This plan is formulated to thoroughly implement the decisions and directives of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council, and the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government regarding the active development of the sheep industry, taking into account the actual conditions of our city and in accordance with the guiding principles of the “Opinions of the General Office of the People’s Government of Henan Province on Promoting High-Quality Development of the Sheep Industry” (Yu Zheng Ban [2022] No. 115).
I. General Requirements
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and led by the comprehensive implementation of the Rural Revitalization Strategy, we will implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Focusing on key areas such as high-quality breed breeding, expanding the supply of forage and feed, developing moderate-scale farming, strengthening the prevention and control of major animal diseases, and refining the processing of mutton products, we will optimize industrial layout and strengthen scientific and technological support,accelerate the cultivation of industrial clusters and major sheep-farming counties, improve the slaughter, processing, and cold-chain systems, build a complete industrial chain, and promote the integrated development of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. The goal is to cultivate the sheep industry into a key channel for increasing farmers’ income and a pillar industry for rural revitalization, and to establish our city as a nationally renowned processing and supply base for prepared mutton products.
II. Objectives and Tasks
Focusing on the entire sheep industry chain, we will optimize and adjust the industrial layout, vigorously promote large-scale and standardized farming, and build competitive and distinctive industrial clusters in the sheep sector. We will strengthen and expand the slaughter and processing of meat sheep as well as the production and processing of prepared meat dishes. By 2025, we aim to increase the city’s sheep population to 1.8 million head and raise the live sheep slaughter capacity of enterprises above a certain scale to 1.5 million head.By 2030, a modern industrial system, production system, and management system for the sheep industry will be fully established, and the level of integrated industrial development will lead the province.
III. Work Measures
(1) Optimize Industrial Layout. Based on the actual development of our city’s sheep industry, we will establish a “Three Belts and One Zone” development pattern and improve a modern industrial system featuring the coordinated development of the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. We will create key regions for meat sheep farming, encouraging Yuanyang, Changyuan, and Fengqiu to develop meat sheep farming belts along the Yellow River floodplains, and Huixian and Weihui to develop meat sheep farming belts in the hilly areas along the Taihang Mountains;Enhance forage and feed supply capacity by encouraging Yanjin, Yuanyang, Fengqiu, Changyuan, and the Pingyuan Demonstration Zone to fully utilize peanut stalks and forage resources, foster and expand forage and feed processing enterprises, and establish high-quality forage belts; vigorously develop sheep meat product slaughtering and processing, with a focus on Yuanyang and the Pingyuan Demonstration Zone, to develop and strengthen leading enterprises in prepared meals and create a food processing hub.
(2) Advance the development of a high-quality breeding system. Leverage the advantages of the Central Plains Agricultural Valley to coordinate the construction of Henan Province’s livestock genetic resource gene bank, effectively protect, develop, and utilize sheep germplasm resources, and enhance breeding standards.Advance the development of the high-quality meat sheep breeding system; support the construction of breeding farms for meat sheep breeds such as the Huanghuai meat sheep; and provide subsidies to farms that conduct production performance testing in accordance with requirements. Support meat sheep breeding farms in establishing national and provincial-level core breeding stations, and ensure the implementation of higher-level incentive policies. Leverage the advantages of national-level core breeding stations to transform Changyuan City into a key provincial base for the supply, conservation, and development of new varieties of the Small-tailed Han sheep.Encourage the establishment of new Huanghuai meat sheep breeding farms in Yuanyang County to develop Yuanyang into a key Huanghuai meat sheep breeding base in Henan Province. Encourage breeding entities to utilize Huanghuai meat sheep, Dorper, and Australian White breeds to crossbreed and improve Small-tailed Han sheep and Hu sheep, thereby developing meat sheep breeds that meet the requirements of centralized slaughter.
(3) Develop standardized farming at an appropriate scale. Vigorously promote development models such as “company + cooperative + farmer” and “collective (investment platforms, etc.) establishing farms, with farming entities managing operations.” In accordance with requirements for territorial spatial planning and ecological and environmental zoning controls, develop large-scale farming in a manner suited to local conditions. Guide farmers, cooperatives, and family farms to leverage their comparative advantages and expand the scale of breeding ewe herds; guide large-scale farms to increase production and raise standards, and engage in centralized fattening.Encourage large enterprises to establish meat sheep breeding bases across the city and even the province to increase the self-sufficiency rate of sheep. Strive to reach a total sheep population of 1.8 million head in the city by 2025, with the proportion of large-scale sheep farming rising to 20%.
