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The animal and ethics in livestock farming (2001). Bernard Denis. (Original French title: L'animal et l'éthique en élevage). Ethnozootechnie, Special Issue (Hors – Série) No. 2. Societé d'Ethnozootechnie, 16 bis, Boulevard Cote Blatin, 63000 Clermont – Ferrand, France. ISBN 2–901081–52–5, 114 pages. 90 FF (plus postage).
When the author started an active interest and involvement, some fifteen years ago, in the questions of ethics related to animal production, this topic was of concern only to a small minority of livestock professionals who were then considered to be on the margins of science if not also of the mind. It was then the time when the economic panacea of intensive animal agriculture and high productivity were widely advocated, from laboratory to university classroom and from pigpen to feedlot. The review of publications, particularly French literature, by the author through the subsequent years, shows to his astonishment and delight, that the tradition of treating farm animals in a decent and ethical way, the correct middle way of many moralists, goes back to Aristotelian teachings but was lost, maybe voluntarily, in the scientific wanderings of the periods prior to and after the 2nd world-war.
Professor Denis, veterinarian, animal scientist and university professor, chooses not to confuse what is today called animal well-being with the profound ethical and moral issues of animal farming. Evidently the first is an integral part of the second but is not equal to it in importance as, philosophically, it flows from it. This publication does not pretend fully to cover the question of ethics and animal agriculture; rather it chooses to develop the belief that deep-rooted individual responsibility is more important on this issue than group action. It underlines in a powerful way that, what is important in the end is the ethical approach of man towards the farm animals and not only the ethics of industrial farming.
In the first chapter the author presents and describes the problem issues involved, from extreme criticisms and characterizations to true ethical questions flowing from the discomfort created by certain farming practices for animals. The second chapter examines the ways in which philosophers and humanists of the past viewed animals' state and rights; this position has a definite though indirect effect on the design of farming practices. The author illustrates this by a series of pertinent sociological and zoological considerations. The third chapter is dedicated to theological studies which clearly go much further than simple animal agriculture practices by touching the roots of biblical foundations. Since it is today assumed that the church carried a heavy responsibility for the condition and even the destiny of the animal kingdom, it is interesting to see how and why the writings of the past confirm this opinion. Zootechnical, philosophical and theological studies show that animals are not a simple things placed at the disposal of man to use as he likes, thus freeing man from ethical questions arising within his actions. In the last chapter the author discusses with reference to the world of farm animals, possible paths that can and should be followed to provide an ethical response to the extremes and aberrations of modern animal production systems.
In conclusion, one must emphasize that this is a well documented memoir, resulting from the author's long and serious examination of man's overall posture towards his animals. The book does not take a pretentious position by indulging in specific questions of animal rights, the philosophical status of animals or salutary aspects of the creation of the world. It is a great pity this book is not also available in English.
Professor Jean Boyazoglu,
University of Thessaloniki,
Greece.
Social Behaviour of Farm Animals (2001). Ed: L. Keeling & H. Gonyou. CAB International Publishing, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 8DE, UK. ISBN 085199-397-4. HB. 432pp. £60 or US$110.
The strong involvement of scientists in studies of the behaviour of farm animals is relatively new. The marked effects that farmers can have upon the behaviour and productivity of livestock, suspected for years, have only recently been demonstrated. This book throws light on social behaviour not previously investigated in several species. The authors' idea is to bring together available knowledge. There are three parts and within each the content is clearly structured.
