Key Milestones in European Union History and Livestock Farming
European Union Expansion Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1951 | France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, and Luxembourg signed the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community in Paris. |
| 1957 | Creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) with the signing of the Treaty of Rome on March 25 by France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. |
| 1973 | Denmark, Ireland, and the UK integrated into the EEC on January 1. |
| 1981 | Greece joins the EEC wing on January 1. |
| 1986 | Spain and Portugal are integrated into the EEC on January 1. That same year, the Single European Act was signed, coming into force on July 1, 1987. |
| 1992 | The Maastricht Treaty was signed in February, and the EEC became known as the EU. The single currency was envisaged for January 1, 1999. |
| 1995 | Austria, Finland, and Sweden join the EU wing on January 1. |
| 2002 | The euro began to circulate on January 1 in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Portugal. |
| 2004 | Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Malta, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia joined the EU wing on May 1. |
| 2007 | Romania and Bulgaria join the EU wing on January 1. Slovenia begins using the euro. |
The Breeding and Feeding of Livestock:
According to the way they breed and feed livestock, cattle farming can be categorized as follows:
- Housed: The cattle are fed with feed at farms or stables. This system is subject to health checks and constant product quality monitoring. It is typical in developed countries of Europe and North America.
- Semi-housed (Semi-estabulada): An extensive form of farming where cattle graze on natural pasture in summer and are housed the rest of the year. It is common in the Atlantic zone of Europe, the U.S., New Zealand, and some high mountain areas.
- Free-range (Housed-no): The animals are fed exclusively on natural pastures. This is an extensive cattle farming method primarily dedicated to meat production. It is practiced in sparsely populated areas of the western U.S., Argentina, Australia, and the Republic of South Africa.
Raw Materials
To develop an industrial product, natural raw materials are necessary. These are found in nature and, when properly processed in industries, become usable products. They fall into three categories: animal, vegetable, and mineral materials.
- Raw materials of animal origin: Such as wool or fur, these come from livestock and are used in the textile industry. Fish is also a raw material used to make preserves, oils, and meals.
- Vegetable raw materials: These may be agricultural products, such as cotton, or forest products like wood.
- Raw materials of mineral origin: Extracted from the subsoil. Most of these minerals cannot be used directly to produce a product, so they undergo transformation to obtain a suitable material for manufacturing. Minerals can be classified into 3 main groups: metallic, non-metallic, and energetic.
Mineral Classifications:
Metallic Minerals
These are the minerals from which metals are extracted. They are very important because they form the basis of the steel and metal industry. This group also includes precious metal ores.
Non-Metallic Minerals
These yield other materials, such as salt or sulfur. Rocks from this group are used primarily in industrial construction.
Energetic Minerals
Carbon, natural gas, uranium, and oil are used to produce energy; therefore, they are called energetic minerals.