Animal最新文献

{"title":"Group housing increases alertness and social interaction compared to traditional single stabling in two-year-old sport horse stallions during pretraining","authors":"L. Kroschel ,&nbsp;F. Pilger ,&nbsp;J. Aurich ,&nbsp;C. Nagel ,&nbsp;C. Aurich","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101584","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101584","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Horses in training are often stabled individually, but this is increasingly questioned. We have investigated the effects of different stabling systems in Warmblood stallions during a 12-week pretraining programme. Stallions were 24 months old and housed either in a group stable (<strong>Group 24</strong>, n = 9) or in individual boxes (<strong>Box 24</strong>, n = 10), or they were 30 months of age and housed in individual boxes (<strong>Box 30</strong>, n = 10). Cortisol, heart rate, heart rate variability (<strong>HRV</strong>), body development, injuries and selected behaviour patterns were analysed (1) at transfer from pasture to stable and (2) thereafter, repeatedly during pretraining. Salivary cortisol concentration increased immediately after stabling (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). This increase was most pronounced in Group 24 stallions (<em>P</em> = 0.044). A diurnal cortisol rhythm was re-established after 2–3 days, but occasional irregular increases in salivary cortisol concentration occurred in Group 24 stallions throughout the pretraining period. In response to stabling, also heart rate increased for approximately 3 h (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) with a most pronounced rise in Group 24 stallions (time × group <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). BW decreased transiently after stabling (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). Skin lesions were mainly superficial abrasions, and they were more frequent in group-housed vs individually stabled stallions (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). Lying bouts were more frequent in individually housed than in group-housed stallions (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). Mutual grooming occurred only in Group 24 stallions (group <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). Playing was seen in Group 24 stallions predominantly in the morning (time <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001, group <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). Agonistic behaviour was more evident in individually housed than in group-housed stallions but was seen occasionally in individually housed stallions (group <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). Pawing the ground was mainly observed in individually housed stallions in the morning before feeding and was close to absent in the afternoons (time <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001, group <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, cortisol concentration, heart rate, HRV and behaviour suggest that group-housed stallions, to some extent, were more challenged during the pretraining period than individually housed stallions. Under the conditions of this study, both individual and group stabling are acceptable for two- to three-year-old stallions and there was no evidence for a major advantage of one housing system over the other.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 8","pages":"Article 101584"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144572692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review: Feeding strategies to meet the dynamic lysine and energy requirements of gestating and lactating sows.","authors":"L Huber","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101574","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2025.101574","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The nutrient and energy requirements of the sow are dynamic, particularly in late gestation, during the transition period, and throughout lactation. In late gestation, growth of the fetuses and mammary glands occur exponentially resulting in a substantial increase in energy and, to a greater extent, amino acid requirements. The fetal pool has received the most attention with respect to estimating nutrient requirements in late gestation, but subsequent milk production is influenced by the mammary development that occurs prior to farrowing, compelling further investigation into late gestation and transition feeding strategies that also maximize mammary development. Recent work has demonstrated that the standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine intakes in late gestation should be provided between 15 and 19% above currently perceived requirements to optimize piglet birth weight and subsequent milk production for primiparous sows. In lactation, the feeding program can also influence milk production, despite the significant maternal reservoirs of nutrients (amino acids) and energy available to support milk synthesis. The interplay between feed (energy) intake and amino acid (lysine) and energy utilization for milk production, however, complicates the empirical determination of amino acid requirements. Thus, feeding lysine as a ratio to energy is necessary. Moreover, primiparous and multiparous sows appear to respond to inadequate SID lysine-to-net energy (NE) ratios differently, sacrificing maternal nitrogen retention and milk output, respectively. The optimal SID lysine-to-NE ratio is influenced by sow BW and milk production level, both of which are dynamic throughout the lactation period and are impacted by parity and feed intake. Therefore, implementation of dynamic SID lysine-to-NE ratios unique to primiparous and multiparous sows could be considered in order to maximize milk production and piglet growth prior to weaning. Converting to dynamic feeding programs in both gestation and lactation has the potential to maximize productivity (piglet growth and milk production) but also to optimize the apparent utilization efficiency of energy and nutrients for reproduction and reduce nutrient losses to the environment. Practically, the logistical constraints of feed delivery systems and sow flow on-farm must be balanced with the underlying biology of the sow to optimize productivity, in both current and future reproductive cycles.