Concepts in social behaviour
The first part is about concepts in social behaviour. Group life is addressed first from the general evolutionary standpoint by examining fitness pay-offs. For group life to be favoured, its overall benefits must outweigh its costs and the resulting fitness pay-off to each group member must be greater than for a solitary individual. Within-group dynamics are explained and include the effects of dominance, competition and co-operation between group members. Group structure is also considered with mating systems and offspring emigration. Those considerations might be far from our livestock farming and the examples are often taken from wild life. However, general principles may guide husbandry design and practice. Further, the authors intelligently point out that we must be careful not to confuse the apparently adaptive current utility of a behaviour with its presumed function in the past history of the species. The relevance of evolutionary theory to domestic species remains a matter of debate. Obviously man-made intense selection may have inadvertently selected for social tolerance of others, thus allowing domestic species to be kept in social conditions which ancestral animals would not tolerate. Moreover behaviour that is adaptive in the wild becomes abnormal under intensive management conditions for example when lack of space means that the dominance hierarchy cannot function properly. The notion of "individual distance" and social space" is explained as well as communication within the groups. In domestic animals kept in groups, stability, density, physical environment, i.e. how the group is to function, seems more important than the group size "per se".
A specific chapter is devoted to parental behaviour. Here "parent-offspring conflict" is displayed. Offspring benefit in an evolutionary sense from a higher level of parental care than what is optimal for the parents (parents have to allocate resources to all offspring both present and future). A wide range of parental behaviours exists and examples are given. Part of these differences might come from the ability of the young animal to manage itself properly at birth. Some species are called precocial (hatched or born late in development) while others are altricial (hatched or born early in development and therefore needing intensive parental care to survive). Different aspects of parental care are developed: food provisioning, communication, regurgitation,….begging. There seems to be a debate on whether or not begging is honest. We are obviously here very close to anthropomorphic considerations. Clearly animal behaviour can change over time, depending on the environment. Interestingly the author asks why regurgitation is no longer performed by many modern dog breeds. The last chapter of part 1 deals with domestication in relation to social behaviour. The author (R. Stricklin) start his paper with an important statement : "all domestic animals are social animals !" Different definitions are given based on literature. That of Price (1998) says that "domestication is a process where in animals adapt to living with humans and to environments provided by humans". The author stresses that there can be changes at the DNA-level as a result of domesticating process and this is not included in the definition. A useful table is given on the history of time. The associations between humans and animals probably started around 30.000 years ago (during Pleistocene) when important climatic changes occurred and new habitats became available. It is thought the dog was domesticated first (14,000 years ago) and then farm animals like sheep, goats, cattle, chickens…(7,000-12,000 years ago). Social behaviour between humans and animals was the foundation on which the domestication process was built. The author of this chapter engages an interesting debate on selection and its consequences on social behaviour. Referring to natural selection in wild populations he explains that two non-mutually exclusive forms can be distinguished :
If domestication drives animals toward an r-selection strategy and if r-selection tends to result in behavioural traits like rapid development, young age at reproduction, short lifespan…then modern farm animals may be moving away from being truly social and, instead, towards becoming aggregations. Today's artificial selection strategies that emphasize growth and reproduction may additionally exacerbate the shift towards traits associated with r-selection. The author mentions that selection pressure could produce dramatic genetic changes in social behaviour and other traits in a short time period. He takes the example of dairy cows. Specific terms used by ethologists are found in the text but they are all properly defined and explained. An aggregation is defined as a group of individuals of the same species gathered in the same place but not internally organized or engaged in co-operative behaviour. Another term explained is "neoteny". It means the retention of juvenile traits into adulthood, a feature especially found in domesticated animals. Then the author raises the question as did Darwin a long time ago: "whether or not humans are also domestic animals!”. In his conclusion he says that by not having clear a understanding of domestication at the molecular level we may not be selecting animals that are genetically the most suited to our farming conditions. There can be at least a debate on this since only the best performing individuals in farm conditions are kept as progenitors for subsequent generations (despite the fact that the genetic determinants of social behaviour are not known). On the other hand the current practice, to which molecular genetics might be added, if pushed far ahead could result in the concept of "the animal as a machine". Care is certainly needed here and ethical aspects have to find a place when genetic programmes are being prepared. Further, an important question is raised: are we already close to a stage "beyond domestication"?
