bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A veterinary model for the induction of primary nutritional ketosis in dairy cattle
Authors: Whay H. R. , Whitaker D. A. , Mottram T. T. , Dowell A. M.
Published: June 2019

A method for inducing primary nutritional ketosis in dairy cattle was developed in order to evaluate a novel technique for the monitoring of the development of ketosis through to clinical disease state. Six freshly calved, multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows were given a 500 g/kg crude protein pellet in small but frequent meals through an out-of-parlour feeder in conjunction with an allowance of grass silage restricted to 20 kg wet weight per day. Development of the disease was monitored through clinical signs, body condition scoring, weight change measures and metabolic profiling of plasma samples with particular reference to beta-hydroxybutyrate, non-esterified fatty acid and glucose levels. Four animals within the disease model group became clinically ketotic with the remaining two animals showing signs of subclinical ketosis. A further four newly calved cows, which were maintained on a normal production ration to act as a control group, did not develop signs of ketosis.
A centre for the control of animal health and its management: veterinary field studies of dairy cows in Belgium
Authors: Detilleux J. , Arendt J. , Dewaele A. , Lomba F. , Doyen C. , Brumagne L. , Simon D. , Condis F. , Triffoy P.
Published: June 2019

In 1998, the European Community, the Region Wallonne, and the Province du Hainaut funded the project known as the Centre for the control of animal health and its management (CESAM). This project was initiated in the Hainaut province of Belgium to answer problems encountered by cattle producers. Its overall goal is the identification of stages in the entire bovine production process where economic efficiency can be increased. A part of this project aims principally at the study of the impact of health-related problems on dairy production. For this part of the project, 32 veterinarians and 51 farmers started collecting data in the field. The methodology for data collection was based mainly on the harmony between the farmer and the veterinarian. Therefore, several procedures were implemented to ensure adequate motivation of both farmers and veterinarians. Farmers note all events of their livestock using a list, which contains disease events, preventive treatments, reasons for culling, and management practices. A veterinarian visits farms monthly to validate collected data and to discuss specific problems. During these farm visits, veterinarians collect body condition scores on adult cows. Veterinarians record also information on health problems they encounter during their normal practice using an international health data recording nomenclature. A national organization provides unique animal identification system. Production data will be recorded and feeding practices, milking procedures and barn comfort indices will be regularly investigated. All data will be collected on pre-printed documents, scanned at CESAM and centralized in a relational computer database. Criteria to evaluate the quality of the proposed methodology are presented.
Constructions of Parents in Adverse Childhood Experiences Discourse
Authors: Macvarish Jan , Lee Ellie
Published: June 2019

In December 2017, the House of Commons Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee put out a call for submissions to an Inquiry that would consider the evidence-base for early intervention policies, with a particular focus on ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ or ACEs. This article analyses those submissions and the transcripts of the Inquiry’s oral sessions in the belief that they constitute a useful window through which to explore the types of claims being made in ACEs discourse. Our aim is to assess whether the ACEs phenomenon represents a continuity with what has been termed the ‘first three years movement’ (Thornton, 2011a, 2011b) – social policy and philanthropic activism which focuses on the earliest years of life in the name of preventing social problems ‘down the line’. In particular, we consider constructions of parents as determinate of these social problems through their influence on their children and the ways in which these are gendered in new ways.
“France's (Kinder, Gentler) Extremist”: Marine Le Pen, Intersectionality, and Media Framing of Female Populist Radical Right Leaders
Authors: Snipes Alexandra , Mudde Cas
Published: June 2019

Although the populist radical right is generally seen as a particularly masculine and misogynist phenomenon, several of its parties have female leaders. The most prominent is Marine Le Pen, president of the French National Rally (formerly the National Front) and unofficial leader of the European populist radical right. Using insights from intersectionality theory, we posit that Marine Le Pen, as a female populist radical right politician, faces qualitatively different media coverage than both her female and her radical right counterparts. In this study, we analyze her media framing in two French (Le FigaroandLe Monde) and two U.S. (New York TimesandWall Street Journal) newspapers, focusing on the application of gender and populist radical right frames. We find that the “harder” populist radical right frame dominates the “softer” gender frame in all four newspapers, but, paradoxically, the combination of the two frames leads to overall less biased coverage of Marine Le Pen compared with both other female and other populist radical right politicians. In the conclusion, we discuss some of the consequences of the findings for the broader study of female politicians, most notably, theories of intersectionality and the double bind for women in leadership.
Energy and protein utilisation equations in lactating gilts
Authors: Cameron N.D. , Garth G.B. , Fenty R.
Published: June 2019

Nutrition models of energy and protein utilisation have been developed for lactating pigs but there is little or no evidence in the scientific literature of the validation of such models. If there are systematic discrepancies in such models, then inappropriate supply of nutrients will either be an inefficient use of resources with oversupply or have an impact on piglet growth and subsequent reproductive performance of the sow with undersupply. In the current study, lactating gilts were fed isoenergetic diets differing in ileal digestible lysine: energy. Protein and energy utilisation were predicted using existing nutrition equations. The validity of the energy and protein utilisation equations was tested by determining if the predicted energy balance differed significantly from zero or if the predicted protein balance was not significantly less than zero.
Relationships between muscularity indices and carcass traits in Suffolk, Charollais and Texel lambs
Authors: Jones H. E. , Lewis R.M. , Young M. J. , Wolf B.T. , Warkup C.C.
Published: June 2019