</p>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":" ","pages":"101574"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144568107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Animal board invited review: The need for, and the path towards, a functional understanding of the farmed insect microbiome","authors":"N.A. Sibinga ,&nbsp;E. Werner ,&nbsp;D. Tegtmeier ,&nbsp;J. De Smet","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101575","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101575","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid growth of research on industrially produced insect species over the past two decades has coincided with breakthroughs in the speed and affordability of DNA sequencing. This has allowed researchers to rapidly generate data on the microbial communities associated with farmed insects, especially the gut-residing bacteria of the two cornerstone production species: black soldier fly (<strong>BSF</strong>, <em>Hermetia illucens</em>) and yellow mealworm (<em>Tenebrio molitor</em>). A picture of the most prevalent and abundant microbes associated with these species has rapidly come into focus. Specific microbial functions have been suggested under extreme or challenging rearing settings, but less is known about the contributions of the microbiome to insect rearing under realistic production conditions. There is limited understanding of how microbial communities of farmed insects arise, are maintained, and change in response to stimuli. Likewise for seemingly basic questions: what functions do insect-associated microbes perform for the host? Which (if any) taxa are essential for healthy insects? This is not intended as a criticism of existing research; indeed, these questions turn out not to be simple. Answering them requires targeted research approaches testing specific hypotheses about farmed insect microbiome function. This review aims to recalibrate the state of knowledge by critically assessing common and emerging strategies to study these microbiomes and existing knowledge gaps about the functional role of the microbiome for BSF and mealworm. Overall, it is clear that microbes are an intrinsic part of the ecology of these two farmed insects. Reciprocal interactions between microbes and insects are extensive, though microbiome community composition depends to a large extent on environmental conditions. To date, it remains unclear how taxonomical shifts correspond to functional shifts and to what extent such changes impact insect physiology. For example, when mealworms are fed plastics, their microbiomes undergo significant changes in microbial composition. These changes are presumed to increase the ability of mealworms and their microbiota to degrade plastic, but this change in function is hard to conclusively demonstrate with current tools. Furthermore, analysis of the literature shows that taxonomically disparate microbial communities may provide similar functional benefits, e.g. lignocellulose breakdown in BSF larvae. This review therefore aims to critically assess the state of the art with regard to functional analysis of the farmed insect microbiome and how available experimental methods can be best applied to identify links between microbial functions and insect physiology and improve the efficiency and sustainability of the farmed insect industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 8","pages":"Article 101575"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144581124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Farmers’ experiences of implementing cow-calf-contact systems on organic dairy farms","authors":"T. Hautzinger ,&nbsp;E. Rauch ,&nbsp;J. Kantwerk ,&nbsp;P. Weindl ,&nbsp;G. Busch ,&nbsp;E. Zeiler","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101568","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101568","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Most people are unaware of the common practice of separating dairy cows and calves shortly after birth, and when informed, often have a negative view of this practice. To better reflect the natural behavior of cows and calves, some dairy farms are developing alternative systems that allow longer contact between cows and calves than the conventional separation immediately after birth. Such cow-calf-contact (<strong>CCC</strong>) systems are not widespread but are becoming increasingly important to farmers. The main objective of this work was to descriptively explore the implementation strategies of successful CCC systems on dairy farms and to detect possible drivers and barriers as perceived by the farmers interviewed. To this end, we visited 19 farms in southern Germany that had been running CCC systems for at least 2 years and interviewed them using a standardised questionnaire. We found a wide range of CCC systems with implementation methods varying considerably from farm to farm. Animal welfare considerations and reduced workload were the main drivers for implementation. The interviewed farmers perceived challenges in the separation process and space requirements in their barns. The success, i.e. transitioning to a CCC system and operating it for a longer period, seemed to depend on the farmer’s conviction, creativity and management skills to overcome the perceived barriers. The further development of calf rearing should consider societal interests which are increasingly demanding for improved animal welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 7","pages":"Article 101568"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transition to selective dry cow therapy for responsible antimicrobial use in dairy cattle: a case study","authors":"B. Contiero,&nbsp;G. Cozzi,&nbsp;I. Lora,&nbsp;F. Gottardo","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101567","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101567","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Antimicrobial