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Environmental enrichment in the form of a synthetic analogue of the bovine appeasing pheromone to increase the overall welfare of female dairy calves from birth through to weaning
Get PDFThis thesis investigated the effects of a synthetic analogue of the bovine appeasing pheromone (BAP) on the welfare of female dairy calves, assessing its impact on growth performance, physiological stress, and behaviour from birth through weaning, during disease episodes, disbudding procedures, and cognitive testing.
Key findings indicated that BAP treatment contributed to improved growth rates and better stress coping mechanisms during weaning, as evidenced by enhanced average daily gain (ADG) and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters. BAP-treated calves demonstrated reduced salivary cortisol levels and more consistent resting patterns, suggesting diminished stress levels compared to the placebo group. While the overall disease incidence did not differ significantly between groups, BAP-treated calves displayed better autonomic nervous system regulation during and after disease episodes, contributing to faster post-illness recovery and resilience.
During disbudding, despite sedation and analgesia being administered to all calves, BAP-treated calves exhibited HRV parameters indicative of better autonomic balance and lower stress indices, suggesting potentially superior pain management and quicker recovery. Behavioural metrics showed reduced restlessness and more balanced activity levels post-procedure in BAP-treated calves.
The study also explored cognitive performance and emotional states through cognitive bias tests. While no significant improvements in learning rate were observed, calves receiving BAP displayed more nuanced physiological responses and a potential increase in emotional resilience, reflected in altered latency responses to ambiguous cues.
These results support BAP's role in enhancing calf welfare by modulating stress responses during critical management procedures and environmental challenges. Future research should focus on larger, diverse samples, include male calves, and investigate long-term effects to validate findings and explore BAP’s cost-effectiveness in commercial dairy operations
In the Shadows of Fields: Uncovering the Nexus of Modern Slavery in Agricultural Societies
Get PDFThis research discusses the persistent issue of exploitation, analysing its deep‐rooted causes beyond economic factors and its integration into the sociocultural fabric of societies. Focusing on the farming communities of Pakistan, an agricultural‐based developing country, the research employs an empirical approach. It reveals that modern slavery is perpetuated by a complex interplay of social norms, cultural values, political dynamics, power imbalances, and the exploitation of religious beliefs, all of which reinforce cycles of dependency and social control. These insights underscore the critical need for evidence‐based interventions, enabling policymakers and sustainable development strategists to craft targeted policies and community‐based initiatives for empowering marginalised communities
Anticipating effective pedagogy for autistic entomology students: listening to the student voice.
Get PDFInclusive teaching has progressed somewhat in the past ten years and should be synonymous with effective pedagogy. We collaborated with a group of seven autistic students at a specialist institute with a focus on land-based sciences, including entomology and ecology, to explore limitations and potential improvements in entomology teaching. We present the findings from one 140-minute focus group and 375 minutes of one-to-one interviews. Three superordinate themes emerge: the autistic journey, challenges around education/support and institution/university specific issues. We explore the connection between autism and entomology and present a set steps for effective teaching and learning. First and foremost is to take time to know the student and prioritise a caring and interactive pedagogy. This can be achieved by cultivating an inclusive and non-judgmental campus culture, ensuring equality across all students. Further, we can engage autistic students as collaborators in assignment moderation, student messaging, lecture planning and campus design. A sense of inclusion will feed into varied teaching sessions and assessments that ensure that hyperfocus interests are fostered while developing general discipline specific skills. Finally, students identified a number of barriers that can - and perhaps should already - be addressed by the university (e.g., unreliable access to campus, unclear signage and outdated communications). Overall, students consistently identified a similar set of core issues and provided tractable solutions. Thoughtful provision of student care was considered to be essential to student success. However, it is worth noting the large variation in student journey and the centrality of considering the individual voice whilst implementing change
Water status but not mild and cold temperatures affect harvest damage susceptibility and tissue integrity of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) roots
Get PDFSugar beet root damage at harvest promotes sucrose losses of circa 0.1 – 0.4 % day –1 in storage. However, root response to environmental stresses at harvest and their consequential rates of damage are not known. We investigated the effects of temperature and water stress at harvest on root resilience to damage and tissue strength. Water (irrigated to field capacity and non-irrigated) and temperature (cold and mild) treatments were imposed on physiologically mature sugar beet plants for seven weeks prior to and for three days after harvesting, respectively. Water status at harvest significantly affected relative water content (RWC) ( p < 0.001), root weight ( p < 0.001) and root width ( p < 0.001). RWC was positively correlated to surface damage ( R 2 = 0.43, p = 0.02), root tip damage ( R 2 = 0.42, p = 0.03), tissue compression ( R 2 = 0.41, p = 0.05) and tissue puncture ( R 2 = 0.46, p = 0.01). Tissue damage was not affected by root tissue temperature of 4 °C compared to 12 °C. We conclude that sugar beet damage at harvest is not influenced by root temperatures over the range commonly observed in the UK and temperate production areas. However, higher water status at harvest, such as would be observed in a wet season, increases root tip and surface damage. These findings will help to inform optimum harvesting conditions to minimize sugar loss from the sugar beet crop
