Skip to main content

Breeding cows with lower methane emissions

Written by c001os on . Posted in Cattle, Nutrinfo.

Genetics company Semex UK believes it can reduce methane emissions by 20-30% by 2050 through breeding cows with lower methane emissions. The company is working with Canadian dairy testing and genetic evaluation company Lactanet and the University of Guelph to find a genetic solution to reduce methane emissions.


Over the past 5 years, Canadian milk-recording organisations have taken mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy records of more than 13 million milk samples, of which 700,000 have been analysed by Lactanet geneticists to predict methane emissions from cows tested across Canada.
The results showed that genetic selection can significantly reduce methane emissions. Scientists found an 85% correlation between actually collected methane and predicted methane emissions based on genetics, concluding that there is a genetic way to reduce methane. This is because the genetics of the cow also affect methane production in the rumen, as well as the microbes.


This genetic trait is 23% heritable, which is comparable to production and immune response with 70-80% reliability with no impact on yields or fat and protein levels. Dr Michael Lohuis, Semex vice president of Research and Innovation, said: “We already knew that genetics has a big role to play in reducing output, as it is the main way dairy farmers can produce more product with less input and less output. But this technology takes the role of genetics to a higher level.” He claimed at Semex’s annual conference in Glasgow that methane production from cows could be reduced by 20-30% by 2050, depending on the intensity of selection.

Revealing why vaccination failed to control avian influenza

Written by c001os on . Posted in Nutrinfo, Poultry.

In some countries, vaccination is the most commonly used strategy to control avian influenza. However, the majority of vaccination programmes against the H9N2 avian influenza subtype have proven ineffective against infection and transmission in the field, although these vaccines were reported to work well in laboratory in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens.


The reason for this, according to a press release from Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, is that maternal-derived antibodies (MDAs) can interfere with the immune response of chickens to vaccination, which are passed on to the unborn chicks through the egg. The presence of MDAs may be one of the reasons why most vaccination programmes against avian influenza have proven ineffective in poultry in practice. This is one of the conclusions of the research on the low pathogenicity H9N2 avian influenza virus currently prevalent in China, which was the subject of Xue Pan’s PhD thesis at Wageningen University & Research.


“Our results highlight that we need to pay more attention to MDA interference of avian influenza virus vaccines in the field, rather than just looking at antigenic distance,” said Pan, adding, “It is important to develop new vaccines to overcome MDA interference in the field.” During his research, Pan has come up with some new vaccines, such as a new adjuvant for the conventional H9N2 inactivated vaccine and turkey herpesvirus vector vaccine to improve the efficacy of the vaccines. Pan has also identified several mechanisms that influence vaccine efficacy.

Christmas trees against tail biting?

Written by c001os on . Posted in Nutrinfo, Pig.

Wood is an ideal enrichment material for piglets. Pig welfare expert Dr Irene Camerlink reflected on this in the pages of Pig Progress after seeing the Christmas trees thrown away in January. Pinewood, which can be obtained for free, can be a cheap alternative to buying toys and can help reduce tail-chewing.

Next to straw, wood is one of the best options for attracting and maintaining the interest of pigs. It can be investigated, manipulated, chewed and it does not matter if small pieces are swallowed. Wood is also durable, widely available, low risk from a biosecurity point of view and in many cases can be sourced locally at low cost. It can also be provided in different diameters for animals of different sexes and ages (growing piglets, sows, boars).

Wood types differ in their softness and moisture content. In one study, pigs consumed spruce posts more quickly than beech, larch or Scots pine. Soft wood therefore needs to be replaced more quickly. None of the tree species caused any internal damage (e.g. damage to the mouth, digestive tract or liver). Although spruce is favoured by pigs, it did not result in less tail chewing in two studies in Ireland (1080 pigs). However, in a Finnish study (780 pigs), where fresh wood was suspended horizontally, piglets showed less tail and ear biting. In conclusion, there is no guarantee that fresh wood reduces tail biting, but it seems to pose little risk to pigs and keeps them busy for a while.