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Is cattle welfare affected by the methane-reducing feed additive 3-Nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP)?
No full textTo meet climate change targets, countries including Scotland are taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture contributes around 10% of UK emissions, of which methane from ruminant livestock contributes around half. Across sectors, mitigation methods are being explored. The feed additive 3-Nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP, Bovaer) can reduce cattle methane emissions by up to 30% by inhibiting the final enzyme in methane synthesis in the rumen microbiome. Although now licensed for use in various jurisdictions including the UK and EU (for dairy and suckler cows), the possible impact of 3-NOP use on cattle welfare has not been fully investigated
Ship strikes of fin whales in the north-east atlantic: identifying hotspots and simulating mitigation measures
Get PDFLarge whales are likely the marine megafauna most at risk from vessel collisions. However, studies often identify areas of greatest risk by calculating two-dimensional overlap metrics, overlooking vertical overlap in the three-dimensional water column. This study quantifies collision risk for fin whales in the north-east Atlantic by including dynamic parameters in collision risk models and simulates potential mitigation measures. Dive profiles of 21 fin whales instrumented with time-depth recorders in the Azores were used to estimate the proportion of time spent within reach of vessel draughts across the north-east Atlantic. Fin whales were at greater vertical risk at night, with a median dive depth of 5 m compared to 12 m during daylight hours. When dive depths (vertical risk) was integrated into spatio-temporal variation of vessel characteristics and animal distribution, 972 (796–1200 when incorporating uncertainty in animal density estimates) collisions were estimated to occur annually, of which 641 (525–791) were likely to be fatal – when assuming no avoidance response. This is well above the estimated sustainable potential biological removal level of 131 individuals a year in this region. Simulation of potential mitigation measures indicated that re-routeing shipping lanes may be largely infeasible, whereas vessel slowdowns may be more practical and effective to minimize population-level impacts to a vulnerable species. However, how such measures would be accepted by the shipping industry remains to be seen. These findings provide a quantitative assessment of ship-strike risk and inform mitigation methods, providing an invaluable basis for discussions with environmental managers and maritime authorities
Combining Stated and Revealed Preferences for valuing attributes associated with Organic Chicken Meat
Get PDFThis paper examines consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for attributes of organic chicken meat in the UK, a product experiencing increasing popularity both domestically and internationally. We combine stated preference (SP) data from a discrete choice experiment with revealed preference (RP) data from supermarket scanner transactions in a joint estimation framework. This approach mitigates common limitations of analysing SP and RP data separately, such as hypothetical bias in SP and multicollinearity in RP. Using a heteroskedastic conditional logit model with interaction terms, we estimate WTP values that account for both preference heterogeneity and scale differences across datasets. Results indicate that consumers assign a substantial premium to the organic attribute, with joint estimates approximately 9% higher than those based solely on SP data and more than double those fromRP. These findings underscore the importance of integrating SP and RP data to inform evidence-based food policy
Is cattle welfare affected by the methane-reducing feed additive 3-Nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP)?
No full textTo meet climate change targets, countries including Scotland are taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture contributes around 10% of UK emissions, of which methane from ruminant livestock contributes around half. Across sectors, mitigation methods are being explored. The feed additive 3-Nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP, Bovaer) can reduce cattle methane emissions by up to 30% by inhibiting the final enzyme in methane synthesis in the rumen microbiome. Although now licensed for use in various jurisdictions including the UK and EU (for dairy and suckler cows), the possible impact of 3-NOP use on cattle welfare has not been fully investigated
Ship strikes of fin whales in the north-east atlantic: identifying hotspots and simulating mitigation measures
Get PDFLarge whales are likely the marine megafauna most at risk from vessel collisions. However, studies often identify areas of greatest risk by calculating two-dimensional overlap metrics, overlooking vertical overlap in the three-dimensional water column. This study quantifies collision risk for fin whales in the north-east Atlantic by including dynamic parameters in collision risk models and simulates potential mitigation measures. Dive profiles of 21 fin whales instrumented with time-depth recorders in the Azores were used to estimate the proportion of time spent within reach of vessel draughts across the north-east Atlantic. Fin whales were at greater vertical risk at night, with a median dive depth of 5 m compared to 12 m during daylight hours. When dive depths (vertical risk) was integrated into spatio-temporal variation of vessel characteristics and animal distribution, 972 (796–1200 when incorporating uncertainty in animal density estimates) collisions were estimated to occur annually, of which 641 (525–791) were likely to be fatal – when assuming no avoidance response. This is well above the estimated sustainable potential biological removal level of 131 individuals a year in this region. Simulation of potential mitigation measures indicated that re-routeing shipping lanes may be largely infeasible, whereas vessel slowdowns may be more practical and effective to minimize population-level impacts to a vulnerable species. However, how such measures would be accepted by the shipping industry remains to be seen. These findings provide a quantitative assessment of ship-strike risk and inform mitigation methods, providing an invaluable basis for discussions with environmental managers and maritime authorities
Does susceptibility to informational and normative influences mediates the link between food security status and food purchasing behaviour?