Social behaviour in different species
Part 2 of the book is a series of chapters dealing with social behaviour in different farm species. Each chapter is divided into sections which are the same for the different animal species: basic social characteristics (composition and structure of social groups, use of space, communication, intra-group interactions), social behaviour under commercial conditions (social groupings, social structure…), social behaviour, management and welfare (separation problems; abnormal behaviour,…). I cannot here detail the contents of this part of the book. The readers will find a detailed documentation on all those points regarding the following species: cattle (by M.F. Bouissou et al), pigs (by H. Gonyou), domestic birds (by J. Mench and L. Keeling), sheep (by A. Ficher and L. Matthews), horses (by N. Waran) and fish (by E. Brännäs et al). The basic social characteristics are learned from observing wild or feral animals or from observing free-ranging domestic animals with a minimum of human interference. Our domestic animals are highly adaptable and generally they respond well to current modern farming practices. However the adaptive ability can be overwhelmed. Numerous examples can be found in the book. Hence in relation to dominance in cattle, even when feed is permanently available and when cows have access to feed during the night, low-ranking animals eat and gain less than the others. It was also found that the adrenal glands of the subordinate cows were hypertrophied compared to dominant cows. Another point mentioned with cattle is that the social relationships within a herd are often beneficial in reducing the effects of stressful conditions. The question of separation and particularly at weaning is detailed. Under commercial conditions, weaning in mammals often means an abrupt separation, between the mother and the young, a situation rarely encountered in free-ranging herds and which can cause troubles especially to the young. The reader will also learn about communication in farm animals. Most bird species have excellent colour vision and acute hearing. Their vocal repertoire is impressive (more than 15 different calls have been identified in Japanese quail and more than 31 in domestic fowl). In pigs, olfactory and auditory stimuli are used extensively but they can also discriminate among wavelengths of light and therefore presumably among colour hues. The horse has a wide visual field, almost 357°, when the head is held high. In addition a horse's panoramic view also depends on monocular vision, that is, the ability to see separate views with each eye at the same time. Horses have good night vision and can distinguish between some colours. Hearing, sounds and smell are also important in communication. In fact most of the species appear to use a combination of visual, olfactory and acoustic stimuli in addition to "body language" (postures…).The chapter devoted to fish shows that social behaviour even within species shows considerable variation. Furthermore volume may be the appropriate measure of space rather than "surface".
Behavioural responses
Part 3 of the book comes back to cross-species issues. A chapter is written on the social bonds and on the consequences of breaking these bonds. The behavioural aspects are mainly mentioned. A brief comment only is made about the physiological mechanisms. Oxytocin, vasopressin, prolactin and opioids have been implicated in the development and maintenance of mammalian social bonds. Pronounced responses to separation have been associated with maladaptive outcomes. Concerns have been expressed that agriculture species may be distressed by observing or sensing the death of contemporaries to which they are bonded. Obviously those experimental studies of the implication of breaking social bonds are ethically challenging. "Individual differences" is the title of another chapter and it is thought that the term "personality" is particularly well suited to describe and structure "individual variation" in animal behaviour. The term "coping" is also explained. In animals it is used in general for difficult and challenging situations. In human psychology it relates to situations which lie outside an individual competency (if a problem cannot be solved, it has to be coped with). The role of people as social actors in the world of farm animals is recognized as important and this is totally justified. While in recent years the emphasis has been on the negative effects of animals' fear of people, here we are reminded that it might be equally important for the safety of the handlers to ensure some degree of dominance, and, in some cases, a degree of physical force may be the most effective way of achieving this. The reduction in fear that occurs as a result of early contact between animals and/or between animals and people may be persistent. Initially used by Lorenz (1935) for newly hatched birds, the term "imprinting" refers to this process. The last chapter deals with the understanding of how farm animals perceive and respond to their environment and with the underlying mechanisms. Neurobiological research has provided some evidence of recognition in animals (e.g. measuring brain activity) but these findings are not mentioned. Only behavioural aspects are cited and repetitions are found with previously discussed subjects.
Overall comments
My final comments are the following:
Dr. F. Madec, France
President of EAAP Commission on Management & Health.