Shape of the carcass is considered important commercially and is usually assessed using a subjective score for conformation. Carcasses of higher conformation are perceived to have higher lean to bone (L:B) ratios and give joints of better shape at a weight, characterised as shorter and having a greater thickness of muscle. Some of these benefits have been shown, but so has a positive association between conformation and fatness. Purchas et al. (1991) proposed that muscularity indices could be used as an alternative to the conformation score. The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationships between muscularity, shape of joints and composition within breeds and the relationships between different muscularity indices. Knowledge of the latter relationships is important to determine how many indices are required to adequately describe carcass muscularity.
Evidence for calpastatin cleavage by calpain in postmortem porcine longissimus dorsi
Authors: Sensky P. L. , Parr T. , Bardsley R. G. , Buttery P. J. , Warkup C.
Published: June 2019

Calpastatin is the endogenous inhibitor of the calcium-dependent protease family known as calpains and is thought to be an important determinant of postmortem tenderisation rates in beef, lamb and pork (Koohmaraie, 1996; Parr et al, 1999). Regulation of calpastatin is therefore of great importance if efforts to overcome unpredictable incidences of pork toughness are to succeed. Recent evidence in ovine tissue has shown that calpastatin is susceptible to fragmentation by calpains (Doumit and Koohmaraie, 1999). The ability of calpain to fragment calpastatin in porcine tissue was investigated and the consequences for pork quality are considered.
The role of P450IIE1 protein and mRNA expression in determining adipose tissue skatole level
Authors: Doran E. , Whittington F. , Wood J.D. , McGivan J.D.
Published: June 2019

High concentrations of skatole in adipose tissue are a major factor in boar taint - the offensive odor and taste in cooked pork from some intact male pigs. Skatole is produced by bacterial fermentation of tryptophan in the large intestine, absorbed into the blood and transported into the liver, where it can be metabolised via the cytochrome P450 system. One reason for high skatole levels in pig adipose tissues could be low expression of hepatic cytochrome P450IIE1 in liver and hence a reduced rate of skatole clearance, but no correlation was found between the rate of skatole metabolism and the P450IIE1 content of isolated liver microsomes. The present study re-investigates the relationship between backfat skatole, liver P450IIE1 expression and the rate of microsomal skatole metabolism in two breeds of pigs.
Conjugated linoleic acid in cows milk: independent effects of dietary linoleic and linolenic fatty acids
Authors: Lock A.L. , Garnsworthy P.C.
Published: June 2019

It is desirable to increase the level of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in milk as a health benefit in human nutrition. CLA has been shown to affect carcinogenesis, atherosclerosis, diabetes, the immune system, bone mineralization, body fat accretion and nutrient partitioning. The predominant CLA isomer present in foods from ruminants is cis-9, trans-11 CLA. It is formed in the rumen by anaerobic bacteria as an intermediate in the hydrogenation of linoleic acid. Recent evidence has shown that CLA can also be produced in the mammary gland by desaturation of trans-11 C18:1. Previous researchers have used various oils or oil seeds to try and elevate CLA levels in milk. A problem with this approach is that most oils contain mixtures of fatty acids so responses cannot be attributed to individual acids. Up to now there has been no report looking at how individual fatty acids affect CLA production. The objective of this work was to separate the effects of linoleic and linolenic acids on CLA production in dairy cows.
Influence of wilting time on silage compositional quality and microbiology
Authors: Bouriako I.A. , Shihab H. , Kuri V. , Margerison J. K.
Published: June 2019

Wilting grass before ensiling has become a firmly established practice, since it provides economic advantages due to the increment of the dry matter content of the forage before ensiling. Most forage crops contain less than 20 per cent of dry matter when they are cut thus reduction of the weight of crop to be transported provides advantages (Gordon et al., 1999). Also, research has shown that such practices yield improved and reduced effluent loss from the silo and higher feeding value of the silage. Wilting of grass prior to ensiling has been widely adopted as a means of reducing effluents produced and improving the fermentation quality of silage. The aim of this research was to assess the effect of differing wilting periods and silage moisture levels of silage quality and microbial growth levels.
The nutritive value of native forage plants of Armenia
Authors: Mezhunts B. Kh. , Deaville E. R. , Givens D. I.
Published: June 2019

