific and technical institute partners : Anses, Idele

=>partners from professional organizations: Comité national Brebis Laitières (CNBL) and France Brebis Laitière, in dairy sheep; Fédération Nationale Ovine (FNO) and Association Nationale Interprofessionnelles du Bétail et des Viandes (Interbev) for meat sheep and goats; Fédération Nationale des Eleveurs de Chèvres (FNEC) and Association Nationale Interprofessionnelle Caprine (Anicap) for dairy goats.

The group aims to make research in the fields known notably at INRAE and analyzes questions, preoccupations and expectations of the sector. It also contributes to expert studies on subjects such as "Losses and wastes, how to reduce them ? ", "Diversity, a source for resilience ?", and "Agroecology and markets". To favor discussions, the group gets together once or twice a year, preferably at one of INRAE's experimental farms, therefore allowing each member to discover the diversity of our sites and research.

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