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1.
New Study: Hormone-Induced Ovulation and Pregnancy Rates in Cows
Cows given hormones to induce ovulation may have trouble becoming pregnant and successfully delivering calves compared to those cows who are allowed to ovulate naturally, according to research conducted by the University of Missouri (Columbia) and the US Department of Agriculture. The research team found that inducing ovulation in cows using gonadotropin-releasing hormones can result in lower pregnancy rates compared to naturally-induced ovulation. Previously, agricultural scientists believed that the key determinant for pregnancy rates was the size of the ovarian follicle that releases the egg for reproduction. However, the current study indicates that follicle size is a less important indicator for cows ovulating naturally because the animal's body knows when the follicle has reach maturity and can release an egg at the proper time. For cows subjected to hormone-induced ovulation, size and more importantly maturity of the ovarian follicle are important factors, and reproductive problems arise when ovulation is induced in cows with immature ovarian follicles. A University of Missouri researcher and one of the article's authors stated, "The study demonstrated that inducing ovulation of follicles that have not reached physiological maturity substantially decreased the chances for an animal to become pregnant. Second, even if a pregnancy did occur, the likelihood of embryonic death increased." The research is based on examining reproductive physiology and pregnancy rates among about 350 cows at a USDA laboratory in Montana.
"Relationship Between Follicle Size at Insemination and Pregnancy Success," National Academy of Sciences, 3/28/05
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0501700102v1
"Hormone-Induced Ovulation Results in Decreased Pregnancy Success Rates Among Cattle," NewsWise, 3/30/05
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/510796/?sc=swtn
2.
New Study: More on Salmon Farms and Sea Lice Infestations among Wild Salmon
A
new study from University of Alberta researchers confirms
the reports last week (see item #3, FAW 5-12: http://www.farmedanimal.net/faw/faw5-12.htm)
that salmon farms are the cause of a significant increase
in lice among wild salmon populations. According to
the study, the migration path of young salmon swimming
past a single fish farm in British Columbia (which
currently has 85 salmon farms) produced stark results.
Prior to nearing the salmon farm, less than 25% of
salmon were infected with any number of lice, while
100% of those having passed the farm were infected.
Lice production from the salmon farm was 30,000 times
higher than that of the natural environment, resulting
in the 100% rate of lice infestation. Moreover, the
study found that the farm's lice-laden environment
has a visible impact on juvenile wild salmon up to
19 miles away, with those fish showing 73 times the
natural levels of lice at that distance. The research
is based on following the migration path of baby chum
and pink salmon, but the lice are shown to impact
other species as well. According to one researcher,
"The lice will attack other species, not only salmon
but other fish such as herring which are the spark
plugs of entire ecosystems - everything depends on
them, from salmon to seabirds to whales." The full
study was published in the March 30 edition of the
UK's Journal of the Royal Society.
"Salmon Farms Teeming with Lice Threaten Wild Fish," The Guardian, 3/30/05
http://www.guardian.co.uk/fish/story/0,7369,1447918,00.html
"Team Links Farmed Fish to Outbreak," The Globe and Mail, 3/30/03
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050329.wlice0329/BNStory
"Researchers Reveal the Infectious Impact of Salmon Farms on Wild Salmon," SeaWeb, 3/30/05
PDF File (156k): http://www.seaweb.org/pdf/SeaLicePRKrkosek.pdf
3.
Egg Industry News: Free Range Tests; UEP May Address Molting via Starvation
FREE RANGE TESTS: An international team of scientists from the UK and Australia have devised a method for testing eggs to determine if they were laid by hens in battery cages, barn "nest boxes," or outdoors. Based on a sample of more than 11,000 eggs from the three different types of systems (cage, barn, and true free-range), the researchers used ultraviolet light to identify dust patterns that attach to the eggs shortly after they are laid, when the surface is still wet. Cage-raised hens produce eggs with distinctive lines that show up in ultraviolet light; barn-raised and free-range hens' eggs also have distinctive markings. The researchers have determined that if a sample of 90 eggs shows at least five eggs with evidence of cage lines, there is a 99.9% chance that the entire batch of eggs came from a battery cage system. The test can be applied at "any stage in the egg marketing chain." However, the test has several potential limitations, including the variability in materials used by different egg producers (even under similar systems), and the likelihood of egg washing to wipe out or blur the identifiable markings. The study is published in the April issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (see below).