resistance is a major concern for public health, requiring a collective effort towards reduced antimicrobial use (<strong>AMU</strong>) across society. Major AMU in dairy cows is addressed to prevent or treat mastitis. The drying-off represents a critical time for AMU as administering antimicrobials to all quarters of all cows (blanket dry cow therapy - <strong>BDCT</strong>) is still the most adopted strategy in many countries. To reduce AMU, the European Union (<strong>EU</strong>) has banned BDCT since January 2022, and farmers were challenged to switch to selective dry cow therapy (<strong>SDCT</strong>) protocols, which entail antimicrobial treatment only to target cows with a higher risk of intramammary infection at dry-off. This study provided an overview of the practices used by Italian dairy farmers to dry off the cows when the new EU Regulation on AMU came into force. The aim was to identify the efforts required for the transition to SDCT and identify targeted actions to facilitate its success that could be applied in countries where BDCT is still allowed. An extensive survey was carried out between January and March 2022 involving 810 dairy herds rearing more than 61 000 cows. The results showed that 67% of the farmers (60% of the cows) have already adopted dry cow treatment protocols that eliminated or significantly reduced the antimicrobial therapy, whereas the remaining part still used BDCT. In SDCT farms, the mean proportion of cows receiving intramammary antimicrobials at dry-off was 43%. The SDCT farms were generally smaller in size than BDCT ones, and many SDCT farmers seemed to pay more attention to a careful management of the cows at drying-off, combining a reduced milking frequency with a change in the feeding regime to lower milk yield. The SDCT farmers most commonly used individual cow somatic cell count data to identify animals that have to receive intramammary antimicrobials at dry-off, and they declared &gt;300 000 cells/ml the most common threshold above which a cow was targeted for antimicrobial treatment. The survey highlighted that the Italian dairy sector had already made efforts to reduce AMU at dry-off when the new EU regulation started. However, about one-third of the surveyed farms still adopted BDCT, and SDCT protocols were not well codified among different farms. Therefore, further refinements of the selection criteria for treatment allocation, supported by specific farmers’ education and training, are needed to promote a responsible AMU at the dry-off of dairy cows.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 7","pages":"Article 101567"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144502000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does the use of Beef-on-Dairy lead to increased longevity in dairy herds?","authors":"L. Hüneke ,&nbsp;C. Schmidtmann ,&nbsp;S. Rensing ,&nbsp;G. Thaller ,&nbsp;J. Heise","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101571","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The genetic progress of longevity in Holsteins has been very strong over the last years; however, the phenotypic longevity only increases moderately. It is often argued that this discrepancy between genetic and phenotypic longevity can mainly be explained with the availability of too many replacement heifers on the farms. Following this hypothesis, a farmer would rather prematurely cull a cow from the herd than the freshly calved heifer. The availability of dairy replacements on the other side depends on other management decisions: rate of born female dairy calves, rate of losses, sales and purchases of female dairy calves. The rate of born female dairy calves is influenced largely by (a) the use of sexed semen and (b) the use of beef semen on dairy cows (<strong>BoD</strong>). In our study, we analysed, whether herds with a lower rate of born female dairy calves (and therefore less available replacement heifers) have higher average longevity of cows. The data set comprised 2 784 880 calving records and 1 025 203 disposals, resulting in data of 10 627 German herds. These herds were clustered into groups based on (1) the proportion of BoD use and (2) the proportion of female dairy calves born in 2020/2021. The average longevity of cows culled in 2022/2023 (replaced by calves born in 2020/2021) was compared. The genetic level (Estimated breeding value of longevity) did not differ significantly between the categories of farms nor did the average production level (milk yield) per herd. A significant association was found between BoD use and phenotypic longevity: herds with high BoD use (&gt; 20%) had an average longevity that was 147 days longer than that of herds with no BoD use (&lt; 2%). Similarly, herds with a lower proportion of female dairy calves born had a significantly higher average longevity: herds with &gt; 55% female dairy calves (thus, a high number of possible replacement heifers) had an average longevity of 1 197 days, whereas herds with &lt; 40% female dairy calves had an average longevity of 1 335 days. This strong increase in average longevity related to the reduction of possible replacements indicates that many cows are culled early due to management decisions rather than due to health issues and other functional reasons.