(4) Accelerate the development of competitive and distinctive meat sheep industry clusters. Building on the strengths of our city’s sheep industry, we will focus on the secondary processing sector. Relying on key local leading enterprises in the high-quality sheep industry and aligning with the province’s sheep industry development, we will accelerate the construction of competitive and distinctive sheep industry clusters and strive to secure central and provincial government funding projects. We will implement an efficiency-enhancement initiative for meat sheep slaughter and processing, encouraging enterprises to establish long-term meat sheep procurement and sales partnerships with other provinces to ensure sufficient supply for slaughter and processing.Support slaughter enterprises in upgrading existing facilities and equipment, and build a high-standard digital and intelligent system for the meat sheep slaughter industry. Encourage slaughter and processing enterprises to optimize product structures, develop the Taihang Black Mountain Goat slaughter project, and foster industries for the comprehensive utilization of leather and wool to extend the industrial chain. Strive to achieve a total output value of 3 billion yuan for the city’s sheep industry by 2025.
(5) Accelerate the Development of Major Meat Goat Counties. Focusing on poverty-stricken areas, low-lying mountainous and hilly regions, and leading slaughter and processing enterprises, we will adhere to government guidance, processing-driven development, farmer-centered operations, financial support, and socialized services. Based on the principle of “small clusters, large-scale operations,” we will cultivate a group of major meat goat counties.Encourage counties designated as major meat sheep production counties to establish mechanisms for connecting production with sales and linking banks with enterprises. Organize various forms of production-sales matching events, brand promotion conferences, and sheep culture festivals to enhance the industry’s influence. By 2025, the goal is to cultivate two major meat sheep production counties, with a total livestock population in these counties reaching over 350,000 head.
(6) Gradually improve the slaughter, processing, and distribution system. Standardize the construction of meat sheep slaughterhouses; wastewater treatment, odor control, and sludge disposal in slaughter and processing operations must comply with national and environmental protection standards. Standardize meat sheep slaughter and implement the “centralized slaughter and centralized quarantine” management system.Strengthen supervision, inspections, and random sampling; strictly crack down on illegal activities such as slaughtering diseased or dead sheep, water injection, and the use of banned additives. Encourage slaughter and processing enterprises to build refrigeration facilities—including cold storage warehouses and low-temperature cutting workshops—and to equip themselves with cold chain transportation equipment. Promote logistics and distribution companies to improve their cold chain delivery systems and enhance their cold chain delivery capacity, guiding the industry to shift from transporting live sheep to transporting mutton and processed products.
(7) Cultivate a production system for pre-packaged mutton products. Attract major and strong enterprises to expand the scale of the pre-packaged food industry. Introduce a group of well-known domestic and international mutton production and processing enterprises to settle in industrial parks to elevate the level of industrial development. Relying on projects, advance the transformation and upgrading of the pre-packaged food industry. Encourage leading enterprises to intensify the development of pre-packaged mutton products such as skewers, ribs, and offal, and utilize emerging platforms like e-commerce to expand product sales.Place greater emphasis on innovation-driven development, leverage the role of the Henan Pre-cooked Meal Industry Alliance, strengthen cooperation with research institutions and universities, and jointly establish innovation platforms such as industrial research institutes and food research institutes. Intensify R&D efforts for pre-cooked lamb products, cultivate product brands, and enhance competitiveness. Encourage enterprises to pursue certification for green foods, organic agricultural products, and agricultural product geographical indications. Cultivate and strengthen local lamb brands to increase market influence.
(8) Effectively implement animal disease prevention and control. Strengthen comprehensive prevention and control measures, including basic immunization, monitoring, screening, and disinfection. Continue to effectively manage major animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and peste des petits ruminants, as well as zoonotic diseases like brucellosis. Support breeding sheep farms and large-scale breeding operations in establishing disease-free farms and zones free of specified animal diseases; prioritize policy support for successful initiatives to enhance biosecurity levels.Establish a coordinated mechanism for disease prevention and quarantine, implement systems for quarantine declaration, arrival reporting, and quarantine observation, and ensure that “all required inspections are conducted.”Fully implement the registration system for livestock and poultry transport vehicles and personnel, strengthen supervision of cross-regional live sheep transportation, and strictly manage designated transport routes. Implement national, provincial, and municipal requirements regarding the strengthening of grassroots animal and plant disease prevention and control systems. Integrate animal disease prevention and control into the overall planning of rural revitalization and grassroots governance. Take effective measures to improve the system, refine organizational structures, ensure adequate staffing, and secure funding to guarantee that “there are people to carry out the work and manage the tasks.”