MOLTING: At the summit of the Animal Agriculture Alliance last month, an executive with the leading US egg industry organization, United Egg Producers (UEP), said that he believes the industry's Animal Care Certified program will require "non-feed withdrawal molts for laying hens." The statement does not represent a commitment by UEP to disallow starvation-based molting under the Animal Care Certified program, but indicates that such a move may be in the works. The UEP executive, possibly conscious that some may think the change is a result of pressure from animal activists, stated that "this recommendation, like all others, will be made because science supports it."
"How to Distinguish Between Battery and Free-Range Eggs," Medical News Today, 4/1/05
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22105
"Method for Checking Label Accuracy in Barn and Free Range Eggs," Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, April-2005
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/110433001/ABSTRACT
"Stakeholders Summit Reveals Important Developments in Laying Hen Welfare," Animal Agriculture Alliance, 3/23/05
http://tinyurl.com/56r45
(Animal Ag Alliance website)
4. Anti-Foie Gras Legislation Proposed in Four US States; Practice Outlawed in Israel
Once again, the force-feeding of ducks and geese to produce pate foie gras has received national attention in the US, as animal advocates seek to pass a bill in four US states to ban production and sale of the product. Animal groups Farm Sanctuary, PETA, and other organizations have introduced similar bills in Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Illinois. The efforts follow a successful campaign to ban production and sale of foie gras in California, which passed last October and will go into effect in 2012. Opponents of foie gras have also found an unlikely ally in famed chef Charlie Trotter from Chicago. Although Trotter calls the efforts of activists to ban foie gras "pathetic" and calls animal protection a "left-leaning ideology," he also speaks strongly against force-feeding ducks and geese. According to Trotter, "What I have seen, it's just inappropriate (force feeding for foie gras). There are too many great things to eat out there that I don't believe that any animal would have to go through that for our benefit." Two California restaurateurs, however, are coming to the defense of a local foie gras producer, one of only two in the US. The gourmet restaurants in San Mateo will offer 12-course dinners, with each course featuring foie gras or duck flesh, to support California's Sonoma Foie Gras. Separately, the High Court of Justice in Israel recently turned down an extension that would allow farmers to continue producing foie gras, and production is now illegal in the country as of April 1, 2005. The decision comes a year after Israel's Knesset (parliament) banned foie gras production but also provided a one-year grace period for producers to find alternate careers.
"Liver and Let Live," The Chicago Tribune, 3/29/05
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0503290227mar29,1,6901705.story?coll=chi-news-hed
"Demonstrators Push Foie Gras Off of Menus," NY Times, 4/4/05
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/04/national/04foie.html
(Registration required)
"Activists Introduce Legislation to Curb Inhumane Farming Methods," New Standard News, 4/5/05
http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=1631
"California Restaurants Plan Dinner to Support Duck and Foie Gras Producers," Meatingplace.com, 4/5/2005
http://www.meatingplace.com/MembersOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=14059
"Overfeeding Geese to be Illegal as of Friday," Haaretz Daily, 3/31/05
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/559499.html
5. Health News: Soy Products in Schools; Chicken High in Fat; Raw Food Vegans
SOY IN SCHOOLS: A project spearheaded by the Illinois Center for Soy Foods (at the University of Illinois) and agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland tested the acceptance of soy foods among children in public schools. The goal of the project was to "demonstrate the nutritional benefits of including soy in the state's school lunch programs." Pilot studies were conducted in four Illinois school districts, introducing soy versions of spaghetti with sauce, chili, ravioli, and "chicken" nuggets. Based on the amount of food eaten or discarded by each child, the researchers showed that acceptance of soy foods is equal for all categories except nuggets. Moreover, the project points out that each of the soy versions is significantly healthier than the meat-based alternatives, and that the soy foods cost less.
CHICKEN FAT: Scientists at London Metropolitan University in the UK have found that the fat content in chicken flesh sold at retail has increased nearly three-fold in the last 35 years. According to the article, "The idleness imposed by factory farming methods is being blamed for soaring obesity levels among chickens, a problem that affects conventionally and organically produced meat." In 1970, 100 grams of chicken flesh would contain on average 8.6 grams of fat; today, that number has risen to 22.8 grams of fat, an increase of 165% over 35 years. Because of increased mobility, organically-raised chickens have slightly lower levels of fat than conventionally-raised chickens, but the levels are still significantly higher (more than double) the rate in 1970. Moreover, the study showed that the elements of chicken flesh believed to be beneficial for consumers, such as levels of the fatty acid DHA, are actually much lower today than decades ago. Many consumers believe chicken products are healthy alternatives to other forms of meat, but the new research suggests that chicken flesh has become significantly less health over time.
