Evaluation of sheep and goats breeding system and the subsidies paid in Askos village community of Lagadas county, Prefecture of Thessaloniki

The purpose of this research was to investigate the breeding system of sheep and goats in the village community of Askos, in Lagadas county, Thessaloniki Prefecture with special emphasis on the subsidies that the farmers received for their animals. In the study area there were 24 exploitations of sheep and goats with more than 10.000 animals. Most of the flocks didn’t move during the year, but half of goat herds moved to the uplands within the territory of the village during the summer period. The breeding system of sheep and goats was based on the utilisation of rangelands during the whole year, artificial pastures during spring, cereal stubble during summer, and on the extensive use of feedstuffs (0.5-1.9 kg/animal/day). The mean distance travel of goats during spring and summer was greater (10.1 and 12.7 km/day) than that of sheep (6.1 and 8.5 km/day) respectively. Feedstuffs resulted in high milk production (0.6 kg/goat/day and 0.5 kg/sheep/day). The farmers received two kinds of subsidies for their animals, exisotiki and a prim per head of eligible animals. The sum of the latter two, in average for each adult animal was found to be 30.7 €.