TheBeefSite Newsletter - 6 July 2011

TheBeefSite Weekly Newsletter

Wednesday 6th July 2011

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Netherlands Bans Slaughter Without Stunning

The Dutch Parliament has voted to make stunning prior to slaughter, including for religious slaughter obligatory in the Netherlands.

The Bill, which received overwhelming support in Parliament (116 out of 150 votes), is based on the strong scientific consensus that animals rendered unconscious prior to slaughter suffer less than animals bled while fully conscious.

Australian cattle farmers are still suffering from the closed live export markets, with some producers saying that they will have to cull cattle if the markets are not open soon, due to lack of feed and capacity.

The Cattle Council of Australia has pledged A$5 million to help cattle farmers hit by the ban on live exports to Indonesia.

The fund aims to ensure that there are no adverse welfare impacts for those cattle that were destined for live export but could not be shipped because of the suspension of trade.

The money can be used to transport animals to the nearest market point, cover costs associated with any regulatory requirements to move cattle, as well as animal husbandry costs including feed, animal health and biosecurity treatments.

Charlotte Johnston

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 3 new features this week:

Effects Of Stockperson Behaviour On Animal Welfare & Productivity
Speaking at a recent Boehringer Animal Welfare Forum, Professor Paul Hemsworth, Director of the Animal Welfare Science Centre discussed human - animal interactions in livestock production. Charlotte Johnston, TheCattleSite Editor reports from the conference.

Improving Nutritional Qualities Of Straw With Urea
Straws are the main source of roughage for feeding ruminants in the tropics but do not supply sufficient nutrients even for maintenance of the animals. Efforts have been made in different parts of the world to improve the nutritional quality of straws, using various treatments. Among these, substantial research has been conducted on the urea treatment of straws, writes T Walli, Chief Technical Advisor at the National Dairy Research Institute, India.

Technologies & Practices For Improving Livestock Feeding In India
M Kurup from the National Games Village, Bagalore looks at improving livestock feeding methods in India, through forage from surplus land and enriched straw pellets.