Scientific justification of the development of sheep farming in Buryatia: potential, prospects (review article)

The article provides a review of the current state and prospects for the development of sheep farming in the Republic of Buryatia, an analysis of the dynamics and structure of the sheep population, their breed composition and productivity. Currently, there are 301.5 thousand heads of sheep in the republic, which is 35.2% of the structure of the herd of agricultural animals. The number of breeding animals has currently increased to 43.2 thousand heads, which is 6.2% of the total population. Six breeding plants and 17 breeding reproducers operate on the basis of 29 certificates for breeding agricultural animals of 10 breeds. Breeding sheep are kept in three farms: two farms are engaged in breeding sheep of the Buryat coarse-wool breed Buubey and one farm - sheep of the Buryat type of the Transbaikal fine-wool breed. Scientists of the Buryat Research Institute of Agriculture – a branch of the Siberian Federal Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences have begun work on improving the productive qualities of the Buryat coarse-wool breed of sheep Buubey based on the genetic potential of the Dorper breed. Targeted selection and breeding work to improve the productive qualities of sheep and create an intensive livestock farming system using combined technologies for keeping animals and providing a feed base will allow creating a breed and types of early maturing, polyestrous, welladapted to local conditions sheep of the meat direction of productivity.