Get PDFThere is a growing need to understand how structural and cognitive constraints jointly shape consumers’ food-related decisions, particularly in online environments where consumers are exposed to social information through ratings, reviews and peer recommendations. While previous studies have established the influence of socially driven cues on consumer behaviour, less is known about how these mechanisms function at different levels of food insecurity. This study addresses that gap by examining how informational and normative signals operate across varying levels of food insecurity and whether these influences help explain disparities in takeaway food consumption. Based on a survey of 573 adults in China, the study used validated multi-item scales to measure informational and normative influences and classified respondents into food security categories using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, MANOVA and causal mediation models to assess both group differences and explanatory pathways. The results show that food-insecure individuals reported significantly lower levels of both informational and normative influence which indicate reduced susceptibility to social cues in food-related decision-making. However, these reductions did not significantly mediate the relationship between food insecurity and takeaway-ordering frequency. Informational influence remained slightly more stable than normative influence across the gradient of food insecurity, implying a differential sensitivity to the two types of cues. The findings have clear implications for policy and behavioural design. Interventions that rely on social proof or informational nudges may be less effective among food-insecure consumers unless paired with initiatives that lower financial and logistical constraints on food choice. More broadly, the results highlight the need to re-evaluate assumptions of universal behavioural responsiveness in food environments, particularly in situations of food insecurity
Ship strikes of fin whales in the north-east atlantic: identifying hotspots and simulating mitigation measures
Get PDFLarge whales are likely the marine megafauna most at risk from vessel collisions. However, studies often identify areas of greatest risk by calculating two-dimensional overlap metrics, overlooking vertical overlap in the three-dimensional water column. This study quantifies collision risk for fin whales in the north-east Atlantic by including dynamic parameters in collision risk models and simulates potential mitigation measures. Dive profiles of 21 fin whales instrumented with time-depth recorders in the Azores were used to estimate the proportion of time spent within reach of vessel draughts across the north-east Atlantic. Fin whales were at greater vertical risk at night, with a median dive depth of 5 m compared to 12 m during daylight hours. When dive depths (vertical risk) was integrated into spatio-temporal variation of vessel characteristics and animal distribution, 972 (796–1200 when incorporating uncertainty in animal density estimates) collisions were estimated to occur annually, of which 641 (525–791) were likely to be fatal – when assuming no avoidance response. This is well above the estimated sustainable potential biological removal level of 131 individuals a year in this region. Simulation of potential mitigation measures indicated that re-routeing shipping lanes may be largely infeasible, whereas vessel slowdowns may be more practical and effective to minimize population-level impacts to a vulnerable species. However, how such measures would be accepted by the shipping industry remains to be seen. These findings provide a quantitative assessment of ship-strike risk and inform mitigation methods, providing an invaluable basis for discussions with environmental managers and maritime authorities
Long-term balanced organic and synthetic nitrogen fertilization can realize sustainable crop production
No full textCONTEXT: Manure recycling to cropland reduces synthetic fertilizer use and nitrogen (N) waste while increasing soil carbon (C) sequestration, which is important for sustainable crop production. However, few studies have systematically integrated long-term N budgets with changes of soil C and N stocks and the greenhouse gas (GHG) balance. OBJECTIVE: We aim to quantify the long-term responses of crop productivity, changes of soil C and N stock, reactive N losses and the GHG balance to various C and N management practices, thus providing evidence for sustainable crop production. METHODS: We used a 15-year wheat-maize double cropping system in the North China Plain. The experiment included eight fertilization treatments with contrasting C and N management practices. Crop productivity, N losses, changes of soil C and N stock; and the GHG balance were evaluated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Compared with conventional fertilization with excess synthetic N, long-term balanced organic and synthetic N fertilization (in which N rates were determined using an N balance approach and target N yield, and the rates of synthetic N equal to the difference between above N rate and mineralized N from manure) increases crop yield and N harvest by 8–11%, and soil C and N sequestration by 191–230%, while reducing N inputs by 23%, thus also reducing reactive N losses by 40% and the GHG balance from 59 to −2143 kg CO2-eq ha−1. Although the N surplus was relatively high in the balanced organic and synthetic N fertilization, it did not cause high N losses but achieved high soil C and N sequestration and crop yield, which were not achieved under the optimum synthetic N fertilization. SIGNIFICANCE: This study emphasizes the benefits of combining organic and synthetic N within an appropriate N management framework, offering a global model for sustainable crop production in croplands. Site-specific adjustments could be necessary when applying these findings to other regions with distinctly different soil or climatic conditions. We should interpret N surplus cautiously because a high N surplus does not necessarily lead to high N losses with manure recycling to croplands.</p
Short-term stability over time and across situations of behavioural traits in gestating and lactating sows
Get PDFPersonality consists of the set of traits which show stable individual differences in behaviour over time and across contexts in a species. Personality has been previously studied in pigs, however few studies have focussed on adult females and on both the gestating and lactating phases of their reproductive cycle. The aim of this work was to identify candidate personality traits in breeding females, by assessing temporal stability and associations between situations. Adult female pigs (Sus scrofa) ranging from parity one to seven underwent a series of repeated tests and observations during late gestation (70–110 days after service) and during lactation (1–30 days after farrowing). In gestation, their response to a human in the home pen (n = 55, median 2 repeated tests per individual, ranging from 1 to 4) and social behaviour at feeding (n = 52, median 2 tests, 1–4) were assessed. In lactation their response to a dummy hand (n = 66, median 2 tests, 1–4) and lying down behaviour (n = 68, median 2 tests, 1–6) were recorded as indicators of maternal defence and maternal care. Out of the twelve variables measured in these four different situations, five were consistent over repeated tests at different times (i.e. the posterior distribution of their repeatability excluded values less than 0.01): dominance rank, number of attacks, and number of avoidances during feeding, number of vocalisations when exposed to a dummy hand, and probability of vocalising before lying down. We found correlations with an absolute value higher than 0.30 between number of attacks and number of avoidances during feeding (r = -0.33), number of attacks and number of vocalisations when exposed to the dummy hand (r = -0.52), and between the latter and probability of vocalising before lying down during lactation (r = 0.46). Our results suggest that social behaviour at feeding and acoustic signalling in different contexts are stable traits in adult female pigs. The estimated correlations between the traits might also indicate the presence of a proactive behavioural syndrome