Agriculture - Livestock management

Title

Reference

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Volume 184, Number 4, 1929-1952, DOI: 10.1007/s10661-011-2090-y

Author(s)

Amlan Kumar Patra

Study type

Peer Review Journal    

Abstract

Enteric methane (CH4) emission in ruminants, which is produced via fermentation of feeds in the rumen and lower digestive tract by methanogenic archaea, represents a loss of 2% to 12% of gross energy of feeds and contributes to global greenhouse effects. Globally, about 80 million tonnes of CH4 is produced annually from enteric fermentation mainly from ruminants. Therefore, CH4 mitigation strategies in ruminants have focused to obtain economic as well as environmental benefits. Some mitigation options such as chemical inhibitors, defaunation, and ionophores inhibit methanogenesis directly or indirectly in the rumen, but they have not confirmed consistent effects for practical use. A variety of nutritional amendments such as increasing the amount of grains, inclusion of some leguminous forages containing condensed tannins and ionophore compounds in diets, supplementation of low-quality roughages with protein and readily fermentable carbohydrates, and addition of fats show promise for CH4 mitigation. These nutritional amendments also increase the efficiency of feed utilization and, therefore, are most likely to be adopted by farmers. Several new potential technologies such as use of plant secondary metabolites, probiotics and propionate enhancers, stimulation of acetogens, immunization, CH4 oxidation by methylotrophs, and genetic selection of low CH4-producing animals have emerged to decrease CH4 production, but these require extensive research before they can be recommended to livestock producers. The use of bacteriocins, bacteriophages, and development of recombinant vaccines targeting archaeal-specific genes and cell surface proteins may be areas worthy of investigation for CH4 mitigation as well. A combination of different CH4 mitigation strategies should be adopted in farm levels to substantially decrease methane emission from ruminants. Evidently, comprehensive research is needed to explore proven and reliable CH4 mitigation technologies that would be practically feasible and economically viable while improving ruminant production.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural management >> Livestock management
Agriculture >> Agricultural pollution >> Agricultural emissions
Climate change and energy >> Greenhouse gas emissions >> Industrial emissions

Keywords

Methane production; Ruminants; Mitigation strategies

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/p42vr86j455j2496/
There is a fee to view this study in full    

Contact the study author at:

patra_amlan@yahoo.com

Title

A comparison of influences of cattle, goat, sheep and reindeer on vegetation changes in mountain cultural landscapes in Norway

Reference

Landscape and Urban Planning
Volume 102, Issue 3, 15 September 2011, Pages 177-187
EU funded

Author(s)

Sølvi Wehn, Bård Pedersen, Susanne Kristin Hanssen

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Earlier land use in European mountains included grazing by different kinds of livestock, while today it may be more homogenous, and the grazing may have either been intensified or been abandoned. Different domestic animal species graze in different areas of the landscape. Therefore, grazing stocks composed of different species have an unequal effect on the landscape. This study compares the influence of four domestic animal species (cattle, sheep, goats, reindeer) on landscape dynamics in Jotunheimen, a Norwegian mountain range. Interviews and maps showing grazing land of domestic animals were performed to collect information about land use in the summer farm surroundings. Grazing pressure maps (prior to 1960 and 1960-2002) using the land use information obtained, and vegetation maps (from the 1960s and 2002) using aerial photographs, were digitized. Vegetation was spatially linked with grazing pressure using GIS and multiple multinomial and linear regressions were used to investigate each species' effect on vegetation type change and displacement of the forest line, respectively. The results show that cattle grazing influenced transitions from grasslands, cattle together with goats affected transitions from heaths, and cattle, goats, and reindeer influenced displacement of the birch forest line. High grazing pressure from these three domestic animals suppressed forest and scrub establishment in open habitats. Only goats, however, caused transitions from scrub and birch forest to open vegetation types.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural management >> Livestock management
Land use >> Land use change

Keywords

Grazing pressure; Landscape change; Forest line; Multinomial regression; Linear regression

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204611001708
There is a fee to view this study in full

Contact the study author at:

swe@dmmh.no

Title

Modelling the effects of past and future climate on the risk of bluetongue emergence in Europe.