From Inequalities to Inclusion: Sustainable Development for Smallholders
Get PDFIn Pakistan's agricultural sector, smallholders persistently face operational and structural barriers that hinder their integration into broader development initiatives. This study investigates these barriers through an in‐depth analysis of a sample of 101 farming communities across Punjab. Employing a multi‐sited and pluralistic qualitative methodology, the study draws on participant observation, field visits, focus group discussions, and semi‐structured interviews with smallholders, large‐scale landlords, non‐governmental organisations (NGOs), microfinance institutions, market intermediaries, and international buyers. The findings reveal how entrenched power asymmetries, caste hierarchies, and political systems perpetuate structural inequalities that limit smallholders' access to markets, agricultural inputs, credit, and state‐led development initiatives. In response to these challenges, the study identifies various collaborative strategies emerging under the “Growing Together” initiative. These include peer‐to‐peer learning programs, agri‐cooperative formation, direct engagement with exporters, and access to sustainable finance. These initiatives, led by big landlords as “sustainable agriculturists” and young educated smallholder “change agents,” are reshaping power dynamics and enabling more inclusive agricultural development. By situating these practices within the structural‐functionalism framework, the study contributes to sustainability theory by demonstrating how context‐sensitive, culturally grounded strategies can support equitable transitions in structurally constrained environments. The research offers concrete, empirically grounded insights for policymakers and development practitioners seeking to advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8 (decent work and economic growth), 10 (reduced inequalities), and 11 (sustainable communities) through locally informed agricultural reform
Assessing least-cost mitigation methods for environmental phosphorus loading of different pasture-based and housed dairy production systems in Great Britain
Get PDFMitigating environmental phosphorus loading (EPL) from dairy farms reduces water pollution and improves the sustainability of production. Studies generally simulate EPL from dairy farms using a representative farm type from existing databases. However, housed and pasture-based dairy farming systems might contribute to eutrophication differently and have a varied feasibility of implementing mitigation. This study is the first that quantified EPL
from dairy farms using data for FARMSCOPER collected from farmers and comparing EPL and identifying a least-cost suite of mitigation methods. Structural characteristics of 27 dairy farms in Great Britain (GB) were collected. Annual EPL from each farm was simulated in FARMSCOPER under three scenarios. Mean EPL of the production systems was compared
to investigate any relationship between EPL and average 305 day adjusted milk yield of cows on each farm. A least-cost suite of mitigation methods was optimised for two model
farms to represent either a housed or pasture-based system. Across both systems, ‘current’ implementation of mitigation methods was simulated to have reduced EPL from 0.63 to
0.56kg P/ha (11%). The ‘current’ EPL positively correlated with milk production on a kg and kg/ha basis (P ≤ 0.001 and P = 0.033, respectively). Farms operating a housed system had a mean ‘current’ EPL that was 59% greater than the pasture-based system though not significant (P = 0.316). This was partly due to a small sample size and because FARMSCOPER’s estimates exclude variations in farm practices (i.e., feeding). EPL was reduced by ~50% and ~60% without incurring annual financial losses by implementing existing mitigation methods for pasture-based and housed systems, respectively. This study highlights the importance
of mitigating EPL from GB dairy farming, especially considering the increasing number of higher yielding herds and housed production systems. Furthermore, emphasis should be on increasing implementation of system-specific mitigating methods; efforts to include more recent and specific farm data to improve the FARMSCOPER tool will benefit this
Enhancing diet specification to maximise feed efficiency and production characteristics of the Redbro slow growing broiler chicken
No full text1. This study assessed the impact of feeding a high nutrient specification (HS) diet, recommended for fast growing broilers and a low nutrient specification (LS) diet, recommended for slow growing broilers, on growth performance variables, including feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) and production characteristics of fast growing Ross 308 broilers and slow growing Redbro broilers.
2. As hatched, Ross 308 (n = 210) and Redbro broilers (n = 210) were randomly allocated to 28 floor pens, 14 pens for each genotype and fed experimental diets from 0 to 42 d of age over four feeding phases. Each diet was fed to seven pens of each genotype, following a randomised, blocked, factorial design.
3. Growth performance variables were determined for each feeding phase. Excreta were collected during the last 4 d of the study to determine dietary N-corrected apparent metabolisable energy (AMEn) and nutrient retention coefficients. At 42 d of age, one bird per pen was humanely killed and samples were obtained for determination of meat quality variables, jejunal histomorphology and liver triglycerides.