Armenia is a typical highland country with an average altitude of 1800 m. More than half of its territory is occupied by natural pastures and hay producing areas which form an important source of feed material for animal husbandry. However, in recent years the country has been experiencing an acute shortage of feed materials and as a result the total number of livestock and animal derived products has drastically dropped. During the transition to a market economy the government has been unable to import additional forage materials, therefore there is a need to utilise local resources more rationally. Limited studies of the nutritive value of Armenia’s forage plants has been carried out. Moreover, in previous studies the fundamental criteria for measuring forage quality has been largely limited to an assessment of crude protein (CP), total ash (TA), crude fat (CF), nitrogen-free extractable substances (NFS) and crude cellulose (CC) contents. Only recently have studies been undertaken to assess gross energy (GE) and in-vitro digestible organic matter (OM) in the dry matter (DOMD) contents, and OM digestibility (OMD) and digestible energy (DE) value of OM. The objective of this work was to summarize the published studies on chemical composition and to discuss the results of recent measurements of energy value and in-vitro digestibility of native forages in Armenia in order to facilitate the selection and utilisation of high quality forages by farmers.
The effects of breed and different levels of dietary protein on store lamb finishing performance
Authors: Minter C M , Middlemass C A , Higham S P , Marsden M
Published: June 2019

Efficient lamb finishing is geared to reaching market at a specific time, this is done by regulating growth rates – this may involve using different feeds – in this case varying in crude protein content or using different breeds – crossbreds rather than purebreds. The objectives of this trial were to determine the effect of different feed crude protein level on lamb performance of two breed types.
The effects of chain and feeder position on lying and dunging behaviour of finishing pigs in the presence and absence of straw
Authors: Zonderland J.J. , Spoolder H.A.M.
Published: June 2019

The use of fully slatted flooring and absence of bedding for finishing pigs are being questioned for welfare reasons at Council of Europe level and have already been made illegal in some EU member states. Part slatted flooring offers an alternative, but their success depends to a large extend on the correct use of functional pen areas by the pigs: dunging should take place on the slats, lying on the solid floor. Pen lay-out has a large effect on the degree of pen fouling. The effects of straw provision on the solid floor area are less well documented. The present study tests the hypothesis that pen fouling in a converted standard Dutch pig pen is not affected by straw use, but by the position of the single space feeder as well as the position of a 40 cm chain (toy).
The effect of level of concentrate feeding on the response of lactating dairy cows to dietary inclusion of fodder beet
Authors: Patterson D.C. , Ferris C.P. , Gordon F.J.
Published: June 2019

Traditional options to increase the energy intakes of lactating dairy cows include raising the level of concentrate feeding and/or improving the quality of grass silage. However, each of these options have limited potential to increase total ME intake (Ferris et al., 2000). The inclusion of an additional dietary component, such as whole crop cereal silage or fodder beet constitutes an alternative approach to increase energy intake (Phipps et al., 1995). An experiment was designed to examine the potential of fodder beet to increase the energy intake and performance of lactating dairy cows across a range of levels of concentrate feeding.
Replacing grazing with a maize silage-based indoor diet for lactating dairy cows in autumn
Authors: Hernandez-Mendo O. , Leaver J. D.
Published: June 2019

Reducing the time available for grazing from 20h to 5h daily, and replacing this with access to a maize silage/soyabean meal diet indoors had no significant effect on milk yield in spring (Hernandez-Mendo and Leaver, 1999). Grazing conditions in autumn present additional problems of shorter daylength and accumulated herbage contamination. The objectives were to examine the production and behavioural responses of grazing dairy cows to reducing access to grazing and increasing access to a maize silage/soyabean meal diet offered indoors.
Live weight, condition score andLongissimus dorsiresponses to energy and protein supplies during the dry period in dairy cows
Authors: Jaurena G. , Moorby J. M. , Fisher W. J. , Davies D. W. R.
Published: June 2019

Body fat and protein reserves at calving can affect milk production and composition (Garnsworthy, 1988; Moorbyet al., 1996). Milk producers frequently feed their dry cows with a low quality diet to prevent them from becoming too fat before calving. However, the cow must nourish the foetus and develop mammary secretory tissues, which can be a problem if she is offered a low protein diet. This experiment was designed to test the interaction between energy and protein supplies during the dry period on changes in live weight (LW), condition score (CS) and muscleLongissimus dorsidepth (LD). Subsequent milk production and composition data are reported in a separate summary (Jaurenaet al., 2001).
A comparison of the fertility of Holstein Friesian and Norwegian Dairy Cattle under low and high nutrient input systems
Authors: Crawford A.D. , Mayne C.S. , McCoy M.A. , Lennox D.
Published: June 2019

Until relatively recently, breeding programmes for Holstein Friesian (HF) dairy cattle have focused selection procedures on increasing milk output with little emphasis on secondary traits such as fertility. As a result the fertility of the Holstein Friesian dairy animal is currently declining in the UK. This decline in fertility causes particular problems in seasonal calving dairy herds, where compact calving is crucial to overall performance of this system. In the Norwegian dairy cattle (NC) breeding programme, emphasis has been placed on a multi trait selection procedure including fertility and disease resistance. There is evidence that this selection procedure has resulted in improved fertility within the NC population. The present study is part of an overall programme comparing the performance of HF and NC cattle with respect to food intake, animal performance, nutrient utilisation, behaviour, health, fertility and longevity. The objective of the present study was to investigate possible differences in fertility between the two breeds when offered either a high or a low nutrient input diet based on grass silage.
Epidemiological evidence of effects of EDC on ruminant reproduction
Authors: Kruip Th.A.M. , Meijer G.A.L. , Boerjan M.
Published: June 2019