(9) Increase the supply of high-quality forage. Focusing on core grain-producing areas and counties designated for meat sheep development, guide the establishment of a group of socialized service organizations specializing in the “planting, harvesting, processing, storage, transportation, and marketing” of straw and forage. Improve infrastructure and equipment, enhance service capacity and quality, and promote effective linkage between production and sales.Promote technologies for the development and utilization of high-quality green and roughage feed resources, and expand the planting area of high-quality forage crops such as silage corn. Prioritize major meat sheep counties and emerging counties in the “grain-to-forage” pilot projects. Promote processing technologies such as green (or yellow) silage and micro-silage of crop straw, implement projects for the comprehensive utilization of crop straw, and increase the feed utilization rate of straw from crops such as peanuts, corn, and wheat.Provide full subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery for straw collection and baling, forage silage, and harvesting and processing to enhance mechanization levels. Strive to achieve a feed utilization rate of over 25% for edible straw citywide by 2025.
(10) Strengthen scientific and technological support. Seize the favorable opportunity presented by the establishment of the Central Plains Agricultural Valley in Xinxiang and support breeding sheep enterprises in setting up operations within the “Central Plains Agricultural Valley.”Support platforms such as universities, research institutes, technology extension agencies, and industrial technology strategic alliances to conduct R&D, integration, and demonstration of key technologies—focusing on seed industry revitalization, meat sheep breeding, forage and feed production, disease prevention and control, and the resource utilization of manure and wastewater—to develop specialized meat sheep breeds (lines) with high fertility and rapid growth. Projects demonstrating significant results will be prioritized for recommendation to provincial and municipal-level major science and technology projects.Encourage county-level governments to provide comprehensive technical services—including breeding, feeding, diagnosis and treatment, and disease prevention—to farms (households) through means such as purchasing third-party services. Strengthen the development of grassroots livestock technology extension agencies, improve the cold-chain transportation system, enhance the level of socialized services at artificial insemination service stations, and bridge the “last mile” in the promotion of high-quality breeds.
IV. Support Measures
(1) Strengthen Organizational Leadership. Expand the municipal-level leadership task force for beef and dairy cattle industry development into a leadership task force for cattle and sheep industry development. This task force will be responsible for organizing research on relevant policies and measures, and for coordinating departments including agriculture and rural affairs, science and technology, industry and information technology, finance, natural resources and planning, and rural revitalization to jointly promote the high-quality development of the sheep industry.All counties (cities) and districts must prioritize the development of the sheep industry, establish a working mechanism driven by the government (administrative committees) and involving interdepartmental collaboration, clarify objectives and tasks, tighten and solidify responsibilities, and implement measures in detail to ensure tangible results in the development of the sheep industry.
(2) Strengthen Support for Key Resources. The governments (administrative committees) of all counties (cities) and districts shall coordinate agricultural production development funds, animal disease prevention subsidies, and fiscal transition funds for promoting rural revitalization, among other agriculture-related funds, to increase support for the sheep industry. Priority shall be given to supporting the construction of breeding farms, the establishment of core breeding stations, the cultivation of major meat sheep counties, disease prevention, control, and eradication, as well as technology promotion.Sheep industry projects that promote the expansion of village-level collective economies in formerly impoverished villages, ensure stable income growth for the population lifted out of poverty (including those under monitoring and assistance), and improve mechanisms for linking and benefiting farmers shall be given priority for inclusion in the project repository for consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, for the allocation of transition funds, and for implementation.Counties (cities) and districts are encouraged to use special-purpose bonds to support eligible sheep industry projects. The role of agricultural credit guarantee institutions will be actively leveraged to support counties designated for the cultivation of major meat sheep production counties in establishing risk compensation funds and emergency loan renewal revolving funds for the sheep industry, and to ensure the implementation of provincial preferential policies regarding guarantee rates and loan interest subsidies for the sheep industry. Support will be provided to households that have escaped poverty and those under monitoring to raise sheep using small-scale credit for the poor, and banking financial institutions will be guided to increase financial support for enterprises assisting the sheep industry.Counties (cities) and districts are encouraged to include foundation ewes and breeding sheep in the scope of local specialty agricultural product insurance; for those eligible for incentive-based subsidies, the “incentives in lieu of subsidies” policy should be fully implemented.Encourage agricultural investment funds—including those for modern agriculture, comprehensive agricultural development, modern seed industry development, and the World Bank’s Green High-Quality Development initiative—to increase their support for the sheep industry. Land use policies for the sheep industry shall be implemented in accordance with the “Notice of the General Office of the Xinxiang Municipal People’s Government on Issuing the Implementation Plan for the Development of the Meat and Dairy Cattle Industry in Xinxiang” (Xin Zheng Ban [2022] No. 87).
(3) Strengthen market regulation. Establish and improve information monitoring platforms, such as the direct reporting system for large-scale breeding farms, to enhance tracking and monitoring of sheep industry production. Regularly release market monitoring information to scientifically guide production and consumption. Fully leverage the role of industry associations to guide various business entities in voluntarily maintaining and standardizing market competition order.