4. Feeding the HS diet increased FI (p < 0.05), WG (p < 0.001) and reduced FCR (p < 0.001) in both genotypes from 0 to 42 d compared to feeding the LS diet. Feeding the HS diet increased AMEn intake (p < 0.001). Diet did not affect breast meat quality, except for increasing drip loss in Ross 308 broilers (p < 0.05), nor did it affect breast myopathies, jejunal morphology, or liver function. Therefore, feeding the HS diet, which was formulated to meet the nutrient recommendations for Ross 308, can be a practical strategy to improve the feed efficiency of Redbro broilers
Forecasting the performance of alternative sheep production systems grazing perennial pastures
Get PDFContext: Grazing enterprises employ a range of management strategies in rain-fed Australian sheep production systems, which alters both production potential and profitability. This research used a stochastic whole-farm simulation modelling methodology to assess the impact of six different management regimes on the long-term profitability of a model farm simulated from August 1971 to July 2018. Objective: We aimed to 1) compare the whole farm productivity and economics of the different sheep production systems, 2) identify the factors that were driving the differences between systems, and 3) determine if the profitability and ranking of systems changed in response to different market and environmental conditions. Method: Stochastic simulation whole-farm modelling, combined AusFarm® biophysical simulation data, with forecasted @Risk modelling price time series data. The economic and financial performance of different sheep management systems were assessed using gross margins, cash flows, net present values (NPV), coefficient of variation (CoV) and cash flow modified internal rates of return (MIRR). Results and conclusions: Decisions on the management of sheep system mating times, breed of ram, type of pasture grazed and retention of ewe lambs affected supplementary feeding costs as well as production of wool and meat. Production differences along with variation in prices received explained why the six sheep systems had significantly different economic gross margins and NPVs. The systems also had different risks in achieving economic returns. Higher economic returns were associated with higher risks of variable returns and lower returns with lower risk of variation. The earlier mated (February) and terminal systems did not perform economically as well as the later mated (April) systems, but were more reliable with lower risk. The winter lambing Merino system had the lowest gross margins and NPV, but also the lowest risk CoV and MIRR. Investment in additional lucerne pasture for early summer feed paid off with greater gross margins and NPV, but with highest risk CoV and MIRR that these economic returns may vary. Significance: Modelling incorporating historical long-term price and production risk clarified the complex effects of sheep system management decisions on production and economic returns. The more basic gross margin analysis gave the same ranking of the different sheep production systems as the more complex NPV and MIRR. Potential economic effects and risks of variable returns can be understood by examining past variability in production and prices received (revenues) on gross margins then assessing expected risk of future variability
A Re-evaluation of the Optimal Liver Copper Concentrations for Health, Performance and Fertility of Replacement Holstein–Friesian Heifers
Get PDFExcessive copper (Cu) supplementation is common on dairy farms worldwide, despite a growing body of research highlighting the risks of over-supplementation, including liver damage, impaired growth, and reduced fertility. However, diagnosing Cu toxicity remains challenging due to the liver’s allostatic regulation of blood Cu levels and debate surrounding toxicity thresholds. This study utilised secondary data from a longitudinal study conducted between September 2016 and September 2018 involving 80 replacement Holstein–Friesian heifers. Data was utilised to generate receiver operating characteristic curves which established liver Cu thresholds associated with suboptimal liver function and fertility. Results indicated that hepatic Cu concentrations exceeding 167 mg/kg of dry matter (DM) were associated with reduced conception rates to first service, while concentrations above 260 mg/kg of DM reduced conception probability to first and second services. Hepatic Cu concentrations exceeding 322 mg/kg of DM were linked to impaired liver function, as evidenced by elevated serum glutamate dehydrogenase activity. In contrast, a toxicity threshold value could not be generated for plasma Cu, underscoring its inadequacy as a biomarker. The fertility thresholds identified in this study may be more closely related to optimizing Cu levels for animal performance rather than indicative of liver Cu toxicity, suggesting the need for further research
Aspects of a circular bioeconomy: a note on milk and egg byproducts
Get PDFImplications:
Milk and eggs are primarily used for human consumption, either directly (e.g., raw milk and table eggs) or following processing (e.g., pasteurized milk and hydrated egg powder).
Milk is also further processed into high-value dairy products (e.g., butter, cheese, and yoghurt) primarily for direct human consumption. Whey is the major by-product of milk processing, and high-value foods can be obtained from it (e.g., whey protein concentrates for sports nutrition). However, more upcycling options for human consumption are needed globally to maintain its nutrients within the food chain and improve sustainability, via circularity.
Eggs are also further processed into specific products for the food industry (e.g., liquid eggs, albumen, and yolk). Eggshell and membranes are the major by-products from this process, containing a high level of minerals (eggshell) and high-value protein (egg membrane). As such, eggshells and membranes may be used to maintain these nutrients within the food chain and improve sustainability via circularity