Digestive Physiology of Pigs. (2001). Eds: J. E. Lindberg & B. Ogle. CAB International Publishing, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8DE, UK. ISBN. 0-85199-517-9. HB 416pages. £75 (US$140).
This book is a compilation of the papers presented during the 8th Symposium on Digestive Physiology in Pigs held in Uppsala, Sweden, June 2000, under the auspices of the European Association of Animal Production (EAAP). In the book, 107 contributions have been divided into six main sections. Each consists of a main paper in which a leading expert on the corresponding subject gives a review on the latest knowledge plus a varying number of short contributions of about three pages, which describe concisely a range of different aspects of current research affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Due to its complexity, the gastrointestinal tract has attracted the interest of numerous scientists working on fields as diverse as physiology, immunology, microbiology, nutrition or veterinary medicine. This book gives an insight into the current research conducted on these aspects of science, and although it is focussed on the pig, it also is relevant to other animal species (in particular non ruminants).
The first part entitled ‘Gut development and function' consists of fifteen contributions, that describe different aspects on the development of the morphology and function of the gastrointestinal tract and their relationship with hormones, nature of the diet, animals' age or the weaning process. I was disappointed that the second part of the book on the gastrointestinal immune system only consisted of three chapters. I would have expected this innovative subject, which was first raised as a future line of research during the 7th edition of the symposium to have exploded by now. The small number of contributions suggests that there is still little knowledge on the subject and that this must be an open field of research for the future.
The third part entitled ‘Nutrient absorption and utilization by the gut' consists of seven contributions and describes the utilization and modification of dietary (and systemic) nutrients (primarily amino acids) by the gastrointestinal tract and their interaction with the absorptive processes. The information provided in this section will help to understand the nutrient requirements of the gut, thus providing information on possible mechanisms to preserve or improve its functionality under different situations
The fourth part of the book entitled 'Digestive processes', is a combination of various aspects of research that have already been considered in previous editions of the symposium. Since these topics of research are well established in the teams that regularly attend the symposium, this may explain why this section is the largest. It contains contributions on different aspects of the physiology of digestion. It also describes the evaluation of the digestibility of nutrients in feed ingredients and how it is affected by particular nutrients or feed additives. Finally, methodological aspects on the measurement of digestibility, such as the determination of the endogenous secretions are also considered.
The fifth part of the book entitled ‘Econutrition and health maintenance' contains twenty contributions and is in my opinion the most important contribution from this book to the symposium series. This edition of the symposium includes for the first time a section dedicated to the health of the gastrointestinal tract taking into account the complex interactions between the diet and the gastrointestinal microflora.
Finally the fifth part entitled 'Free contributions' contains nineteen interesting contributions related to the digestive physiology of pigs but that didn't fit into the above pre-established themes.
The book is well edited, and each chapter is nicely structured with numerous tables and figures and with useful reference material. This book is of particular interest for lecturers in animal science, veterinarians, researchers in pig nutrition and physiology, and for students on the related areas.
Dr. David Torrallardona
Department of Animal Nutrition
IRTA-Centre de Mas Bové
43280 Reus, Spain
Enzymes in farm animal nutrition. (2000). Ed: M. Bedford and G. Partridge. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 8DE, UK. ISBN 0-85199-3931. pp432. HB. £65 (US$120).
This book provides an account of our knowledge on the use of enzymes essential for the development of the cattle feed industry. In its introduction, the book stresses the growing importance in recent years of the introduction of enzymes in animal feeding. In sixteen chapters, the following points are developed thoroughly:
In 406 pages the authors, with the help of 29 confirmed experts, expound our knowledge on this topic very clearly. The book provides an impressive and comprehensive source of bibliographical references as most chapters are supported by a list of more than 100 references. This work answers frequently asked questions in a very efficient way. It therefore seems necessary for the specialist who wishes to contribute to optimizing the use of enzymes in cattle feeds, while avoiding all possible problems for the animals as well as for human consumers.
Professor Jean-Louis Tisserand,
ENESAD, Dijon, France.
