Animal breeding research in South Africa.
During the 1979/80 financial year R310 million or 0,64 % of the GNP was spent on research. Of this amount 89,28 % was spent on research in the natural sciences and 10,72 % on the humanities. The three main areas were Commerce and Industry (95 million) Agriculture (R51 million) and Mining (R29 million). Of the 2061 projects undertaken in the field of agriculture 271 or 13,3 % related to animal science, and animal breeding research comprised 40 % of these projects. It is therefore clear that breeding research is considered a high priority in the field of animal production. The Animal and Dairy Science Institute at Irene is by far the most active organization in this field, followed by the five universities with faculties of agriculture and the seven regional offices of the department of agriculture. The different projects are broadly classified into four categories: strategy, breed improvement, evaluation of breeds and crosses, and supportive animal breeding research. Strategic studies such as breed structure analysis, flock composition, long-term selection and the analysis of data generated by the five different state-sponsored livestock improvement schemes (dairy cattle, beef cattle, pigs, mutton sheep and woolled sheep) form a major part of the breeding research in this country. The other three categories receive more or less equal attention. To stimulate a better diffusion of information gained from breeding research the creation of a special data base linked to the nation