Fifty percent of Dutch dairy farmers use surface water as the main source of drinking water for their cows during the grazing season. In many locations this surface water is in direct contact with a sewerage overflow. Belfroid and coworkers (1999) have demonstrated that this sewerage overflow surface water contains EDC, in particular xeno-oestrogens. The concentration of conjugated ethinyl-oestradiol, for example, in sewerage water was 0.02 mg/l. During the last decade the fertility of dairy cows has decreased dramatically. There is an increased incidence of cystic ovaries, an increase in the interval from calving to first insemination, an increase in the number of inseminations per pregnancy and more abortions have been recorded. These observations raise the possibility that EDC’s adversely affect reproduction in dairy cows. Meijer et al. (1999) compared the production and fertility of cows on 397 farms that used normal surface water with the production and fertility of cows on 60 farms that used water in direct contact with sewerage overflow. The results showed clearly that cows drinking water that was in direct contact with sewerage overflow produced less milk and had a greater age at first calving. Moreover they exhibited a tendency towards a longer interval between calving and first succesful insemination and tended to have a higher rate of abortions. Boerjan et al. (2001) have recently addressed the issues of concentrations of xeno-estrogens present in soil, in plants, in water and in cow tissues, milk and blood, in order to assess the potential risk to ruminants of xeno-estrogen exposure through soil and water ingestion. Although data are sparse and concentrations of EDC in feed and water of ruminant animals are low, under certain circumstances such as sewerage overflow and sludge-fertilized pasture, they concluded that rates of ingestion of certain xeno-oestrogens may exceed levels at which there is no effect. Since most EDC’s are lipophilic and become concentrated in adipose tissue, the mobilisation of fat during onset of lactation and pregnancy can expose animals to much higher concentrations of xeno-estrogens than are present normally in the environment. Important questions are:

1)

how much of the EDC’s stored in fat cells will enter the blood under certain circumstances

2)

how much of the EDC’s in soil, water and plants will pass the rumen and enter also the blood and

3)

how potent are the different EDC’s i.e. what is the dose response relationship? In order to answer the last question an in vivo animal-model is urgently needed.

We have developed an animal-model, based on the genital tract of an ovariectomized cow; the height and organisation of the endometrial lumen-epithelium, the rate of oedema in the stratum compactum and the electrical resistance of the cervical mucus are sensitive measures of oestrogenic activity.
An overview of Yak Production
Authors: Wiener Gerald
Published: June 2019

14-15 million yak (Poephagus grunniens, or Bos grunniens) provide the mainstay of life of several million people in the vast plateau (approx. 3 million sq. km) on “the roof of the world” - the provinces of Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu in western China, with the largest populations. Other provinces of China and countries, including Nepal, India, Bhutan, Mongolia (0.5 million yak) and some of the Russian Federation have smaller, but locally important populations. A small herd has existed at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park in England for about half a century and a population of 2-3 thousand has now grown in North America.
The behavioural responses of mink (Mustela vison) to deprivation of highly valued resources
Authors: Lewis L. , Cooper J. J. , Mason G.J.
Published: June 2019

The application of micro-economic theory to behavioural priorities has shown that captive animals place a high value on some resources that are denied in captivity and a low value on others (Mason et al. 2001). For example, mink work hard for access to swimming water, but not for tunnels or toys. An alternative measure of value are the animal’s physiological and behavioural responses to denial of resources. In this study, mink were denied access to three resources (food, swimming water and tunnels) and their behaviour recorded for symptoms of deprivation.
Consequences of variation in feeding behaviour for the probability of cows starting a meal as estimated from pooled data
Authors: Yeates M. P. , Tolkamp B. J. , Kyriazakis I.
Published: June 2019

The analysis of short-term feeding behaviour may give insights into how food intake is regulated in farm animals. Food intake is often recorded in terms of feeding events, e.g. visits to feeders, which can be clustered into meals. This enables calculation of the probability of cows starting a meal in relation to time since the last meal, which is thought to give insight into intake regulation. Starting probabilities are often calculated after data have been pooled, e.g. across day and night or across individuals. Recent work suggested that such pooling might have strongly affected previously published conclusions. We therefore constructed simulation models to investigate how such pooling affects interpretation of feeding behaviour and consequently the biological significance attached to results.
The effect of duration of feeding oilseeds to dairy cows on the persistency of response in milk fatty acid composition
Authors: Givens D. I. , Rymer C. , Moss A.R. , Allison R.
Published: June 2019

