58 research outputs found
Flight speed and agitation in weaned lambs: genetic and non-genetic effects and relationships with carcass quality
No full textNo abstract available.C.L. Dodd, J.E. Hocking Edwards, S.J. Hazel, W.S. Pitchfor
Facilities, breed and experience affect ease of sheep handling: the livestock transporter's perspective
No full textPublished online: 15 April 2015An understanding of the perceived importance of a variety of factors affecting the ease of handling of sheep and the interactions between these factors is valuable in improving profitability and welfare of the livestock. Many factors may contribute to animal behaviour during handling, and traditionally these factors have been assessed in isolation under experimental conditions. A human social component to this phenomenon also exists. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of a variety of factors affecting ease of handling, and the interactions between these from the perspective of the livestock transporter. Qualitative interviews were used to investigate the factors affecting sheep behaviour during handling. Interview transcripts underwent thematic analysis. Livestock transporters discussed the effects of attitudes and behaviours towards sheep, helpers, facilities, distractions, environment, dogs and a variety of sheep factors including breed, preparation, experience and sex on sheep behaviour during handling. Transporters demonstrated care and empathy and stated that patience and experience were key factors determining how a person might deal with difficult sheep. Livestock transporters strongly believed facilities (ramps and yards) had the greatest impact, followed by sheep experience (naivety of the sheep to handling and transport) and breed. Transporters also discussed the effects of distractions, time of day, weather, dogs, other people, sheep preparation, body condition and sheep sex on ease of handling. The concept of individual sheep temperament was indirectly expressed.C. L. Burnard, W. S. Pitchford, J. E. Hocking Edwards and S. J. Haze
Genetic relationships between lamb survival and meat traits
No full textCorrelations between survival traits (expressed by the lamb) and meat traits were estimated from analyses of four years of data (2007-2010) from the Sheep CRC’s Information Nucleus, with records from 20,498 lambs, up to 8,596 dams and 377 sires. Tissue depth at the GR site and eye muscle depth had positive genetic correlations with lamb survival of 0.34±0.05 and 0.17±0.07, respectively, while the genetic correlations of lamb survival with lean meat yield and shear force were unfavourable (-0.33±0.06 and 0.27±0.07, respectively). Selection programs that enhance lean meat yield and reduce tissue depth at the GR site and increase tenderness need to consider the possibility of small correlated genetic losses in lamb survival, although appropriate index selection should be able to manage this risk, as the correlations were low. Conversely, genetic increases in tissue depth at the GR site may be correlated with small improvements in lamb survival.F.D. Brien, D.L. Rutley, S.I. Mortimer and J.E. Hocking-Edwardshttp://www.aaabg.org/aaabghome/proceedings20.php
Royal Commission on Human Relationships
No full textThis controversial Royal Commission from the 1970s found that many Australian families were failing to protect their most valuable members, and helped change the shape of public discussion around families, gender and sexuality.
This is the first time a digitised version of the Royal Commission on Human Relationships\u27 five-volume final report has been made publically available.
The Royal Commission was initiated in 1974, following a failed attempt by the Whitlam government to reform abortion law. The terms of reference were:
To inquire into and report upon the family, social, educational, legal and sexual aspects of male and female relationships, so far as those matters are relevant to the powers and functions of the Australian Parliament and Government, including powers and functions in relation to the Territories:
To give particular emphasis to the concept of responsible parenthood, to have regard to experience in other countries and to include in your inquiry the following aspects of the said matters:
(a) the extent of relevant existing education programs, including sex education programs, and their effectiveness in promoting responsible sexual behaviour and providing a sound basis in the fundamentals of male and female relationships in the Australian social environment;
(b) the extent of relevant existing programs in medical schools and their adequacy to provide comprehensive medical training in contraceptive techniques, in the physical, psychological and sexual problems experienced by women in adapting to marriage and before, during and after menstruation and in matters relating to pregnancy, fertility control, spontaneous and induced abortions and childbirth and to encourage acceptance by the medical profession of its responsibilities in the field of contraceptive counselling;
(c) the provision, adequacy and effectiveness of existing family planning facilities, educational and activational information on family planning and methods of evaluation of all family planning techniques;
(d) the social, economic, psychological and medical pressures on women in determining whether to proceed with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies, having regard to:
(i) the adequacy of housing, child-minding centres, pre-school centres, domestic assistance for families and working mothers, assistance to single parent families, other forms of assistance for mothers employed in industry, and adoption procedures;
(ii) the disabilities of families with handicapped children; and
(iii) the social status of women in the community; the social, psychological and medical results of termination of, or and failure to terminate such pregnancies;
(e) the adequacy and effectiveness of existing medico-legal determinations in relation to termination of pregnancy, the incidence of such terminations, the factors influencing their occurrence, the adequacy of medical training in an evaluation of methods of termination, consultative rights of the family or other persons concerned and the adequacy and effectiveness of pregnancy support services; and
(f) any other matters in relation to the family, social, educational, legal and sexual aspects of male and female relationships to which the attention of the Commission is directed by the Prime Minister in the course of the inquiry.
