If cattle are killed in the slaughterhouse, which means anxiety and unnecessary pain for many animals. Researchers from the University of Kassel investigate a method that could save the animals suffering and further improve the quality of meat.
For many German a good piece of beef belongs to the quality of life; many want the cattle but also a quick death without fear and pain. Around 3,7 million cattle are slaughtered every year in Germany, the vast majority of the animals die in slaughterhouses - also cattle, who have spent their lives in such animals in the pasture. However, the transport to the slaughterhouse, and the wait for the captive bolt just cause for grazing cattle great stress and anxiety, because these animals are to be accustomed penned, nor to have enough contact with people. In addition, it is believed that a significant proportion of all cattle - are estimated in poor farms around five percent - is stunned inadequately by the conventional bolt pistol. Agricultural scientists at the University of Kassel are investigating an alternative: In the so-called bullet shot method the ox is killed in the pasture by headshot.
Trade associations should develop standards for commitment
Interview with the CEO of the Institute for Sustainable Management (ifnm) in Bonn, Dr. Michael Lendle to understanding and requirements of sustainable livestock farming
BfR has evaluated the nationwide data collected for 2010 and confirmed trend towards lower exposure
Salmonella are among the most widespread bacteria on food that can trigger severe gastrointestinal infections in humans. That is why the European Commission 2008 has launched an EU-wide Salmonella control program. Part of the program is the annual national state report. In Germany, for taking samples of agricultural holdings, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the competent authorities of the countries and the food business operator evaluates the data transmitted from: the flocks of breeding hens and 2010% of flocks of broilers combat relevant salmonella 0,3 at 0,2% detected , In the previous year this rate stood at 0,9 0,4% or%. "With that perpetuated the trend, the bere its loomed in previous years. Fewer and fewer flocks are contaminated with salmonella, "said BfR President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel," measures to combat both. "
Giessen veterinarians achieve breakthrough in the exploration of the "blood sweating" of suckling calves - Vaccine responsible - Publication in Veterinary Research
Veterinarians were puzzled, farmers were extremely worried about their calves. came the first time four years ago in Germany and some other European countries, a deadly disease in suckling calves, which is characterized by insatiable bleeding. The bleeding arise as a result of the almost complete loss of blood and bone marrow cells, which are also affected necessary for clotting platelets. In professional circles, the disease as Bovine Neonatal pancytopenia (BNP) is referred to. In researching the causes Giessen veterinarians have now achieved a scientific breakthrough. You make a vaccine for the insatiable bleeding responsibility that ultimately let die the animals agonizing. Giessen virologist in the Department 10 - Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) to describe the mechanisms of destruction of the blood-forming cells in calves succeeded.
Toys for pigs: Researchers at the University of Kassel develop a Wühltrogsystem that in intensive livestock farming provides pigs better employment opportunities and animal health is
The "Wühlkegel" to improve the animal welfare of the entertainment system and be ready for the market in two years. Finally, boredom is bad in the long run not only for humans. Even pigs gets in Maststall not good inaction. This results in aggressive behavior, jostling or even injuries, when it comes to biting between the animals. This annoys not only the swine, but has also frequently negative economic consequences for pig farmers. Because so stressed pigs should be treated with medication to wounds and separated from the group, they took less weight and longer would be fattened until the slaughterhouse acceptor-Animal T says Nicola Jathe. The research assistant and PhD student at the Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel developed in Witzenhausen with ih-rem colleague Dr. Uwe Richter as part of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection doped with about 200.000 Euro joint project a Wühltrogsystem that in the welfare of pigs to improve intensive farming.
Each year, approximately 150 million liters slaughter animal blood in Germany. Currently, only a small part of the production of food (20%) or in animal feed is used, although the blood contains technologically and physiologically valuable proteins. Especially the functional properties of the plasma proteins are from a technological perspective of interest.
The theme piglet castration has been discussed very emotionally in recent years. After much wrangling, it came at the end 2010 to a common European declaration of all players that early 2018 finally to put an end to the castration of piglets. Until then, many questions clarified and viable production methods must be established.
The sex of the future chick is not yet to be regarded as a chicken egg. Leipzig scientists and interdisciplinary partners are currently further developing their two-fold patented procedures for early sexual identification. "We can do this with endocrinological methods as early as the eighth day of incubation, but we want to go even further and achieve a sexual diagnosis on the unbrubbed and then usable egg," says Maria-Elisabeth Krautwald-Junghanns, professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig and Coordinator of the research project.
In no other livestock, the specialization in the target of use has reached a similar level as the chicken, so the veterinarian at the Clinic for birds and reptiles. Roosters of breeds that are bred for laying eggs, find no takers and are simply superfluous. Therefore, more than 40 million male hatchlings just hatched are killed each year in Germany alone. Routine killing affects all areas of laying hens, including the bio-sector. "This is a socio-political issue, both from the point of view of animal welfare and industry," says Krautwald-Junghanns.
When animals are slaughtered, many by-products are produced that are no longer used as food by humans or are not suitable for consumption. Up to 50 percent of the animal is not used as food, and the trend is rising. In the case of sheep, for example, 52 percent of the slaughtered animal goes into the food chain and 48 percent into the disposal. The Veterinary Public Health seminar on "The (re) use of slaughter by-products" took place at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. Representatives from science, politics and industry discussed the opportunities that a lifting of the total feed ban would offer. 260 participants took part in the event, so it was fully booked.
Until the BSE crisis in 2000, slaughtering by-products over decades was a positive example of meaningful downstream processing. The absolute feed ban was part of the BSE control strategy. "The parts of a slaughter animal that are not used as food also contain energy and valuable nutrients," said Professor Dr. med. Josef Kamphues, Head of the Institute for Animal Nutrition of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover and one of the organizers of the conference. "For the year 2050 a world population of about nine billion people is forecasted. Can we do without slaughter by-products as a source of protein in this context? "He asked at the conference. A large part of the protein that is fed in Germany today comes from imported soy. Is not it more sensible to use sources of white matter that are available on site? In addition, animal proteins are higher quality. Around 150.000 tonnes of animal protein would be available in slaughterhouse by-products from pigs and chickens in Germany. That's equivalent to 300.000 to 350.000 tons of soy. Another limited global resource is phosphorus. In agriculture, it is used in fertilizer and animal feed production, but also outside of agriculture, the demand for phosphorus is increasing. Nevertheless, vast amounts of phosphorus are lost unused, which in earlier times, for example, about bone meal were returned to the feeding. Even though slaughter by-products are still used as fertilizer today, the phosphorus contained in them can not be used by the plants and is thus wasted. Ewald Schnug from the Julius Kühn Institute in his lecture.
Footpad dermatitis (FBD) is a ubiquitous problem in turkey fattening that causes significant economic losses. Scientists from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover have come a good deal closer to effective prevention. Their findings were recently published in the Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition.
In a four-week study it was to be determined to what extent the disease can be controlled by feed supplements. The effects of biotin, zinc and manan-oligosaccharides (MOS) were investigated. Biotin and zinc improve wound healing, MOS as a prebiotic improves the general condition of the animals and the immune system. Half of each group worked full time on dry litter from wood shavings. The other animals were kept on a litter with a constant moisture content of 27 percent eight hours a day.