Pig genetic resources in Europe: characterization and conservation. (2001). Eds: L. Ollivier, F. Labroue, P. Glodek, G. Gandini and J.V. Delgado. EAAP Publication No. 104. Wageningen Pers, PO Box 42, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands. ISBN 9074134939. Softcover, 150 pp, inc. 26 colour plates, 53 tables and 4 figures
Over the last ten years, half of the meat consumed in the 15 EU countries has been pigmeat - almost as high a proportion as in Asia. Disproportionately, 46% of the pig breeds registered in the FAO's world-wide inventory are found in Europe but many of them are endangered. Clearly, European pig genetic resources are valuable and it is important that their rapidly fading diversity should be maintained in the long term.
This book concentrates largely on the EU's four major pig-producing countries: France, Germany, Italy and Spain. It is based on evaluation of local breeds under RESGEN 12, the EU gene banking project for pig genetic resources that commenced in 1996. The overall objective of the project was to "establish the bases of a gene bank for the conservation of European genetic resources for pigs, relying in particular on storage of frozen semen from local breeds exposed to serious risks of genetic erosion, if not actual extinction".
The aim of the book, therefore, is to provide a basis for the rational conservation of Europe's pig genetic resources by comprehensively evaluating selected local breeds and suggesting conservation measures, especially the establishment of gene banks for endangered breeds. It looks in detail at 24 local breeds, mainly saddlebacks, pied, spotted or black: (France) Basque Black Pied, Bayeux, Blanc de l'Ouest, Gascony, Limousin, Guadeloupe Créole; (Germany) Angeln Saddleback, Bentheim Black Pied, German Saddleback, Swabian-Hall; (Czech Republic) Prestice; (Poland) Pulawy; (Italy) Calabrian, Casertana, Siena Belted, Mora Romagnola, Black Sicilian; and (Spain) Galician, Murcian, Jabugo Spotted, Canary Black, Black Hairless (Negra Lampiña), Black Majorcan and Extremadura Red (Retinta).
Those who have contributed to the book's 12 chapters are well-known experts in their diverse fields of pig production, genetics, conservation and reproductive physiology. The spread of their expertise should appeal to a wide range of readership: those within the pig industry itself, of course, but also researchers and students, those interested in endangered breeds and, it is to be hoped, decision-makers concerned with domestic animal conservation in Europe. The book could also serve as a blueprint for the conservation of genetic resources in other countries and other continents.
The four sections of the book reflect the four objectives of RESGEN 12, which were: to characterize a number of local breeds in the selected countries; to collect data on performance and qualification of each breed; to evaluate the genetic variability within and between the breeds; and to collect germplasm and apply adequate cryopreservation programmes.
The first section (primary characterization) begins with an interesting overview of pig genetic resources and management that, in order to give a global perspective to the European situation, looks well beyond Europe. There are sections on indigenous pig genetic resources in Asia (especially China and Vietnam), the Caribbean and Latin America (Brazil and Mexico) and West Africa, as well as the general situation in Europe as a whole, with the emphasis on endangered local breeds. Some 20 non-European and an additional 80 European breeds and varieties (over and above the selected 24), past and present, are briefly described or mentioned.
The remainder of the first section and the whole of the second concentrate on the four chosen European countries, looking at the management of pig genetic resources in each of them and then, for each of the local breeds, examining its origin and distribution, giving a breed description, explaining how the breed is exploited and how it is being conserved, and summarizing its reproduction and production performance traits. The French sections include detailed information on the Guadeloupe Créole.
The third section evaluates genetic diversity among and within the selected local breeds, based on immunological, biochemical and DNA polymorphisms. The fourth reports on cryopreservation techniques in general, and on their use in the four European countries in particular. A general conclusion pulls together the gist of the four sections, emphasizing that the book is broadly an analysis of diversity. There is a substantial References section and finally there are colour plates of the 24 selected European breeds, some of which are very different from the ubiquitous Large Whites and Landraces.