To make recommendations as to measures that are desirable with respect to the foregoing matters under existing or future laws of the Australian Parliament or of the Territories (including laws providing for grants to the States) and to indicate whether these measures should be implemented through existing bodies or through government instrumentalities to be created.
The final report, presented to Governor-General John Kerr in 1977, contained over 500 recommendations relating to "contraception (access and use), unwanted pregnancies, childbirth, attitudes to sexuality, sexual knowledge, sex education, domestic violence, rape and the police and courts’ treatment of rape victims, the changing roles of women, child care, child abuse, and homosexuality – especially discrimination faced by gays and lesbians."
The report was highly controversial when released and many of its recommendations were not acted on. However, the Royal Commission had a lasting influence. It was said to have brought taboo topics like abortion, rape and child abuse into public discussion, and to have opened up conversations about private life to this day.
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Part of the Policy History Collection. Digitisation of this report has been supported by the National Library of Australia.
Reproduced with permission of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
Cultivation practices, maize and soybean productivity and soil properties on fragile slopes in Yunnan Province, China
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of
Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophySustainable agriculture in China is highly threatened by rapid urbanization, land degradation and high population pressure. Yunnan Province, south-west China, is 94% mountainous and lacks flat land. Food shortages and inappropriate cultivation have led to intensive cultivation of steep, marginal and fragile land and have increased soil erosion. To curb this situation and assist with poverty alleviation, it is crucial to develop more productive and sustainable cropping systems. An experiment was conducted on sloping areas from 1999 to 2001 in Wang Jia Catchment, Yunnan Province. The project aim was to evaluate the effects of five selected cultivation practices on maize productivity and soil properties. The treatments were: (1) downslope cultivation without mulch, (2) contour cultivation without mulch, (3) contour cultivation with polythene mulch, (4) contour cultivation with polythene and wheat straw mulch (Integrated Contour with Plastic and Straw Mulch Treatment, INCOPLAST) and (5) contour cultivation with polythene mulch and intercropping, wide and narrow row spacing, with soybean in wide row spacing. Crop growth parameters and soil physical properties were measured throughout the cropping seasons. Considering three years data, contour cultivation with polythene mulch generally increased soil temperature by a mean of 1-2°C. The polythene retained considerably more soil moisture during dry weather. However, during wet weather, polythene prevented rainfall directly falling on the soil, which led to less soil moisture content. The soil temperature and moisture regimes under polythene mulch made plants grow faster and canopies develop well, leading to higher final yields. The benefit of polythene was 33-54% more yield than downslope cultivation without mulch treatment, over three seasons. Contour cultivation plus polythene and straw mulch retained significantly higher soil moisture levels. The yield of this treatment in 1999 was ranked second, but in 2000 it had the highest yield and in 2001 it was also more effective than contour cultivation with polythene mulch treatment. Contour cultivation with polythene mulch and intercropping improved maize yield. The soybean harvest also contributed to net income, the crop had a similar function to straw mulch and increased N availability. Contour cultivation increased yields over the range 7.2-11.2% over three seasons compared with downslope cultivation, equivalent to ~500-1000 kg per hectare more grain produced. There were few clear trends in soil properties over the 1999-2001 period. However, N concentrations increased in the contour cultivation with polythene mulch and intercropping treatment. Both contour cultivation with polythene and straw mulch and contour cultivation with polythene mulch and intercropping gave apparent increases in total K, probably resulting from both decayed straw and decomposed soybean leaves. In terms of simple cost-benefit evaluation, downslope cultivation had the lowest input and output, while contour cultivation had a similar input, but a higher output. Contour cultivation with polythene