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 7","pages":"Article 101571"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144502001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficient pigs do not always have less environmental impacts: insights from an individual-based model to assess environmental, economic and technical performances","authors":"E. Janodet ,&nbsp;H. Gilbert ,&nbsp;L. Brossard ,&nbsp;D. Renaudeau ,&nbsp;F. Garcia-Launay","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101572","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101572","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pig production is facing economic and environmental challenges. In previous studies, the environmental impacts of pig farming have mainly been assessed with group-feeding strategies. A feeding strategy applied to a group of pigs results in unequal animal responses and environmental impacts due to inter-individual variability in lean growth potential and nutritional requirements. The present work aimed at fairly evaluating pigs’ responses in a given production system. We designed a methodological approach able to (i) virtually assess technical, economic and environmental performances of each fattened pig within a population; and (ii) help determine the pig characteristics resulting in contrasted environmental performances in a conventional system including feedstuffs classically used on French commercial farms. For that purpose, experimental data collected on 732 entire Large White males were used to adjust growth profiles using InraPorc® software and to estimate the amino acid (<strong>AA</strong>) requirements of pigs. Each individual profile was used to generate a virtual population of 1 000 pigs. For each population, technical performances were simulated with an individual-based model, economic and environmental evaluations were applied to these performances and then averaged to assess the individual performance of each of the 732 original pigs. Climate change, use of fossil resources, acidification, eutrophication potentials and land use impacts were evaluated per kg live BW at farm gate through life cycle assessment. A principal component analysis was applied to the correlation matrix between environmental and economic performances to identify their main drivers. Hierarchical clustering was used to group pigs with similar responses. Three clusters of pigs were distinguished. Cluster 1, with the best environmental and economic performances, combined low feed conversion ratios, relatively low-impact feeds and high protein deposition potential (<strong>PDm</strong>). Clusters 2 and 3 displayed the worst environmental performances. Cluster 3 had similar feed efficiency and economic performances as Cluster 1, but higher initial AA requirements, resulting in high-impact feeds and a lower protein deposition. Cluster 2 had the lowest-impact feeds due to the lowest initial AA requirements and were the least efficient. Feed efficiency, PDm and AA requirements of pigs at the beginning of fattening were the main factors affecting environmental performances. Contrary to previous studies where group feeding was modelled, we show that feed efficiency alone cannot be retained to identify pigs with the lowest impacts. Other pig characteristics such as AA requirements, PDm and environmental impacts should be accounted for to lower the environmental impacts of pig production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 7","pages":"Article 101572"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144502002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Kinetic activity in slow-growing chickens: effect on antioxidant content, fatty acids profile, lipid oxidation and metabolism of blood and thigh muscles","authors":"S. Mattioli ,&nbsp;E. Angelucci ,&nbsp;L. Madeo ,&nbsp;C. Bonnefous ,&nbsp;A. Cartoni Mancinelli ,&nbsp;C. Ciarelli ,&nbsp;A. Collin ,&nbsp;C. Signorini ,&nbsp;A. Dal Bosco ,&nbsp;C. Oger ,&nbsp;J.M. Galano ,&nbsp;T. Durand ,&nbsp;C. Castellini","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101569","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101569","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The adaptation of chickens to extensive rearing systems depends on several factors, including genotype, and individual motivation for kinetic activity. The time spent outdoors is positively associated with the intake of grass and many bioactive compounds (e.g., tocols, carotenoids, polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids). In this study, the relationships among kinetic activity, intake of bioactive compounds and body metabolism in outdoor-reared chickens were investigated. One hundred eighty chicks of the Naked Neck genotype were reared indoors (60 birds) or in an outdoor range (120 birds, 20 chickens/pen, three replications/experimental group). The outdoor animals were monitored from 60 to 80 days of age through a ChickenGate placed 5 m from each shelter. The obtained results were used to discriminate high (<strong>OHA</strong>, crossing the Gate more than 250 times) and low (<strong>OLA</strong>, crossing the Gate less than 40 times) activity chickens. The grass intake in the different pens was estimated from 21 to 81 days of age. Blood and meat samples were collected at slaughtering in 12 chickens/group for lipid (<strong>TBARS</strong>, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and protein oxidation, antioxidants, reactive oxygen species (<strong>ROS</strong>), fatty acid profile and isoprostanoid evaluations. Furthermore, the thigh muscle was dissected to obtain the most glycolytic (PIL) and oxidative (PIFM) muscles. Blood showed lower levels of α-tocotrienol (0.40, 0.45 and 0.79 pmol/mL) and TBARS (15.80, 19.38 and 23.75 nmoL MDA/mL) in OHA chickens, followed by OLA and indoor chickens. The trends of carbonyls, and ROS were not significantly affected by the kinetic activity of chickens. OHA resulted in lower levels of n-3 derivative isoprostanoids (on average 1.65 and 2.33-fold lower values of F₃-isoprostanes and F₄-neuroprostanes, respectively), than OLA and indoor chickens. The trend of antioxidants in meat was similar to that in blood; however, the two muscles of the thigh differed in several traits. Despite the almost double antioxidant content of PFIM with respect to PIL, the TBARS and carbonyl levels were also higher. OHA chickens presented higher total n-6 levels and n-6/n-3 ratios (16.96 vs 9.63 and 7.31 in OLA and indoor), whereas arachidonic acid, total n-3 and n-3 long−chain polyunsaturated fatty acids levels were lower. The present study highlights that more active animals ingested more grass than low-foraging animals, affecting the intake levels of the main antioxidants and fatty acids. However, this