The REGEN 12 project is being enhanced by a parallel but much larger sample of European countries and pig breeds (including commercial lines) covered by the PIGBIODIV demonstration project, the data for which is currently being analysed. In the meantime, this book provides detailed information about the selected breeds and a useful overview of management systems and of conservation projects and techniques.
Valerie Porter,
Author and Consultant in Animal Genetic Resources,
UK.
History of the surveillance and control of transmissible animal diseases. (2000). (Original French title: Histoire de la surveillance et du contrôle des maladies animales transmissibles). Jean Blancou. Publisher: OIE, 12 rue de Prony, 75017 Paris, France; pub.sales@oie.int 40 EU. ISBN 92-9044-506-d/8.
This book available in French and under preparation in English explains how various animal diseases were identified and controlled through history. It introduces the principle of control and traceability as they evolved through the ages. The author's aim is not to rewrite the history of each of these diseases, nor that of veterinary medicine, but to analyse the methods used by various people over time both to identify sick animals and to prevent the development and spreading of such diseases. This study only covers former disease surveillance and control methods; in recent times methods were gradually harmonized. The book retraces in an orderly and logical manner the history of the surveillance and control of the main transmissible infections of farm livestock as well as the history of many other transmissible diseases and afflictions of wild species.
Twelve chapters are devoted to the main diseases. Each chapter deals in succession with the symptoms, pathology, aetiology, pathogenicity, epidemiology preventive measures, treatment and health regulations. The evolution of knowledge and the theories concerning each of these diseases are reviewed from ancient time up until the 19th century, with detailed bibliographic references. The book also contains an excellent chapter on the main reference works and authors quoted in chronological order, as well as lists of the diseases presented and an analytical index. It is illustrated with attractive colour plates. This is an original work of interest to veterinarians, doctors, biologists and historians. It should also interest students, teachers, researchers and practitioners interested in the development of medical and life science over the past 40 centuries.
Professor Jean Boyazoglu
University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
The ecology and management of grazing systems. Eds: J. Hodgson and A.W. Illius, CABI Publishing, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 8DE, UK. ISBN 0-85199-107-6 (HB) 480pp. £65 (US$ 120). 0-85199-302-8 (PB), 466pp. £30 ((US$55)
The stated objective of the book is to select and collate up-to-date information on the dynamic ecology of plant and herbivore communities, including their interrelationships, and to place this information in the context of modern theories of ecosystem management. A part of the objective is also to examine the complementary nature of information from managed pastoral systems and natural ecosystems.
The authorship is international with 24 contributors from 8 countries, with Australasia and the USA figuring prominently. Fourteen review-type chapters are grouped into three major sections: plant and plant populations; animals and animal populations; grazing systems and their management. A fifteenth and final chapter sums up the progress made in understanding the ecology and management of grazing systems. All the contributions are liberally referenced with nearly 1700 citations in total, the pagination of which makes up about 20 per cent of the book.
The grazed sward is the focus of Part I, which has chapters dealing with plant competition, population dynamics, plant survival strategies, and tissue flows in plant communities. Whereas these topics are in the context of herbaceous vegetation, a separate chapter discusses woody plant-grass dynamics in arid and semiarid ecosystems. This Part, which deals essentially with aspects of plant community structure and function, sets the tone of the book as requested by the editors, namely, to be stimulating rather than comprehensive in reviewing the available literature.
Part II includes chapters that deal with foraging strategies of grazing animals, animal requirements and available pasture resource, and factors affecting ingestive or intake behaviour. Another specialized chapter covers biochemical aspects of grazing behaviour, particularly the influence of allelochemicals, while a rather novel chapter homes in on multispecies grazing in the Serengeti ecosystem of the African savanna. The Serengeti example was chosen since its coexisting ungulate community is one of the most diverse and most intensively studied in the world; therefore, these studies could potentially identify the managements needed in the future for multispecies communities in other world regions.
