The structure and regulation of the Irish equine industries: Links to considerations of equine welfare

The equine industries in Ireland are vibrant and growing. They are broadly classified into two sectors: Thoroughbred racing, and sports and leisure. This paper describes these sectors in terms of governance, education and training in equine welfare, and available data concerning horse numbers, identification, traceability and disposal. Animal welfare, and specifically equine welfare, has received increasing attention internationally. There is general acceptance of concepts such as animal needs and persons' responsibilities toward animals in their care, as expressed in the 'Five Freedoms'. As yet, little has been published on standards of equine welfare pertaining to Ireland, or on measures to address welfare issues here. This paper highlights the central role of horse identification and legal registration of ownership to safeguard the health and welfare of horses

A feed additive containing Bacillus toyonensis (Toyocerin (R)) protects against enteric pathogens in postweaning piglets

AimsThis study evaluated the efficacy of a probiotic containing Bacillus toyonensis spores (Toyocerin((R))) in postweaning piglets against enteric pathogens. Methods and ResultsSeven hundred and ninety-two healthy weaning pigs of a commercial farrow-to-finish pig farm were used. The negative control group fed without Toyocerin((R)) and two experimental groups fed similar to the negative control group, but supplemented with Toyocerin((R)) at t 500mgkg(-1) diet (Toyocerin 500 group) and 1000mgkg(-1) diet (Toyocerin 1000 group), respectively. No significant difference (P>005) in morbidity and mortality rate between groups was noticed. The Toyocerin groups showed higher body weight (P<005) and lower feed conversion ratio compared to the negative control group. Diarrhoea score was less in both Toyocerin groups than negative control group (P<005). Moreover, the use of Toyocerin((R)) at 1000mgkg(-1) diet resulted in higher average daily feed intake compared to other groups (P<005), reduction of some enteric pathogens and increase of the number of lactic acid bacteria. ConclusionsThe use of Toyocerin((R)) in weaning pigs, especially at 1000mgkg(-1) diet, improved their health and growth performance. Significance and Impact of the StudyThis study shows that a feed additive containing B.toyonensis (Toyocerin((R))) protects against enteric pathogens in postweaning piglets when fed this additive at a proper dose. The use of Toyocerin((R)) at 1000mgkg(-1) diet resulted in higher average daily feed intake, decrease of some enteric pathogens and higher number of lactic acid bacteria. The effect of the probiotic in other age groups remains to be established

Assigning defined daily doses animal: a European multi-country experience for antimicrobial products authorized for usage in pigs

Objectives: To establish a consensus defined daily dose animal (DDDA) for each active substance (AS) and administration route for porcine veterinary antimicrobial products authorized in four European countries, thus allowing cross-country quantification and comparison of antimicrobial usage data. Methods: All veterinary antimicrobial products authorized for porcine use in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden were listed for each administration route. First, separate DDDAs for each product were defined based on the recommended dosing for the main indication. Second, a consensus DDDA was established by taking the mean of the DDDAs for each product within a certain category of AS plus administration route. Results: One-hundred-and-fifty-nine, 240, 281 and 50 antimicrobial products were licensed in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden, respectively, in February 2013. Large variations were observed for dosage and treatment duration recommendations between products and between countries for the same ASs. Only 6.8% of feed/water and 29.4% of parenteral AS groups had the same recommended dosage in the four countries. Conclusions: This study presents a consensus DDDA list for use in the quantification and comparison of antimicrobial consumption. Four major recommendations have been formulated: (i) urgent need for harmonization of authorization and recommended summary of product characteristics (SPC) dosages; (ii) expand the developed preliminary DDDA list to include all authorized veterinary medicinal products in all EU member states and for all (food-producing) animal species; (iii) improved accessibility of country-specific SPC data would be preferable; and (iv) statement of the 'long-acting' duration of a product in the SPC