Daily Routine Changes in Young Group-Housed Swine Infected With Salmonella

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2009 | No Comments

Illness can result in compromised welfare and altered needs for the sick nonhuman
animal. This research was done to determine alterations in the daily routine
of groups of young pigs containing an infected individual. Twelve groups of
5 Landrace/Yorkshire weaned pigs (n D 60 pigs) were housed in separate biosecure
rooms. One animal was randomly selected from each group as the seeder
animal and given 10e7–10e8 colony forming units of Salmonella Typhimurium
orally on Day 0. Pens were videorecorded during daytime hours and 5-min scan
samples were used to assess behavior from Day 􀀀1 to Day C6 of the trial.
Observers were able to identify pigs by individual markings and were blind to
treatment. Mixed model analyses with repeated measures statements to account
for correlation were constructed.
The amount of time spent performing various activities, such as lying, standing,
and moving, did not differ between seeder animals and their penmates (p >
.05). There was a significant day effect, with lying decreasing and standing
increasing by day as the trial progressed (p < .0001). The amount of time spent
at the feeder was not significantly different between seeders and their penmates (p > .05); however, the amount of time at the feeder increased in all animals
by day until Day C5 of the trial (p < .0001).
In conclusion, in these small groups of young swine in a stable social
hierarchy, the amount of time spent performing various activities did not appear
to alter with a low dose of Salmonella. The welfare of these animals may not
be compromised during nonsevere Salmonella infection.

Effects of dietary supplementation with different forms of flax in late-gestation and lactation on fatty acid profiles in sows and their piglets

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The goals of the present study were 1) to establish detailed fatty acid profiles in the plasma of pregnant sows before and after dietary supplementation with flax and in carcasses and brains of neonatal piglets as well as in sow milk in early and late lactation, and 2) to demonstrate the differential effects of feeding flax as seed, meal, or oil on these fatty acid profiles. It was found that flax is an important agricultural product and could be used to alter the fatty acid profiles of sows and their piglets. Feeding flax as seed or oil to sows during the last third of gestation increases PUFA and n-3 fatty acids and decreases the n-6/n-3 ratio in milk and blood of sows and in carcasses of newborn piglets. Increased n-3 fatty acids and decreased n-6/n-3 ratio were also present in the brain of piglets from sows fed FS or FSO. Such a change in fatty acid profile was not present when flax was provided as meal, indicating that it is linked to the oil component of the diet.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

Feed Alternatives Not A Quick Nutritional Fix

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Dietary energy levels must be monitored closely, even as the industry moves to increased use of alternative ingredients.

Influence of source and concentrations of dietary fiber on in vivo nitrogen excretion pathways in pigs as reflected by in vitro fermentation and nitrogen incorporation by fecal bacteria

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This study compared an in vitro method to measure bacterial protein synthesis during fermentation with an in vivo N excretion shift induced by diets differing in DF concentrations and solubility. It was found that, with the exception of final gas production, all in vitro kinetic characteristics and BNI were correlated with in vivo N excretion parameters, and regression equations for the prediction of N excretion pathways from in vitro data were identified. Even if the presence of resistant starch in the diet might alter the composition of the fibrous residue that is fermented, the in vitro method is a possible useful tool for the formulation of diets, reducing the effects of pig production on the environment.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

GxE interactions for growth and carcass leanness: Re-ranking of boars in organic and conventional pig production

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To devise an organic breeding strategy it is necessary to investigate genotype by environment (GxE) interactions in
conventional and organic production systems. Therefore this study investigated these GxE interactions for fattening pig traits in organic and conventional pig production environments. The results indicate weak GxE interactions
for both growth rate and carcass leanness in organic and conventional pig production environments. With regard to
these traits, an organic breeding index within a conventional breeding program is a better option than a separate organic breeding program. However, further research on GxE interactions for other traits prized in organic production is needed.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/livsci

Enriching breakfast sausages by feeding pigs with CLA supplemented diets

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Meeting consumer requirements for healthier meat products demands adoption of new strategies by the pork industry to improve the nutritional status of their products. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to examine the fatty
acid profile and oxidation level in cooked pork sausages, produced following dietary supplementation with Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA has been shown to have a variety of biological effects (Hur, Park, & Joo, 2007) and studies suggest that CLA health benefits may include anti-oxidation, anti-atherosclerosis, anticarcinogenic and improvements in immune-responses. A clear impact was observed in fatty acid levels with both treatments resulting in increased CLA levels in the product. All treatments met the recommended PUFA/SFA ratios above 0.4. The n-6/n-3 ratio was affected
only by the level of addition of the oil and while above the recommended n-6/n-3 ratio of less than 4 the ratio is lower than the average consumed ratio in Western diets.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03088146