Part III overviews the management of grazing systems from a range of geoclimates – temperate, Mediterranean, semiarid/arid and well-watered tropical – together with a semi-theoretical dissertation on complexity and stability in rangeland grazing systems. This complexity is discussed within the context of four areas – food resource, herbivore population, plant/animal interface and management strategy – while stability is discussed in terms of equilibrium and non-equilibrium between plant and herbivore populations in grazing systems. In effect, equilibrium systems are typical of humid grasslands where spatiotemporal heterogeneity is dampened by rigorous management control whereas such heterogeneity in semiarid/arid rangelands has to be taken advantage of rather than controlled since they are at the non-equilibrium end of the spectrum. These concepts are well exemplified in the grazing system managements reviewed for the different geoclimatic regions.
A noteworthy point concerning the Mediterranean basin is the relative failure there of Australian pasture technology, supported by improved varieties developed from Mediterranean-region species such as subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum), because of socioeconomic conditions, often related to land tenure, or to subsidization of feed grains and concentrates; nor did the introduced varieties outperform local ecotypes. This focuses attention on the need for grazing research to include ecological and social issues more so than before. A similar point was made in the rangelands chapter in which the author strongly advocates a good inventory of the types and their differences, together with their functional causes and consequences, in order to avoid inappropriate generalizations that have resulted in the failure of ideas taken from one rangeland (or non-rangeland) environment to another.
In conclusion, the book is a valuable source of information and references for researchers, lecturers and advanced students involved both in plant and animal ecology in a grazing context, and in the management issues of grazing systems for different agroecological world zones. Substantial advances in these fields of study have been made in recent years and so the book's subject reviews are timely. As indicated, developments in the management of semiarid/arid rangelands (30% of the world's land surface) lag behind those of temperate grasslands, thus highlighting the scope for future investigations. This should give impetus to researchers particularly in light of one of the main observations by the editors that "there is limited time for the development strategies to protect the world's depleting pastoral resources in the face of increasing population pressure and resource exploitation, and the potential impacts of climate change".
Dr. John Frame
formerly of the Scottish Agricultural College,
Auchincruive, Ayr, Scotland.
Nutrition of Sows and Boars. (2000). Eds: W.H.Close & D.J.A.Cole. Published by Nottingham University Press, Manor Farm, Main Street, Thrumpton, Nottingham. NG11 0AX, UK. ISBN 1-897676-530. HB. 377pp. £40.00.
Continuous developments in pig breeding, husbandry, management and environmental practices demand new information on pig nutrition, namely how these practices may change the nutrient requirements and responses of these animals. Few reviews are available on the subject, especially on nutrition of sows and boars. Close and Cole perfectly fill the gap by offering a complete and understandable review of the most recent data available on the nutrition of the modern sow and, to a lower extent, of the boar. All the aspects of sow nutrition are reviewed, from energy requirements to appetite and from pre-breeding gilts to modelling. The text is illustrated by countless figures and tables of data, which make it easier to read. The most attractive aspect of the book is that the authors provide the reader with the sufficient scientific background required to adapt the nutrition of the sow to the different situations encountered in modern pig production and also suggest a series of practical recommendations. Hence, an important chapter is devoted to practical feeding practices.
The book will be appreciated by nutritionists of both the university and the feeding industry but also by graduate students who want a reference book on sow (and boar) nutrition
Dr. Pascal Leterme
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Departamento de Produccion animal
Carrera 32 - Chapinero
Palmira (Valle) Colombia
Gut Environment of Pigs. (2001). Eds: A. Piva, K.E. Back Knudsen, JE Lindberg
Published by Nottingham University Press, Manor Farm, Main Street, Thrumpton,
Nottingham. NG11 0AX, UK. ISBN 1-897676-778. Softcover. 260pp. £30.00.