RAW FOOD VEGANS: A small study of raw food vegans compared to average US adults shows that the former group has above-average levels of vitamin D and comparable bone strength despite generally having lower bone mass. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis studied the physiology of 18 raw food vegans who had been on the diet an average of about 3.5 years, compared with 18 average US adults who had a 25% higher body-mass index (or BMI, a measure of height-weight ratio). In addition to higher levels of vitamin D, the raw food vegans also showed "low levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory molecule that is becoming linked with the risk of heart disease" and lower levels of IGF-1, which has been linked to breast and prostate cancer.
"Study Shows Soy Acceptance in School Lunches," Illinois Farm Bureau, 3/28/05
http://ilfb.aghost.net/index.cfm?show=4&id=13906
"'Healthy' Chicken Piles on the Fat," London Times, 4/1/05
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1552131,00.html
"Raw Food Vegans Thin but Healthy, Study Finds," CNN / Reuters, 3/28/05
http://tinyurl.com/5lnux
(cnn.com website)
6. New Book: "Physiology and Behaviour of Animal Suffering"
Animal suffering is the subject of a new book from the UK-based Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) and written by animal stress expert Dr. Neville Gregory. According to a review by Pig Health magazine, the book is the "first to address the physiological aspects of suffering in animals. It explores the different causes of suffering, physical discomfort, thirst and hunger, responses in the body that lead to suffering and it offers insight into how suffering can be managed and minimized plus detection and monitoring of livestock stress." The manuscript provides a compilation of research on animal suffering related to topics such as thirst, hunger, sleep deprivation, fear, anxiety, and learned helplessness. See the link below for a complete table of contents, much of which will likely be of interest to readers of Farmed Animal Watch. The book is meant to be a reference manual for the care and wellbeing of animals, and the publisher says that it is "written for both specialist and non-specialist readers." This is the second book in a series from UFAW, which in 2004 published another book entitled "Science in the Service of Animal Welfare." See the UFAW website below for details and ordering information.
REVIEW: "Physiology and Behaviour of Animal Suffering," UFAW / Blackwell Science
http://www.pighealth.com/reviews/suffering.htm
Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (click on Publications and Order Forms)
http://www.ufaw.org.uk/
7. Other Items of Interest
"Big Prize Money at Livestock Shows Leads
to Abuses," Fort Worth Star, 3/30/05
The practice of children raising farmed animals to compete in "stock shows," such as those put on by 4-H, has a long history, but this article describes in detail how the competition is so fierce that cheating is now widespread. Cheating may simply include getting too much help from adult animal handlers, but more recently it has also included breeding programs and use of illegal hormones. In the 1980s, samples from one show revealed that half of the animals entered had been treated with illegal drugs.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/11266087.htm
(Registration required)
"Shelter Belt," The Weekly Times, 3/30/05
AUSTRALIA: Members of the New South Whales Federation of Animal Societies said they will continue a unique program started in January, which provides a toll-free number for rural residents to report abuses on neighboring farms. The program, which has so far received more than 100 calls from concerned citizens, is focused on identifying farmers who provide insufficient shelter and protection for their animals.
http://theweeklytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4511,12689468%255E941,00.html
"Public Bashes Proposed Chicken Buildings
in Winneshiek County," WCF Courier, 3/29/05
A proposal to build a concentrated facility with four barns each housing 50,000 "broiler" chickens (raised for flesh consumption) received strong criticism from local residents in Iowa at a recent town meeting. The proposal submitted by Agriprocessors, Inc. received more than 100 negative comments from residents, some of whom are concerned about possible increased risk of avian influenza.
http://tinyurl.com/6zp7n (WF Courier website)
"Scientist Sees 'Collision Course' with Agricultural
Manure Issue," Toledo Blade, 4/3/05
A growing number of large-scale dairy farms in Ohio and Michigan are threatening the health of local waterways, including the Great Lakes. According to the article, 40% of dairy farms that are exempt from concentrated feeding regulations have developed their own manure management plans, but only 25% have followed through on those plans. This situation prompted one Ohio scientist to say the state is "heading for a collision course" with the manure management issue.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050403/NEWS06/504030460
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