Livestock Categories Research Articles

Nitrogen excretion by farm livestock with respect to land spreading requirements and controlling nitrogen losses to ground and surface waters. Part 1: cattle and sheep

In this paper, published and unpublished information on excretion by dairy cattle, beef cattle and sheep is reviewed. A number of factors are known to affect both the amount and N content of livestock excreta, most notably animal liveweight, diet and water intake and, for adults, whether in lactation or not. Relationships between liveweight and the volume and N output of excreta have been used to derive estimates for `standard' outputs for a range of adult and young stock; in the case of breeding stock, allowing for the lactation period. An alternative approach for estimating N excretion, via nitrogen balance calculations, was undertaken for a number of livestock categories and provides some validation of the standards, increasing confidence in their application. These standards are now incorporated into the guidelines already in place for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones in England and Wales and in the recently revised Code of Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Water.

Development of acceptable standards

AbstractUK welfare standards have evolved and are continuing to develop, as our knowledge increases and with the greater interest of a larger proportion of the general public. The government issues official ‘codes of practice’ on animal welfare, one for each of the major categories of farm livestock, addressed personally to every registered farmer in the country. UK legislation is continually updated, so that those with responsibility for keeping livestock have a basic set of rules which are relatively specific and which are enforced by random inspection, usually by the State Veterinary Service. The Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) is responsible to the Minister and, with an element of independence, is asked to assist with the development of animal welfare standards in the UK FAWC is made up of 23 independent members, with a wide variety of skills, knowledge and experience, who, usually in working groups of about six people (with MAFF advisers and secretariat support), are commissioned to investigate and report on particular areas where farm animal welfare standards require attention or revision. The way in which FAWC operates is described using, as examples, recent reports on sheep and laying hens, to demonstrate how the government makes use of FAWC reports in revising codes of practice and legislation. Reference is also made to the way in which quality assurance schemes are being developed. These add a further dimension to the ‘rules’ which affect UK farm animal welfare standards

The damage-conservation interface illustrated by predation on domestic livestock in central Italy

Predation on domestic livestock caused by species of conservation value such as wolf Canis lupus and bear Ursus arctos is a common complaint in parts of the Abruzzo region (Italy) where extensive grazing is practised. The reliability of current damage evaluation methods was found to be weak in relation to identification between canid attacks (wolf or dog) as an ultimate cause of livestock death. An enquiry into the characteristics of farming units damaged by predation showed how the problem of predation could not be viewed in isolation from the socio-economic context in which it occurred. From a sample of communes concerned over predation, only 4.1% of 563 claimants (controlling 25 farming management units) could be considered as ‘chronically’ affected by predation (> two attacks per year) and took up over a third of the claims. The majority claimed less than one attack per year but 36.1% of these held sheep, cattle or equids for allegedly non-commercial reasons. There is evidence for the expansion of wolves in Italy: the availability of a variety of wild ungulates has been identified as a strong factor in diverting predator pressure from domestic livestock. This may hold true if the management methods of ‘at risk’ livestock categories are closely monitored and reappraised where necessary. Moreover, economic incentives such as compensation should be aimed primarily at owners most likely to enter into conflict with wildlife, owing to their economic reliance upon traditional husbandry methods.

Programs for surveillance and monitoring of antibacterial residues in Australia, 1989 to 1993.

The development of a State-based confirmatory testing capability for antibiotic residues in meat in Australia has allowed the rapid feedback to producers failing to comply with antibiotic maximum residue limits. The identification of problem areas in various categories of livestock, and subsequent focused surveillance programs, has reduced the prevalence of antibacterial residues in both domestic and export meat products. Failure to observe withholding periods of antibacterial drugs after treatment is the most significant cause of non-compliance. In the period July 1991 to June 1993 the compliance rate for antibacterial residues for all species was 99.9%.

