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FarmLCA:A novel approach to assess agroecological innovations in Life Cycle Assessment
Get PDFContext: Agroecological innovations are seen as solutions to reduce environmental impacts of agriculture but can potentially lead to trade-offs with food production. Appropriate tools are needed to better understand synergies and trade-offs among environmental issues, resource efficiency and food production.Objective: This study presents the FarmLCA tool, which models farms as interconnected crop-livestock systems and assesses environmental impacts from farms and farm-inputs. A mixed beef farm serves as case study to assess synergies and trade-offs of avoiding human edible feed in beef production.Methods: FarmLCA allows the calculation of cradle-to-farm gate life cycle assessments (LCA). Emissions of environmentally harmful substances from crops and livestock are modelled based on the farm management. Upstream impacts from imported inputs (including fertilizer or feed) are accounted for with life cycle inventory data. Yields and nutrient requirements are checked for plausibility, based on management handbooks, while manure availability and composition are calculated based on livestock production. Environmental impacts, nutrient use efficiency and food production for a typical mixed beef farm in Scotland were calculated (baseline) and compared to alternative farm management scenarios: a Feed-no-Food scenario, avoiding concentrate feeds resulting in a smaller herd size and a circular Feed-no-Food scenario, additionally optimizing productivity and synergies between crop and livestock (e.g. more legumes in crop rotation, reduced replacement rate and feed waste).Results and conclusions: In the Feed-no-Food scenario, the beef production was reduced by 25 %, but more calories and protein were produced overall due to cereal and legumes now being available for direct human consumption. However, slower growth of livestock led to increased environmental impact of beef, whilst reduced livestock numbers required more mineral fertilizer for crop production to replace on-farm manure. In the circular Feed-noFood scenario, beef and overall calorie production were slightly reduced compared to the baseline, but 1.5 more high quality protein (expressed by the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score, DIAAS), were produced. Environmental impacts of beef were reduced and nitrogen self-sufficiency improved due to increased legume share in the rotation.Significance: Existing LCA approaches often fail to capture the complex dynamics of integrated crop-livestock systems and agroecological practices. FarmLCA addresses this by modelling both on-farm processes and up-stream inputs, enabling a consistent assessment of environmental impacts, nutrient use efficiency, and food production. It offers a more holistic and systemic view of the consequences of agroecological innovations and enables the identification of synergies and trade-offs between environmental protection, resource efficiency, and food production
COMPASS Guidelines for Conducting Welfare-Focused Research into Behaviour Modification of Animals
No full textResearchers are increasingly engaged in studies to determine and correct negative welfare consequences of animal husbandry and behaviour modification procedures, not least in response to industries’ growing need to maintain their social licence through demonstrable welfare standards that address public expectations. To ensure that welfare recommendations are scientifically credible, the studies must be rigorously designed and conducted, and the data produced must be interpreted with full regard to conceptual, methodological, and experimental design limitations. This commentary provides guidance on these matters. In addition to, and complementary with, the ARRIVE guidelines that deal with animal studies in general, there is a need for additional specific advice on the design of studies directed at procedures that alter behaviour, whether through training, handling, or restraint. The COMPASS Guidelines offer clear direction for conducting welfare-focused behaviour modification research. They stand for the following: Controls and Calibration, emphasising rigorous design, baseline measures, equipment calibration, and replicability; Objectivity and Open data, ensuring transparency, validated tools, and data accessibility; Motivation and Methods, with a focus on learning theory, behavioural science, and evidence-based application of positive reinforcers and aversive stimuli; Precautions and Protocols, embedding the precautionary principle, minimising welfare harms, listing stop criteria, and using real-time monitoring; Animal-centred Assessment, with multimodal welfare evaluation, using physiological, behavioural, functional, and objective indicators; Study ethics and Standards, noting the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement), welfare endpoints, long-term effects, industry independence, and risk–benefit analysis; and Species-relevance and Scientific rigour, facilitating cross-species applicability with real-world relevance and robust methodology. To describe these guidelines, the current article is organised into seven major sections that outline detailed, point-by-point considerations for ethical and scientifically rigorous design. It concludes with a call for continuous improvement and collaboration. A major purpose is to assist animal ethics committees when considering the design of experiments. It is also anticipated that these Guidelines will assist reviewers and editorial teams in triaging manuscripts that report studies in this context
Interview with David Evans
No full textNational Theatre Wales (NTW) was launched in 2009 as Wales’ English language national theatre company. Through its first season NTW established a reputation for producing stylistically diverse context-specific theatre that sought to establish a dialogue between performance and place. In September 2023 Arts Council Wales (ACW) announced that it would no longer provide National Theatre Wales (NTW) with multi-year funding. The decision brought to an abrupt end 15 years of financial support for the company and has left its future in jeopardy.David Evans joined NTW as Head of Production in late 2011 and remained with the company until June 2024. During his time with the company he oversaw the realization of work in aircraft hangars and city streets, on moving trains, in forests, and on mountain- sides. David came to NTW with over twenty years’ experience of freelance production management and international touring. He also served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) between 2014 and 2022, and has been Co-Chair of the ABTT since 2021. I conducted this interview with David in July 2024 as a way of understanding how production management works in unusual sites and locations, what sort of negotiations took place between design and production at NTW, the increasing importance of sustainability in design and production, and how production practices might constitute an important part of NTW’s broader legacy
Metal(oid)s in Ulva:should we be worried?
No full textUlva spp. are promising food resources owing to their nutritional richness and beneficial properties. However, it accumulates potentially toxic trace elements, raising health safety concerns and proving useful for biomonitoring studies. In response to this concern, this review, conducted in collaboration with the EU-COST Action CA 20106 network, critically analysed 176 peer-reviewed papers to evaluate metal(oid) accumulation in Ulva. This study revealed substantial variability in the essential and non-essential element content due to environmental conditions, geographic regions, morphological forms, and analytical methods used in both wild and cultivated Ulva. The analysis was based on gross morphology (tube or foliose) rather than species-level identification. The identification of toxic forms, such as methylmercury and inorganic arsenic, remains limited, highlighting the need for element speciation to more accurate assess safety. Based on these findings, the review identified and outlined key areas requiring attention to ensure the safe and effective use of Ulva. Standardised analytical protocols are needed to improve consistency and comparability across studies and to enable accurate detection of toxic element forms. Improved taxonomic resolution, using molecular tools, is essential for distinguishing species-specific accumulation patterns. Expanding research into understudied geographic regions will help capture global variability in environmental influences on trace element uptake. Finally, standardised cultivation parameters are crucial to control elemental composition in farmed Ulva and to ensure its suitability for human consumption and commercial applications.</p
"In This Country There are Many Thousands To Whom the Act ... is a Sealed Book":Locality, Centre and the Welsh Language In the New Poor Law, 1834–1850s
No full textThe 1834 New Poor Law saw the reordering of local government across England and Wales. Wales experienced an imposition of reformed poor law administrative structures designed to combat changing economic and social conditions in Midland and Southern England. Such reform fed into the building of modern centralised state power against Welsh traditions of parochial management providing a deep point of conflict. As with several European states new welfare legislation was imposed where the population (including those responsible for delivering it) spoke a different language to those tasked with introducing it. However, language was more than a ‘practical’ consideration. Some paupers, advocates and union officers continued corresponding and translating official guidance into Welsh: it was clear this was also a means of lingering contestation against an administrative imposition.</p