A joint test of market power, menu costs, and currency invoicing

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This article developed a theoretical ERPT framework accounting for menu costs and different choices of currency for
invoicing purposes. Menu costs make it costly for exporters to revise their prices in response to exchange rate changes. This introduces a nonlinearity between the exchange rate and the export price. This nonlinearity motivates the empirical specification of a two-regime pass-through model to analyze the pricing decisions of pork exporters from two Canadian provinces to the U.S. and Japan. The choice of currency used for invoicing purposes imposes theoretical restrictions on the pass-through in the first regime (i.e., when menu costs are high relative to the profits arising from a price change) which can be tested empirically. The empirical model rejects the null hypothesis of no menu costs in three of the four equations. Statistically significant menu costs are identified in the export pricing decisions of Quebec and Manitoba exporters in their dealings with U.S. buyers. Manitoba pork exporting firms also appear to face menu costs in their dealings with Japanese buyers. We argue that the nonrejection in the case of the Quebec–Japan ERPT equation is more likely attributable to the small length of our sample than to the actual significance of menu costs faced by Quebec firms. Overall, the empirical evidence favors threshold pass-through models over linear ones.

For more information the full article can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1574-0862/issues

China Became Largest Pork Importer in History in 2008

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China’s overseas purchases and imports of pork and pork products in calendar year 2008 were unprecedented for any single country in history, according to U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) calculations from just-released Chinese trade data. Based on import totals from China and Hong Kong, the country imported 1.925 million metric tons (4.2 billion pounds) of pork and pork products last year, including 1.161 million tons (nearly 2.6 billion pounds) of pork variety meats and 764,000 tons (1.7 billion pounds) of pork cuts. Available trade data suggests that China’s imports eclipsed the previous single-year record of 1.022 million tons (2.2 billion pounds) of pork imported by Japan in 2005. Results of a new Chinese survey announced yesterday estimate that 15 percent of migrant rural workers – approximately 20 million people – have lost their jobs due to the economic crisis. A number of subsidy increases have been announced for the rural sector in addition to those for the hog-raising sector, including farm machinery and appliance purchasing subsidies, and a 16 percent rise in the minimum purchase price for grain.

Opening the Throttle and Applying the Brakes: The Disconnected Policy to Support (Stifle) the Canadian Pork Sector

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In addition to fundamental public policy precepts stating that specific policies ought not
to contradict one another, there is something singularly perverse about giving false hope
and setting an industry up to fail. Based on the assistance package, some people who
have been losing money in the pork sector may feel comforted, and they (along with
lenders and investors) may even begin to reinvest in the pork segment. But when the
natural comparative advantage is being structurally eroded by policy backing ethanol
mandates and subsidies to make ethanol from grain, the investments in pork will later
prove less profitable, magnifying existing losses and probably driving a demand for
future public assistance.
The ramification is that by simultaneously assisting the pork segment to recover and
underwriting grain-based ethanol production with subsidy and mandates, governments
are paving the way for future losses in pork and increased industry support measures in
the future. Consistency would demand that pork (and beef) policy and bio-fuel policy be
coordinated; to do otherwise is disingenuous to pork and beef producers and a waste of
public money. A means of recognition and implementation of this is to stop further
funding of new grain-based ethanol development in consideration of the pork strategy,
and for that which can be anticipated in beef.
The notion of opening the throttle and applying the brakes at the same time is that
something must give, eventually. Simultaneously assisting the pork and beef segments
on one hand, and legislating and subsidizing grain-based ethanol on the other puts
policies at odds with themselves. Beyond the insincere treatment of hog producers and
the future demand for public support created, the Canadian manufacturing sector is not in
a position to tolerate the fallout in food manufacturing that will be created. The
recognition of these dichotomies appears not to have reached senior political levels.
The Canadian pork segment is grappling with a range of factors outside Canadian control
– exchange rates, burgeoning red meat supply, H1N1, etc. The CPC strategy anticipates
much of this, and presents a cohesive approach that warrants public support. There are
others for which Canadian governments bear direct responsibility. The CPC strategy
makes reference to the enormous problems created by US COOL, which was allowed to
occur on the foreign affairs watch of the federal government. The CPC strategy does not
acknowledge the detrimental impact of Canadian ethanol policy; nevertheless, it has
seriously weakened the competiveness of hog production. These failings, among the
several challenges facing Canadian pork and beef, fall within the control of Canadian
policy makers, and the pork segment is justified in requesting compensation for them.
Moreover, disconnected policies relating to bio-fuels and trade must be resolved with the
red meat strategy if a cost-competitive Canadian pork segment is to reemerge as
envisioned.

Postnatal piglet husbandry practices and well-being: The effects of alternative techniques delivered separately

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The aim of this study was to evaluate stress responses evoked by 2 alternative methods for performing the following processing procedures: 1) teeth resection—clipping vs. grinding; 2) tail docking— cold vs. hot clipping; 3) identification—ear notch vs. tag; 4) iron administration—injection vs. oral; 5) castration— cords cut vs. torn. When measures of behavior, physiology, and productivity were used, the responses to teeth resection, tail docking, and identification were shown to be altered by the procedural method, whereas responses to iron administration and
castration did not differ. The time taken to carry out the procedure would appear to be an important factor in the strength of the stress response.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/