Reference

Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 2011; DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2011.0255

Author(s)

H. Guis, C. Caminade, C. Calvete, A. P. Morse, A. Tran, M. Baylis.

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Vector-borne diseases are among those most sensitive to climate because the ecology of vectors and the development rate of pathogens within them are highly dependent on environmental conditions. Bluetongue (BT), a recently emerged arboviral disease of ruminants in Europe, is often cited as an illustration of climate's impact on disease emergence, although no study has yet tested this association. Here, we develop a framework to quantitatively evaluate the effects of climate on BT's emergence in Europe by integrating high-resolution climate observations and model simulations within a mechanistic model of BT transmission risk. We demonstrate that a climate-driven model explains, in both space and time, many aspects of BT's recent emergence and spread, including the 2006 BT outbreak in northwest Europe which occurred in the year of highest projected risk since at least 1960. Furthermore, the model provides mechanistic insight into BT's emergence, suggesting that the drivers of emergence across Europe differ between the South and the North. Driven by simulated future climate from an ensemble of 11 regional climate models, the model projects increase in the future risk of BT emergence across most of Europe with uncertainty in rate but not in trend. The framework described here is adaptable and applicable to other diseases, where the link between climate and disease transmission risk can be quantified, permitting the evaluation of scale and uncertainty in climate change's impact on the future of such diseases.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural management >> Livestock management
Climate change and energy >> Climate change adaptation >> Agricultural adaptation
Climate change and energy >> Climate change adaptation >> Social and health impacts

Keywords

climate change, vector-borne disease transmission, basic reproductive
ratio, emergence, bluetongue, Culicoides

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2011/06/22/rsif.2011.0255.full.pdf+html
This study is free to view

Contact the study author at:

matthew.baylis@liverpool.ac.uk

Title

Benchmarking environmental and operational parameters through eco-efficiency criteria for dairy farms

Reference

Science of The Total Environment. Volume 409, Issue 10, 15 April 2011, Pages 1786-1798

Author(s)

Diego Iribarren, Almudena Hospido, María Teresa Moreira and Gumersindo Feijoo

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is often used for the environmental evaluation of agri-food systems due to its holistic perspective. In particular, the assessment of milk production at farm level requires the evaluation of multiple dairy farms to guarantee the representativeness of the study when a regional perspective is adopted. This article shows the joint implementation of LCA and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in order to avoid the formulation of an average farm, therefore preventing standard deviations associated with the use of average inventory data while attaining the characterization and benchmarking of the operational and environmental performance of dairy farms. Within this framework, 72 farms located in Galicia (NW Spain) were subject to an LCA + DEA study which led to identify those farms with an efficient operation. Furthermore, target input consumption levels were benchmarked for each inefficient farm, and the corresponding target environmental impacts were calculated so that eco-efficiency criteria were verified. Thus, average reductions of up to 38% were found for input consumption levels, leading to impact reductions above 20% for every environmental impact category. Finally, the economic savings arising from efficient farming practices were also estimated. Economic savings of up to 0.13€ per liter of raw milk were calculated, which means extra profits of up to 40% of the final raw milk price.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture>> Agricultural management>> Livestock management
Resource efficiency>> Materials >> Material efficiency

Keywords

Dairy; Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA); Efficiency; Food; Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); Milk

Entry Source:

N/A

Referred to in EC doc:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969711001628
There is a fee to view this study in full

Contact the study author at:

diego.iribarren@imdea.org

Title

Multi-scale scenarios of spatial-temporal dynamics in the European livestock sector

Reference

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
Volume 140, Issues 1-2, 30 January 2011, Pages 88-101

Author(s)

Kathleen Neumann, Peter H. Verburg, Berien Elbersen, Elke Stehfest and Geert B. Woltjer