had the highest net return. Contour cultivation with polythene and straw had a high output but did not give a higher net return than contour cultivation with polythene. Contour cultivation with polythene mulch and intercropping generally had the highest input and output and could give a higher net return than contour cultivation with polythene when the soybean harvest was successful, but over three years this treatment had the greatest risk from crop failure. It is recommended that replacing downslope cultivation with contour cultivation can increase crop yields and this simple action could contribute to the development of more sustainable cropping systems in Yunnan. Polythene mulch achieved higher maize yields but its environmental impact requires further study. It is considered that contour cultivation with polythene and straw mulch or soybean intercropping could contribute towards more productive and sustainable cropping systems where soil conservation is high priority. The technique could assist with long-term soil, water and nutrient conservation and improved crop productivity
Crossbred ewes gain more weight and are fatter than Merino ewes when managed together but similar coefficients predict lamb birthweight and survival
No full textCurrent Australian ewe management guidelines are based on research from Merino ewes and have been transposed to crossbred ewes. It is unknown whether guidelines developed for Merino ewes are applicable to crossbred ewe production systems. To investigate this, the effect of ewe liveweight and condition score profile during pregnancy on lamb birthweight and survival for Border Leicester × Merino (BLM) crossbreds was compared with Merino ewes. Condition score profiles of 720 Merino and 680 BLM ewes were managed from 50 days after ram introduction to achieve one of four target condition scores at lambing. There were three replicates of the four target condition score treatments and both breeds of ewes were in each plot. By Day 140 after rams in, the BLM ewes were fatter (P < 0.001) and heavier (P < 0.001) than the Merino ewes, despite being managed in the same plots. Liveweight at conception and change in liveweight in late pregnancy of the Merino and BLM ewes had a similar effect on the birthweight and weaning weight of their lambs. However, birthweight and weaning weight of lambs from BLM ewes was less sensitive to ewe liveweight change in early pregnancy. Birthweight survival curves were similar in lambs from Merino and multiple-born lambs from BLM ewes, and the survival of lambs from multiple-bearing BLM ewes responded to manipulation of condition score in a similar pattern to lambs from Merino ewes. Therefore, managing liveweight or condition score of multiple-bearing BLM ewes is likely to improve lamb survival in a similar fashion to lambs from Merino ewes, although the absolute response in survival will be smaller than that achieved in Merino ewes at the same condition score. In addition, it is important to manage liveweight of both single and multiple-bearing BLM ewes during pregnancy to optimise weaning weight of their lambs, as those lambs born to BLM ewes of low liveweight were significantly lighter at weaning
Effects of dietary fibre on behaviour and satiety in pigs
No full textDuring the past decades there has been considerable interest in the use of dietary fibre in both animal and human nutrition. In human subjects dietary fibre has been studied intensively for possible effects on body-weight management and health. In animal nutrition the interest in dietary fibre has increased because it can be used as a cheap source of energy and because of its potential to improve animal welfare and reduce abnormal (mainly stereotypic) behaviour. Animal welfare is impaired if the diet does not provide sufficient satiety, combined with an environment that does not meet specific behavioural requirements related to natural feeding habits (e.g. rooting in pigs). A considerable proportion of the behavioural effects of dietary fibre are thought to be related to reduced feeding motivation. It has been hypothesized that: (1) bulky fibres increase satiety and thereby decrease physical activity and stereotypic behaviours immediately following a meal in pigs; (2) fermentable fibres prolong postprandial satiety and thereby reduce physical activity and appetitive behaviours for many hours after a meal. The validity of these hypotheses is examined by considering published data. In sows dietary fibres (irrespective of source) reduce stereotypic self-directed behaviours and substrate-directed behaviours, and to a lesser extent overall physical activity, indicating enhanced satiety shortly after a meal. Furthermore, fermentable dietary fibre reduces substrate-directed behaviour in sows and physical activity in sows and growing pigs for many hours after a meal. Evidence of long-term effects of poorly-fermentable fibre sources is inconclusive. The findings suggest that highly-fermentable dietary fibres have a higher potential to prolong postprandial satiet