There is much interest in the manipulation of the fatty acid composition of milk fat so as to improve its health characteristics in the human diet. In an earlier study there was an indication that the concentration of fatty acids in milk may change with time when feeding whole oilseeds rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). In particular a tendency for an increase in CLA and C18:1 and a reduction in C18:2 and C18:3 concentrations with time were seen. The present study was therefore undertaken to examine the changes in the fatty acid composition of milk from high yielding dairy cows fed diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) or PUFA over an extended period.
Postpartum anovulatory intervals in two genotypes of pasture-fed Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle
Authors: McNaughton L.R. , Verkerk G.A. , Parkinson T.J. , Dow B. , Macdonald K.A. , Holmes C.W.
Published: June 2019

In pasture-based dairying systems it is important to maintain a 365-day calving interval, which requires that cows have a rapid resumption of postpartum ovulatory activity and high conception rates. The major form of infertility in New Zealand (NZ) dairy cows is an extended postpartum anovulatory interval (ppai; Macmillan, 2002), a problem that can be exacerbated by low body condition score (BCS) at calving (McDougall, 1995). Furthermore, Holstein cows, originating from North American genetic strains (Overseas; OS), which have been widely used in NZ in recent years, have longer intervals to first mating and conceive later than do NZ strains, suggesting a possible delay in the initiation of postpartum cyclicity (Harris and Winkleman, 2000). Worldwide, there is concern over an apparent decline in the fertility of Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle (Butler et al., 1995; Royal et al., 2000). The purpose of this trial was to determine whether there was a difference in ppai and BCS between NZ and OS Holstein Friesians that may affect reproductive performance.
Optimising the fatty acid composition of beef muscle
Authors: Scollan N.D. , Enser M. , Richardson R.I. , Wood J.D.
Published: June 2019

The Department of Health (1994) recommended people to reduce their intake of total fat and saturated fat and increase that ofn-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to 200 mg/d. The ratio of PUFA:saturated fatty acids (P:S ratio) in the total diet should be >0.4 with ann-6:n-3 ratio of <4. Since fish consumption, a major source of dietary long-chainn-3 PUFA, is low in the UK, research has focused on improving the fatty acid balance of other meats. The objective of this paper is to summarise studies by IGER and the University of Bristol on manipulating fatty acid composition of beef.
Genetic aspects of body weight, body condition score, scrotal circumference and reproductive performance in Italian Holstein young bulls
Authors: Biffani S. , Samoré A.B. , Canavesi F. , Olzi E. , Cassandro M.
Published: June 2019

Apart from all the issues regarding health and undesirable recessive genes, which are determining factors to identify bulls not suitable for AI, there are other aspects which can be considered. The principal aims of AI studs are the selection of the best animals from a genetic point of view and the production of semen in a very short time, in order to start progeny testing as soon as possible. In Italy progeny testing starts when 1200 straws for each young bull are available. This requirement implies that bulls should be in good physical condition. According to this, the genetic centre of the Italian Holstein Breeder Association (ANAFI) has been paying growing attention to animal welfare and fitness, recording routinely some biometrical indicators. Body weight (BW), scrotal circumference (SC), body condition score (BCS) are some examples of this policy and could be helpful and easy predictors of reproductive performance for a young progeny testing dairy bull. The objective of this report was to conduct a preliminary analysis on the genetic aspects of BW, BCS, SC, age at the 1st usable straw (AGE1) and age at the 1200th straw (AGE1200) in Italian Holstein young bulls.
The effect of weaning weight and social challenges on an individual pigs ability to adapt to the postweaning environment
Authors: Edge H. L. , Varley M. A. , Rowlinson P.
Published: June 2019

Feed intake in the days immediately following weaning is both low and variable. This period is critical as low food intakes can lead to reduced digestive efficiency and suboptimal animal welfare. This is of commercial importance as performance around weaning has been shown to impact on the number of days an animal takes to reach a given slaughter weight (Mahan and Lepine 1991). If the variation in an individual’s performance could be characterised in terms of feeding behaviour and/or social status then production systems could be designed to optimise growth. In this trial liveweight gain during the late suckling period and liveweight gain, familiarity with penmates and social status (as determined by weight) after weaning were analysed to assess their impact on the performance of the post weaned pig.
Concentrate restriction and its substitution by liquid whey in feeding of Holstein steers
Authors: Bayat A. R , Valizadeh R. , Naserian A. A.
Published: June 2019

A large quantity of whey is produced in Iran and mostly is discharged into streams and seasonal rivers, which cause environmental pollution. Whey as a nutritious dairy by-product can effectively be fed to ruminants (Bayat et al. 2002). This experiment was conducted to study the effects of concentrate substitution by liquid whey on performance, rumen and blood parameters of the Holstein steers.
The response to concentrate supplementation of dairy cows grazing late summer/autumn grass
Authors: Ferris C. P. , Mayne C. S.
Published: June 2019

While the milk yield response of spring calving dairy cows to concentrate supplementation during the main summer grazing period has been examined in a number of studies, there is little information available concerning the milk yield response to supplementation in late summer/early autumn. With milk yield at this stage of the lactation having declined considerably, supplementation might appear unnecessary. However, herbage quality and availability are also lower in late season, and as such, responses to concentrate supplementation might be expected. This study was conducted to examine the milk yield response to concentrate supplementation of dairy cows grazing late summer/autumn grass.
A decision support system to evaluate the pollution potential of diets for dairy cows
Authors: Kebreab E. , Mills J. A. N. , Crompton L. A. , Dijkstra J. , France J.
Published: June 2019

