Genetic Resources of Farm Animals of Ukraine and the Impact of Military Aggression on Them

The state of genetic resources of dairy and beef cattle, pigs, sheep and horses in the breeding subjects of Ukraine in the dynamics of 2002–2023 were analyzed and the impact of the russian federation military aggression on the reduction of the breeding stock of existing breeds of farm animals was determined. It has been established that the breed composition of cattle, pigs, sheep and horses in the dynamics of the years is not constant and changes depending on many objective and subjective factors. It was found that the most stable in terms of breed composition and cow population in the dynamics of the last two decades is the dairy and meat cattle breeding industry, in terms of breed composition – horse breeding, and sheep breeding is in the most difficult state. No impact of military aggression on the reduction of the dairy cow population in the breeding subjects of Ukraine during 2021–2023 was found, while the average yield per herd increased by 11.5% in representatives of all breeds, except for the Swiss. At the same time, there is a tendency to increase the number of beef cows by 18.2%, while the average daily gain in breeding has improved by 23.8%. During the 2 years of hostilities, the pig breeding industry of Ukraine lost 23.0% of the number of main sows and three domestic breeds against the background of some increase in multiparity among commercial breeds. The sheep breeding industry has changed both the direction of animal productivity and their breed composition over the past two decades. During the two years of the war, the sheep breeding industry, except for the Fur sheep breed, lost 25.5% of the ewes' population due to the variation in the yield of wool in washed fiber at the level of 1.6–5.0 kg. The number of mares of the Fur sheep breed decreased by 34.4% over the same period, and the number of Karakul and Lambskin obtained from them decreased by 71.3%. The horse breeding industry as a whole has preserved the breed composition both over the past two decades and compared to the pre-war period, but the number of mares in 2023 compared to 2021 decreased by 42.6%, and by 66.9% compared to 2002. The yield of foals per 100 mares in most breeds decreased by 16.6–33.4% with some improvement in the trait in females of the Orlov and russian Trotter breeds and the Ukrainian Riding. There was a loss or significant reduction in the population of breeding females of domestic breeds of various species. The conducted research provides a basis for determining the directions of the revival of the industry in the post-war period.