Health beneficial long chain omega-3 fatty acid levels in Australian lamb managed under extensive finishing systems
No full textThe variation in levels of the health claimable long chain omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) across production regions of Australia was studied in 5726 lambs over 3 years completed in 87 slaughter groups. The median level of EPA plus DHA differed dramatically between locations and sometimes between slaughters from the same location. The ratio of EPA plus DHA from lambs with high values (97.5% quantile) to lambs with low values (2.5% quantile) also differed dramatically between locations, and between slaughters from the same location. Consistency between years, at a location, was less for the high to low value ratio of EPA plus DHA than for the median value of EPA plus DHA. To consistently obtain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in Australian lamb, there must be a focus on lamb finishing diets which are likely to need a supply of α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3), the precursor for EPA and DHA
Case studies demonstrating the benefits on pH and temperature decline of optimising medium-voltage electrical stimulation of lamb carcasses
No full textThe efficacies of electrical stimulation practices at Australian abattoirs that process significant proportions of Australian lamb and sheep meat were assessed. Several abattoirs used medium-voltage electrical stimulation system (MVS) units suboptimally and many carcasses at these abattoirs exhibited a poor rate of pH decline and, consequently, a low proportion of carcasses attained pH 6 at a carcass temperature of 18-35 degrees C, according to Sheep Meat Eating Quality pH-temperature guidelines as adopted by Meat Standards Australia. In the present communication, we describe the causes of suboptimal results with electrical stimulation and discuss procedures for optimising the stimulation dose delivered by MVS units. Carcass pH responses to various levels of current and pulse width were assessed to determine the best MVS settings for individual abattoirs. The MVS units at the abattoirs involved in the present study have now been programmed for optimal efficacy and carcass quality will be monitored on an ongoing basis. Evaluation of methods for assessing the proportion of carcasses that fall within the optimum pH-temperature window showed that a random regression model is more accurate than the current approach
Calcium and magnesium status of pregnant ewes grazing southern Australian pastures
No full textDuring pregnancy, ewes graze pastures that may be marginal in calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), and may also be low in sodium (Na) and high in potassium (K), with a high dietary cation-anion difference. Such pastures may increase susceptibility to hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesaemia, leading to lamb losses. Clinical hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesaemia do occur in Australian sheep; however, it is unknown whether subclinical forms of these disorders compromise ewe or lamb health and survival. The present study monitored the Ca and Mg status of ewes in late pregnancy, so as to evaluate the risk of subclinical mineral disorders in ewes grazing typical southern Australian pastures. Calcium and Mg concentrations in pasture, ewe plasma and urine were monitored in 15 flocks in southern Australia. Mineral concentrations in pasture did not indicate a widespread risk of Ca or Mg deficiency; however, urinary pH and Ca and Mg concentrations in the plasma and urine of the pregnant ewes were not entirely consistent with the expectations from pasture analysis. Urine pH was above 7 on all properties and 87.5% of properties had a mean Ca in urine below the adequate concentration of 1 µmol/mosmol. The mean plasma Ca concentration was below adequate (18 mg/L), more than 20% of ewes on six farms had below adequate concentrations of plasma Mg. Only one-third of the farms had 100% of ewes measured with adequate concentrations of plasma Ca (4/15) or Mg (5/15). The mineral concentrations in pre-lambing blood and urine samples suggested that a significant number of animals grazing southern Australian pastures during winter may be at risk of subclinical hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesaemia
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