Agriculture in general, and dairy production in particular, has been identified as one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental pollutants such as nitrogen (N) (as ammonia, N and Nitrous oxides, and N leaching). Availability of cheap sources of protein has led to increased consumption of protein supplements. However, the protein is often utilised inefficiently and excess nitrogen is excreted particularly in urine, which has much more potential to pollute the environment. One of the obvious ways of reducing pollution is by evaluating the pollution potential of diets and formulating more balanced rations. A few technical mathematical models have been published but rarely do they consider more than one pollutant at a time. The objective of the present study was to develop a decision support system (DSS) by first integrating mechanistic models of N (Kebreab et al., 2002) and methane (Mills et al., 2001) with a rumen model (Dijkstra, 1994) and then develop a graphical user interface (GUI) for ease of use and analysis of outputs.
Seasonal variation in in vitro methane production of two perennial ryegrass cultivars
Authors: Lovett D. K. , Bortolozzo A. , McGilloway D. , O’Mara F. P.
Published: June 2019

Previous studies have identified small but significant differences in in vitro methane (CH4) production between perennial ryegrass cultivars harvested pre-heading date. This raises the possibility that enteric CH4 production could be reduced through cultivar selection. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of harvest date on in vitro CH4 output of two cultivars previously identified as having a high and low methanogenic potential (Lovett et al., 2003).
Ruminal N degradability of fresh, wilted and ensiled temperate forages
Authors: Cajarville C. , D’Alessandro J. , Soto C. , Curbelo A. , Garín D. , Repetto J. L.
Published: June 2019

Spring excess of temperate pastures are usually ensiled by Uruguayan farmers. The purpose of this work was to study changes in the ruminal N degradability during wilting and silage fermentation of farm forages in Uruguay.
The effects of nutrition and age on characteristics of fibers Raeini Cashmere goat
Authors: Rafat S. A. , Shodja D. , Karimi H.
Published: June 2019

Traditionally goats are indeed important in Iran especially for milk and fibers. This country has nearly 5000000 cashmere producing goat, which produce approximately 1500 metric ton of raw cashmere. So research on environmental factors which have effect on cashmere production, is very vital to economy of the country. Raeini breed is the most productive Cashmere goat in Iran. However, There are no detailed descriptions of the effects of nutrition on cashmere characteristics in Raeini goat. There is some debate on the effects of nutrition on cashmere growth. In some studies cashmere growth does not respond to increased feed intake above maintenance. While some reviewers have concluded that nutrition does influence cashmere growth (McGregor, 1998). The objective of this study was to describe the effects of feeding level on the cashmere growth of Raeini female goats at two different ages.
Voluntary herbage intake and diet selection in Scottish-Blackface ewes suckling twin lambs and grazing perennial ryegrass/white clover swards with or without protein supplementation
Authors: Hyslop J. J. , Kennedy F. A. , Adamson H. F. , Keatinge R.
Published: June 2019

Mixed perennial ryegrass and white clover swards are often used as the basis of upland sheep grazing systems. This study’s objective was to examine voluntary herbage intake and diet selection in 30 lactating Scottish-Blackface ewes grazing mixed perennial ryegrass (PRG) and white clover (WC) swards supplemented with or without protein. The work was part of a wider study of nutrition and parasitology in organic sheep systems.
The intake and digestibility in Raini male goats fed different ratios of effective rumen degradable nitrogen:sulphur
Authors: Rouzbehan Y. , Rezayazdi K. , Zahedifar M.
Published: June 2019

Nutrient deficiencies, such as sulfur (S), that reduce the activities of rumen microorganisms are liable to reduce food intake (McDonald et al., 1995). Hegarty et al (1994) found that a depression of appetite and digestibility in sheep deprived of sulfur. The amount of sulfur needed to optimize the rumen environment is dependent on several factors such as the level of dietary sulfur and the availability of the effective ruminal degradable nitrogen, ERDN (Underwood and Suttle, 1999). Therefore, this trial was conducted to assess the influence of different ERDN:S ratios on the dry matter intake (DMI) and nutrients digestibility in the male goat of Raini breed, an Iranian native cashmere goat.
Determination of colour on pork muscles by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy
Authors: Cozzolino D. , Barlocco N. , Vadell A. , Galietta G. , Ballesteros F.
Published: June 2019

Colour is an important component of meat quality. Because colour is associated with factors such as freshness and food safety, it is often a primary consideration of consumers when making purchasing decisions (McCaig, 2002). The aim of this work was to explore the use of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to assess colour composition on pork muscle samples from different feeding regimes.
Health management in aquaculture
Authors: Southgate P. J.
Published: June 2019

The management of disease in fish presents many challenges which are not usually encountered in terrestrial animals. The aquaculture environment poses severe limitations on general observation, examination, disease prevention and treatment. Aquaculture has been described as ‘three dimensional farming’ with recognition of health problems often reliant on surface observation, although the use of remote control camera systems is increasing. The ability to carry out adequate observation may be restricted by poor access or adverse weather.
The public and agriculture: the consumer perspective
Authors: McKechnie Sheila
Published: June 2019

Consumers’ Association (CA) campaigns on behalf of all UK consumers. CA is a not-for-profit organisation, funded through the sale of our Which? range of consumer information and products. We are founder members of BEUC, the European consumer organisation and Consumers International (CI), the international federation of consumer organisations.