The distribution of the tsetse flies Glossina morsitans submorsitans and G. palpalis gambiensis (Diptera: Glossinidae) in The Gambia and the application of survey results to tsetse and trypanosomiasis control

AbstractA country-wide survey of the distribution of tsetse flies Glossina morsitans submorsitans Newstead and G. palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank was carried out in The Gambia, during 1989–1990, using box traps at 1654 sites over an area of 10,000 km2 The general distribution of tsetse had changed little during the last 45 years. G. m. submorsitans was present in dry, canopied woodland throughout most of the country, but was absent from an area south of the River Gambia stretching from the coast to some 100 km inland. G. p. gambiensis occurred in evergreen forest and woodland near the coast, and in riparian habitats along the length of the River Gambia and its major tributaries. Nowhere in the country was more than 20 km from tsetse-infested areas. Five major foci of G. m. submorsitans infestation were identified. Demographic, climatic and environmental factors affect tsetse populations in The Gambia, but it is expected that these foci of infestation will persist for at least the next 5–10 years. The numbers of tsetse trapped, expressed as relative densities, were used to assess the extent and severity of losses from trypanosomiasis to different categories of livestock. Survey results such as these could be used to assess whether control measures to reduce tsetse challenge are likely to be economically viable by using techniques such as insecticide-impregnated targets, pour-ons or chemotherapy.

Estimating feed utilisation matrices using a cost function approach

In this paper a multiple-output cost function framework is proposed to construct national feed balances or feed utilisation matrices (FUMs). The framework is applied to the Belgian compound feed industry. For estimation purposes a Symmetric Generalised McFadden (SGM) cost function is selected. The cost function is estimated using readily available time-series data for the period 1962–1988. Unlike previous studies based on duality theory, this study exploits the properties of nonjointness in animal feed production to establish a complete FUM. The allocation of feed ingredients among different livestock categories as well as the composition of various compound feeds are identified. Also own- and cross-price elasticities of demand for feed ingredients by type of livestock are reported.

Estimating feed utilisation matrices using a cost function approach

AbstractIn this paper a multiple‐output cost function framework is proposed to construct national feed balances or feed utilisation matrices (FUMs). The framework is applied to the Belgian compound feed industry. For estimation purposes a Symmetrie Generalised McFadden (SGM) cost function is selected. The cost function is estimated using readily available time‐series data for the period 1962–88. Unlike previous studies based on duality theory, this study exploits the properties of nonjointness in animal feed production to establish a complete FUM. The allocation of feed ingredients among different livestock categories as well as the composition of various compound feeds are identified. Also own‐ and cross‐price elasticities of demand for feed ingredients by type of livestock are reported.

Prevalence of Fasciola hepatica infection in native mammals in southeastern Australia.

Fasciola hepatica infection was found in 5 of 12 marsupial and 1 of 3 eutherian species examined in southeastern Australia. Prevalence of infection in native mammals was as follows: Macropus giganteus, 59%; M. rufogriseus banksianus, 15%; Wallabia bicolor, 5%; Vombatus ursinus, 30%; Trichosurus vulpecula, 5%; and Rattus fuscipes, 4%. Collection sites were assigned to one of two categories. Prevalence was higher in macropodids collected on agricultural pastures grazed by sheep and cattle (category A) than in macropodid collected in forested areas variably grazed by livestock (category B). A high prevalence of infection (82%) was recorded in M. giganteus in an area from which sheep and cattle had been excluded for 15 years. Prevalence of F. hepatica infection in V. ursinus was similar in the two habitat categories; however, within forested areas infection was more common in V. ursinus collected near swamps and creeks than those taken from drier ridges. The presence of habitat suitable for the snail intermediate host. Lymnaea tomentosa, and utilization of this habitat by domestic and native mammals are important epidemiological factors. Moderate numbers of flukes (1-95) and faecal egg production (1-195 eggs per gram of faeces (EPG)) in M. giganteus and M.r. banksianus emphasize their suitability as hosts and contaminators of pasture. Small numbers of flukes and conspicuous hepatic lesions in V. ursinus suggest moderate resistance to infection. The low prevalence and small number of flukes in T. vulpecula was attributed to the arboreal habit of this host. R. fuscipes is susceptible to infection but infected individuals were found in only one of numerous forest areas with suitable snail habitat. Feeding behaviour is probably responsible for the absence of F. hepatica infection in W. bicolor and Rattus lutreolus in forested areas.