TheBeefSite Newsletter - 31 August 2011

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Wednesday 31st August 2011

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Cattle EID - Enhanced Traceablity Or Another Burden?

The European Commission has adopted a proposal that will, when implemented, further enhance food safety and better safeguard animal health in the EU, through electronic identification of bovines.

The proposal provides the legal framework for the introduction, for the first time and on a voluntary basis, of an electronic identification system (EID) for bovine animals.

Although bovine EID is currently used in some EU countries, the Commission says that use on a wider scale will strengthen the current traceability system for bovine animals and food products.

Whilst the Commission boasts it will produce numerous benefits for producers, including less paperwork, the UK industry is still struggling to come to terms with EID for sheep, which has proved to be somewhat complicated.

The proposal, if it comes to light, will also require significant investment from beef producers across Europe.

Research has concluded that bleeding calf syndrome is linked to anti-MHC class I antibodies, produced by the mother in response to contamination of vaccine against bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD).

It is suggested that the antibodies in colostrum are responsible for destroying the calf's blood cells.

In June 2010, Pfizer voluntarily stopped sales of Pregsure BVD after a preliminary investigation linked it to a possible cause of bleeding calf syndrome.

Last week, it was revealed that India loses INR180 billion annually through foot and mouth disease.

Charlotte Johnston

TheBeefSite Book Focus

Principles of Cattle Production
This introductory level textbook covers the welfare and environmental implications of producing cattle as well as traditional subjects such as nutrition, reproduction and housing. Its broad, international coverage includes feedlot systems, transport, subsistence farming systems and the contribution of cattle production systems to land, air and water pollution. It is an invaluable resource for undergraduate students of animal science, veterinary medicine and agriculture, as well as diploma and certificate courses and industry personnel.
Order Now Online

Nutrition and Feeding of Organic Cattle
This book presents comprehensive information about how to feed cattle so that the milk and meat produced meet organic standards. Nutrition and Feeding of Organic Cattle provides a comprehensive summary of ruminant digestive processes and nutrition. The book also provides up-to-date information on consumer aspects of organic meat and milk, and on production of greenhouse gases by cattle raised organically. This text will be of particular interest to producers, researchers, lecturers, regulatory agencies, feed manufacturers, food producers and veterinarians.
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This Week's Feature Articles

We have 4 new features this week:

Selection For Feed Efficiency In Beef Cattle
The Australian Beef Co-operative Research Centre is currently mapping genes for net feed intake using high-density single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The research is published in Volume 18 of Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition - Australia.

Enabling Poorer Communities To Engage In Cattle
Using farm-grown fodder, alongside a credit through traders scheme has helped farmers in Ea Kar, Daklak, Viet Nam to engage in a short-term cattle fattening system, according to the International Livestock Research Institute.

Beef Expansion Could Be Own Goal For Ireland
Re-coupling subsidies such as the suckler cow premium will lead to an oversupply of beef and lower prices for farmers, says the Irish Cattle Farmers Association.

USDA: Effects Of Rising CO₂ On Rangelands
Rising carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels can reverse the drying effects of predicted higher temperatures on semi-arid rangelands, according to a study published today in the scientific journal Nature by a team of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and university scientists.

Genus - Value through science and genomics

Company News

Grand Opening For BIVI Sioux Centre Vaccine Facility
US - Governor Terry E. Branstad travelled to Sioux Centre last week to attend the grand opening for one of three Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) specialised vaccine research facilities.

Biomin To Exhibit At SPACE
FRANCE - Biomin invites visitors to SPACE to visit its booth, B36 in Hall nine.

Alltech Appoints New Asia-Pacific Director
ASIA PACIFIC - Alltech has appointed a new director for its fastest growing region - Asia Pacific.

Global Beef Cattle Industry News