The decision of the European Union to ban most of the antibiotics used as feed additives has focused the attention of many nutrition physiologists on the role of micro-organisms in the gastrointestinal tract of monogastric animals, how they affect the production and which alternatives could be offered. To answer to these questions, two satellite workshops were organized during the last Symposium on Digestive Physiology in Pigs, held at Uppsala, Sweden in June 2000, on gut environment and the possible alternatives to antibiotics. The different contributions were compiled in the book “Gut Environment of Pigs”
The book is, roughly, divided in two parts. The first one deals with the different factors that may affect the morphology, function, immunity and metabolism of the gut: weaning, feed composition, luminal bacteria, etc. The second part revises the possible alternatives to antibiotics: prebiotics, organic acids or enzymes, completed by the current status and perspectives of the European Union on the subject.
This book is very welcome, assuming that the gut environment of the pig has become a main issue during the last years of the feeding industry. Different reviews are available on some aspects of the subject but they are generally widespread or available only in the proceedings of congresses. On the other hand, many feed producers use alternatives to antibiotics, such as probiotics, without having the scientific background required, due to a lack of available information. The book offers them a good opportunity to update their knowledge. It is also a valuable source of information for post-graduate students in animal nutrition.
Dr. Pascal Leterme
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Departamento de Produccion animal
Carrera 32 - Chapinero
Palmira (Valle) Colombia
Livestock farming systems: Integrating animal science advances into the search for sustainability. (2000). Eds: D. Gagnaux, R. Daccord, A. Gibon, J. R. Poffet a and A. R. Sibbald. Wageningen Pers, Mansholtlaan 10-12, 6708 PA Wageningen, The Netherlands. EAAP Publication No. 97. Proc. 5th International Symposium on Livestock Farming Systems held in Posieux, Switzerland, August 1999. ISBN 9074134793 paperback. Pp430. NLG175.
I found these proceedings both interesting and yet frustrating. The Livestock Farming Systems movement casts its net very wide and the issues considered at the symposium included health and welfare, modelling livestock systems, maintenance of landscape, decision support systems, product quality and productivity/labour inputs of extensive livestock systems. My interest came in part from reading of matters as diverse as the use of sheep to control disease in an organic apple orchard to the assessment of the sustainability of an egg production system.
My frustration came from the absence of a broader systems perspective. As noted in the preface to the proceedings, the papers presented were much more discipline-orientated than on previous occasions and this was said to be the consequence of the ground already covered within the movement. This may be true but seen from the perspective of a wider readership, I would suggest that the logical place for such discipline-orientated papers would be one of the many established journals or conference proceedings. The value of much extensive livestock farming in Europe lies in its cultural richness and in its role in the maintenance of semi-natural ecosystems, rather than as a source of cheap foodstuffs. As Flamant and Boyazoglu describe in their interesting symposium conclusions, one of the main impetuses to the formation of the Livestock Farming Systems movement was the recognition that much of S. European livestock farming was poorly served by the predominantly production-orientated research approach common in N. Europe. The Livestock Farming Systems movement was an early champion of the view that such systems should be considered holistically, demanding that studies extend beyond the livestock sciences and include other disciplines such as ecology and sociology. With the reform of the EU Common Agricultural Policy and the role of the World Trade Organisation high on the political agenda, the need to take a holistic viewpoint has never been more relevant than today. It would therefore be most unfortunate if these proceedings were to signal a retreat away from the integrative approach to a more traditional reductionism.
These proceedings will primarily be of interest to researchers. Of the ninety papers, the majority were poster papers, with seven invited and eighteen submitted papers. I think some of the poster papers bear the hallmark of being written mainly to enable one or more of the authors to attend the symposium, rather than for the greater enlightenment of science. In fairness however, I must add that I found some of the poster papers of equal or greater interest than some of the invited papers. A number of the papers are in French, though fewer than in some previous proceedings. It would have been helpful if English summaries had been provided with these papers. I suspect that native French speakers would appreciate French summaries of papers in English.
I found a number of interesting and readable papers in these proceedings. Given the broad sweep of topics included, many other researchers are likely to find something of interest here. However, given this broad sweep, I suspect many researchers will (legally) be satisfied by borrowing this book from the library and paying a short visit to the photocopier.
Dr. Nick Hutchings
Department of Agricultural Systems
Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences
Research Centre Foulum, Tjele, Denmark
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