greater amount was not entirely transferred into the blood or muscles, probably due to the contemporary greater consumption of these compounds for antioxidant and energetic purposes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 7","pages":"Article 101569"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144501414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social aspects of integrated crop-livestock systems: key for future policy","authors":"L.M. Alderkamp ,&nbsp;R.M.E. van Zandbrink ,&nbsp;F. Meulman ,&nbsp;C.E. van Middelaar ,&nbsp;E.M. de Olde ,&nbsp;A. Hoes ,&nbsp;N. de Roo","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The regional integration of crop and livestock production systems (<strong>ICLS</strong>) has been proposed as a solution towards a more sustainable and circular food system. Studies on ICLS, however, tend to focus on the agronomical consequences of such collaborations, with little insight into the influence of social aspects (e.g., policies, trust) on the development of ICLS. This study aims to enhance understanding concerning the role of social aspects in collaborations between arable and dairy farms. We apply a conceptual framework distinguishing (1) external factors, (2) internal factors related to the characteristics of the actors involved, and (3) internal factors related to the organisation and management of collaborations. The analysis draws on interviews with 20 farmers and three farm consultants. The interviewees are involved in nine arable-dairy farm collaborations that are based on land exchange and are located in five different regions across the Netherlands. The interviews were conducted between October 2022 and September 2023. Two main external factors that influence collaborations were identified. According to interviewees, agricultural policies and markets focus on individual farms and are sector-specific. These perceptions lead them to regard that policies and markets fail to recognise ICLS practices, and might even obstruct them. The collaborations studied both influenced and were influenced by regional culture, unwritten rules, and a certain level of social control. We further identify four main internal factors that influence collaborations. With regard to actor-related factors, farmers must have the right attitude towards collaboration. Interviewees indicated that collaborators should understand the reasons and motivations behind the specific farm management choices of their collaboration partners, as well as their working methods and the regulations to which they must adhere. Mutual trust between collaborators is essential to good collaboration. With regard to factors relating to organisation and management, a fair distribution of risks and benefits in the long term is key for a successful collaboration. Moreover, the farms in a collaboration develop a mutual dependency that tends to increase over time. Self-reinforcing mechanisms or feedback loops strengthen the influence of certain social factors such as trust and mutual dependency. The identification of these aspects across collaborations highlights the importance of integrating both the environmental and social components of collaborations in policies for the further development of ICLS. We conclude that policies should consider the regional social context and its diversity, must have a cross-sectoral focus, and that organising collaborations takes time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 8","pages":"Article 101564"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144588089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review: Micronutrient supply, developmental programming, and strategic supplementation in ruminant livestock.","authors":"J S Caton, M S Crouse, C R Dahlen, A K Ward, W J S Diniz, C J Hammer, R M Swanson, K M Hauxwell, L P Reynolds","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101563","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2025.101563","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Developmental programming, also known as fetal programming, is the idea that changes in offspring development with both immediate and longer-term consequences can arise from in utero stress, including compromised maternal nutrition. Large animal models demonstrate that perturbed maternal nutrition, including macro- and micronutrient supply, (amino acids, vitamins, and trace elements) can alter development during gestational and postnatal offspring outcomes. Strategic supplementation of micronutrients (methionine, arginine, selenium, folate, vitamin B₁₂, choline, cobalt, sulfur and others) also alters placental function and therefore, fetal nutrient supply. Specifically, in the offspring, multiple visceral tissues, metabolism, growth, and reproduction are impacted by compromised nutrition and these effects are potentially mitigated by strategic supplementation. Furthermore, compromised maternal nutrition and strategic supplementation alter gene expression, metabolomic patterns, and biochemical pathways in the offspring. Developmental programming is mechanistically driven, at least in part, by epigenetic mechanism and one carbon-metabolism and associated specific micronutrients. The concept of developmental programming is strongly supported by data from ruminant animal models, wherein compromised maternal nutrition is a stressor driving programming events. Changes in the offspring's transcriptome and metabolome can be influenced by changes in maternal nutrition during development. Evidence suggests that strategic supplementation of micronutrients potentially mitigates the compromised development. Future research needs include efforts focused on: mechanistic investigations, livestock production outcomes, animal health implications, and host-microbiome interrelationships associated with maternal nutrition, developmental programming and strategic supplementation.</p>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":" ","pages":"101563"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144512731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}