Food has always been one of our main campaigning areas because it is so central to people’s lives. We have been key players in debates around food policy over the last twenty years and successfully campaigned for the establishment of the Food Standards Agency, following a succession of food scares and a breakdown in consumer confidence in the way that food issues were handled. The over-arching aim of our food campaign is ‘for all consumers to have access to food that is safe, nutritious of good quality and affordable, and to make healthy lifestyle and informed food choices.’ Our current campaigns, focusing on areas where we consider there to be significant consumer detriment, include: food labelling and claims, genetically modified foods, prior approval of food premises in order to help reduce food poisoning, and meat safety.
Physiological genetics, its relationship with classical quantitative and molecular genetics
Authors: Løvendahl P.
Published: June 2019

Genetic variation in physiological regulation has been studied in humans to explain disposition to hereditary metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, dwarfism and acromegaly. In farm animals the aim of such studies has more often focused on understanding individual variation with a view to develop physiologically based indicator traits that could help speed up genetic improvement programmes. To be efficient, any indicator trait needs to be measurable both early in life and in animals of both sexes. The advent of molecular or DNA based genetic markers has presented us with an alternative set of indicator traits. These may be seen both as competitive traits and as traits, which can be used in combination with physiological indicators.
Lleyn breed is likely source of BMP15 and GDF9 mutations, that have large effects on ovulation rate, discovered in Cambridge and Belclare breeds
Authors: Hanrahan J. P. , Mullen M.
Published: June 2019

Exceptionally high prolificacy in the Cambridge and Belclare breeds has been shown to be attributable to point mutations in genes (BMP15 and GDF9) that code for oocyte derived growth factors which have profound effects on ovarian follicle development. The BMP15 gene is X linked while GDF9 is autosomal (chromosome 5). Two different BMP15 mutations are present in the Belclare population (FecXG and FecXB) but only one of these (FecXG) was found in the Cambridge while the GDF9 mutation (FecGH) was common to both breeds. The Inverdale and Hanna mutations in NZ Romney sheep (Davis et al. 2001) are point mutations in BMP15 but involve different codons from those involved in Cambridge and Belclare. It is of interest to know whether the mutations common to Cambridge and Belclare are likely to have had a common ancestral source or arose independently. The Lleyn breed was a common source of genetic material in the genesis of both breeds. Thus, the foundation ewes for the Cambridge included three Lleyn ewes (Owen,1976) while a set of 13 Lleyn sheep selected for high litter size was a major contributor to the Belclare breed (accounted for 50% of the genetic material at one stage; subsequently diluted to about 25%). The hypothesis is that the Lleyn was the likely source of the two mutations common to Belclare and Cambridge.
The composition and oxidative stability of lipids in longissimus muscle from grazing cattle supplemented with sunflower oil alone or with fishoil
Authors: Moloney A.P. , Daly C.M. , Ermias E. , Shingfield K.J. , Monahan F.J.
Published: June 2019

Compared with conventional indoor rations, consumption of grazed grass by cattle improved the fatty acid profile of beef, by increasing the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) concentrations and decreasing the n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio (French et al., 2000). Supplementation of grazing cattle with sunflower oil (S), increased the concentration of CLA in muscle but also increased the n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio (Noci et al., 2006). Supplementation with fishoil (F), a source of long-chain n-3 PUFA might decrease this ratio while enhancing CLA synthesis. However, increasing the concentration of PUFA, particularly the long-chain PUFA, may predispose muscle lipids and pigments to oxidation, with consequent impairment of lipid and colour stability. The objectives were to determine the effect of supplementation of grazing cattle with S and F on (i) tissue n-3 PUFA and CLA concentrations and (ii) the colour and lipid stability of beef.
The fatty acid composition of muscle fat in Charolais steers: influence of grass versus concentrate feeding
Authors: Scollan N.D. , Hallett K.G. , Wood J.D. , Richardson I.R.
Published: June 2019

Nutritional approaches are the most important strategy for altering the fatty acid composition of muscle lipids (Scollan et al., 2006). Grass relative to concentrate feeding increases the content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) resulting in a low n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio. Ruminally protected plant lipids enhance PUFA content very significantly resulting in beneficial P:S and n-6:n-3 ratios (Scollan et al., 2006). This study considered the effects of finishing steers (1) outdoors on grass ± concentrate versus (2) indoors on straw/concentrate ± a protected lipid supplement with one of two levels of vitamin E on the fatty acid composition of the m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum.
Relationship between the unsaturated fatty acid profile of poultry meat and the volatile aldehydes produced by the meat
Authors: Rymer C. , Gibbs R.A. , Givens D.I.
Published: June 2019