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The European livestock sector has changed rapidly in the recent past and further changes are expected in the near future due to reforms in the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), increasing environmental concerns and changing consumer awareness. We developed a multi-scale modeling approach for exploring spatial and temporal dynamics of livestock distribution by accounting for drivers at different spatial scales. Such approach can provide a basis for environmental impact assessments of livestock farming at broad spatial scales. Assessment of change in both quantity and location was made for six livestock types. Four contrasting scenarios were applied ranging from globalization to regionalization, as well as from low regulation levels and dominance of market forces towards a higher degree of governmental regulation. National level livestock numbers as calculated by a macro-economic model were spatially distributed at the landscape scale according to the scenario assumptions considering biophysical, socio-economic, and political forces. Results indicate for most of the old European Union (EU) member countries a decrease in livestock numbers. In the new EU member countries sheep, goats and pigs are expected to decline while beef cattle and poultry are expected to grow. Livestock densities are expected to increase both within and outside current livestock hotspot regions in absence of environmental legislations. Environmental pressure as result of high livestock densities may, however, also remain in regulated scenarios where environmental policies are implemented and income support remains stable over time due to path dependencies in the livestock sector. But contrary to the non-regulated scenario it is less likely that new areas with high risk of negative environmental impacts due to livestock farming will develop.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural management >> Livestock management

Keywords

Livestock distribution, Livestock changes, Scenarios, Multi-scale modeling

Entry Source:

N/A

Referred to in EC doc:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880910003063
There is a fee to view this study in full

Contact the study author at:

kathleen.neumann@pbl.nl

Title

Entomopathogenic Fungus as a Biological Control for an Important Vector of Livestock Disease: The Culicoides Biting Midge

Reference

PLOS ONE January 2011, Volume 6, Issue 1, e16108

Author(s)

Minshad Ali Ansari, Edward C. Pope, Simon Carpenter, Ernst-Jan Scholte, Tariq M. Butt

Study type

Peer review journal

Abstract

Background: The recent outbreak of bluetongue virus in northern Europe has led to an urgent need to identify control measures for the Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) biting midges that transmit it. Following successful use of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae against larval stages of biting midge Culicoides nubeculosus Meigen, we investigated the efficacy of this strain and other fungi (Beauveria bassiana, Isaria fumosorosea and Lecanicillium longisporum) as biocontrol agents against adult C. nubeculosus in laboratory and greenhouse studies. Methodology/Findings: Exposure of midges to 'dry' conidia of all fungal isolates caused significant reductions in survival compared to untreated controls. Metarhizium anisopliae strain V275 was the most virulent, causing a significantly decrease in midge survival compared to all other fungal strains tested. The LT50 value for strain V275 was 1.42 days compared to2.21-3.22 days for the other isolates. The virulence of this strain was then further evaluated by exposing C. nubeculosus to varying doses (108-1011 conidia m22) using different substrates (horse manure, damp peat, leaf litter) as a resting site. All exposed adults were found to be infected with the strain V275 four days after exposure. A further study exposed C. nubeculosus adults to 'dry' conidia and 'wet' conidia (conidia suspended in 0.03% aq. Tween 80) of strain V275 applied to damp peat and leaf litter in cages within a greenhouse. 'Dry' conidia were more effective than 'wet' conidia, causing 100% mortality after 5 days. Conclusion/Significance: This is the first study to demonstrate that entomopathogenic fungi are potential biocontrol agents against adult Culicoides, through the application of 'dry' conidia on surfaces (e.g., manure, leaf litter, livestock) where the midges tend to rest. Subsequent conidial transmission between males and females may cause an increased level of fungi-induced mortality in midges thus reducing the incidence of disease.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural management >> Livestock management

Keywords

Bluetongue virus, Livestock, Biocontrol

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0016108
This study is free to view

Contact the study author at:

m.a.ansari@swansea.ac.uk