Livestock production in Central and Eastern European Countries and the Commonwealth of Independent States: Selected issues

Livestock production is considered in 27 countries in transition, belonging to the region of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The paper is not an attempt to describe the current situation in terms of volumes and numbers, but rather to offer some interpretation of development scenarios, particularly in the context of the prospects for the livestock sector. As the livestock sector cannot be independent of the economic and social environment, nor of developments in agriculture generally, an attempt is made to examine the role of the livestock sector in this context. Many restructuring problems persist, which undermine hopes for a competitive livestock sector in CEE and the CIS in the short term. But transition countries are not a homogenous group in any economic, political, social or geographical terms. Some of the deep structural problems, which discourage investment and growth in CEE and the CIS, must be solved in the short term. The future status of the livestock sector is very dependent on structural changes at national, and increasingly at supra-national and global levels. Challenges ahead for most of the countries are to combat poverty and increase participation in a highly-developed European civil society. In fact, this means a balance is needed between maintaining a socially-oriented role for agriculture (and the livestock sector) and pursuing a development strategy more consistent with the market economy. Until agriculture mainly performs the role of a safety net for emergencies, achievement of the balance is challenged.