Enriching chicken meat with the very long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC n-3 PUFA) 20:5 (EPA) and 22:6 (DHA) is a possible means of increasing the human consumption of these essential fatty acids as current levels of intake of these fatty acids are extremely low. However, a potential drawback of increasing the VLC n-3 PUFA content of chicken meat is that the oxidative stability of the meat is reduced. PUFA are more oxidatively unstable than monounsaturated or saturated fatty acids, and the aldehydes produced by the n-3 PUFA during autoxidation have a lower taste threshold, and are much more unpalatable, than the aldehydes associated with autoxidation of the n-6 series of PUFA. The objective of this study was to determine what relationship there was between the fatty acid profiles of chicken meat that had been enriched (by dietary means) with VLC n-3 PUFA and the volatile aldehydes that were produced by the meat after it had been cooked.
Accumulation of biohydrogenation intermediates during in vitro ruminal fermentation of camelina oil-based rations
Authors: Grace S.E. , Moloney A.P. , Kenny D.A.
Published: June 2019

The myriad putative health benefits of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and in particular the cis-9, trans-11 isomer, have stimulated interest in increasing its concentration in food. Ruminant fat is the main dietary source of CLA for humans and CLA is produced in the rumen by incomplete biohydrogenation of dietary linoleic acid (LA). It is now accepted that most CLA is synthesised post-ruminally by desaturation of vaccenic acid (VA) produced during ruminal biohydrogenation of (LA) and linolenic acid (LNA) (Griinari et al., 2000). Enhancement of VA synthesis in the rumen is therefore an important element of strategies to increase CLA concentration in tissue. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of controlling the rate of release of oil from camelina seeds, a novel source of both LA and LNA, on the accumulation of intermediates during ruminal biohydrogenation.
Observations on the 24 hour activity patterns of stabled horses
Authors: Cooper JJ , Campbell J. , Harris P.
Published: June 2019

Activity patterns of domesticated animals have largely focussed on hours of daylight and relatively few studies include detailed observations of night time activity. This has the potential to overlook behaviours of significance to the assessment of welfare. For example, stereotypic activities in laboratory mice are largely confined to dark periods, and consequently are not commonly reported by daytime laboratory workers. Use of low light video cameras coupled with infra-red or low intensity lighting now makes observation over entire light-dark cycle practical, whilst minimising disturbance to the sampled population. This paper describes the activity patterns of stabled horses over 24 hour periods. These observations can then be used as baseline for investigating the effects of changes to the stable environment on horses’ behaviour and welfare.
Methods for assessing sociability of dairy cows
Authors: Gibbons J. , Lawrence A. B. , Haskell M.
Published: June 2019

Sociability refers to the extent to which animals seek social companionship. Individual differences in social behaviour exist between animals. It is important to measure individual social motivation in order to develop suitable temperament scores that can be used in future breeding programmes or as part of welfare assessment schemes. Runway tests have been shown as reliable methods of measuring sociability in animals (Birds Mills & Faure, 1991; Sheep Sibbald et al., 2005). The aim was to develop a suitable test that could be used to measure sociability of cows in a commercial situation. The following questions were addressed i) How repeatable is the runway test when carried out on dairy cattle, ii) Does a cow’s performance in a runway test correlate with social behaviour within a group house setting?
Can linear enamel hypoplasia be used as a novel welfare indicator in pigs?
Authors: Genever E. , Dobney K. , Broom D.M.
Published: June 2019

Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) produces abnormal incremental lines or depressions in teeth enamel caused by a deficiency in the growth of calcified tissue. The depth and width of the LEH events can indicate the severity and duration of a stressful life event. LEH can be used to investigate developmental stress, as it will occur when the individual is unable to cope with environmental stressors during development, such as food shortage, pathological challenge or other stressful events. The LEH technique has been used by zoo-archaeologists to obtain information on early domestication and husbandry practices in ancient populations of pigs, where high levels of LEH have been found to correspond to birth and weaning. The objective of this work was to investigate if LEH was present in modern pigs and whether it could be used as a welfare indicator.
Responses of positively handled calves to human interactions and disbudding
Authors: Charlton G.L. , Bleach E.C.L.
Published: June 2019

Cattle have an innate fear of humans that may be reinforced during the potentially painful routine husbandry procedures performed by humans during the rearing of young calves. This fear may be reduced by positive handling of calves early in the rearing period (Krohn et al., 2001) and by use of calming devices such as blindfolds (Mitchell et al., 2004). Mitchell et al, (2004) found that blindfolding cattle during restraint and simulated husbandry procedures reduced struggling by 44% and decreased heart rate compared to control cattle with unrestricted vision. However, this study did not test the effectiveness of the blindfold during actual invasive procedures. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether blindfolding during disbudding and positive handling of dairy calves would influence the response of calves to human interactions.