TheDairySite Newsletter - 30 October 2009

Friday 30th October 2009

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Importance of Animal Welfare

Temple Grandin, a keynote speaker at the Worldwide Food Expo, has addressed the issue of vigilance regarding animal welfare on farm and in the slaughterhouse. Speaking in the conference Super Session, she advised that small issues such as chains hanging down, bad lighting and workers catching the animal's eye can all affect the welfare of animals in meat works. She said that the industry had improved greatly but individual companies needed to relay this to the public.

The Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) highlighted earlier this week the need for veterinary legislation as groundwork for any efficient animal health policy. The Director, Bernard Vallet, believes that communication with consumers on animal health related issues is a key responsibility of veterinary services.

A recent report presented to the European Commission has outlined a number of options to make it easier for consumers to identify animal welfare-friendly products, which many believe will promote high standards of animal welfare in the food chain.

In the UK, Dairy Energy Savings announced that dairy companies in the Climate Change Agreement have saved just under 130,000 tonnes of carbon since the scheme began in 2000. Meanwhile earlier this week in the UK, milk production narrowly avoided an attack from Lord Stern, who in an interview, blamed the livestock industry for a large proportion of greenhouse gases.

Charlotte Johnston

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 3 new features this week:

Automatic Milking: How Effective Is It?
They have been the topic of discussion for some time now, but as they become increasingly popular, Charlotte Johnston, TheCattleSite junior editor, looks at just how effective automatic milking machines are and evaluates their benefits.

Predicting Changes for Parasite and Vector Induced Animal Diseases
Climate change could have a major influence on animal health, both directly and indirectly, by affecting the parasites and vectors that spread diseases, according to Eric Hoberg, an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) zoologist at the Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville.

Dairy Situation and Outlook - October 2009
In August 2009, milk production from 23 major dairy states decreased 0.2 per cent, writes Robert Tigner from University of Nebraska Extension.

Company News

Merck, Schering-Plough Merger Approved
GLOBAL - Merck and Schering-Plough have received approvals from the US Federal Trade Commission, Swiss Competition Commission and Canadian Competition Bureau for their proposed merger but significant divestitures are required.

Global Dairy Cattle Industry News