Økologisk ægproduktion: Produktion, sundhed, ernæring og næringsstofhusholdning

Økologisk ægproduktion har bidt sig fast som en af Danmarks største økologiske fødevaresucceser målt som andel produceret og solgt økologisk. Økologisk ægproduktion er efter økologisk mælkeproduktion den vigtigste animalske økologiske produktion i Danmark. Det er imidlertid en produktionsform, der er følsom overfor kritik. I forbrugernes øjne er økologiske æg et alternativ til æg fra burægproduktion, som primært er kritiseret for manglende dyrevelfærd. Det er derfor vigtigt, at den økologiske ægproduktion kan dokumentere en tilfredsstillende dyrevelfærd. Dette aktualiseres af, at traditionel burægsproduktion er under udfasning i EU og at økologisk ægproduktion i fremtiden skal konkurrere mod nye alternative indhusningsformer med fokus på dyrevelfærd. I den økologiske bevægelse er der bekymring over den miljømæssige bæredygtighed i ensidig økologisk ægproduktion. Det er derfor vigtigt for de økologiske ægproducenter at kunne dokumentere et tilfredsstillende næringsstofregnskab

Forbedrede udearealer i økologisk ægproduktion

Med henblik på at styrke forsknings- og udviklingsindsatsen inden for økologisk fjerkræproduktion, blev det muligt med finansiering fra Direktoratet for FødevareErhverv, i 2001 at påbegynde udviklingsprojektet ”Fjerkræets udearealer ved økologisk produktion”. Projektet tog udgangspunkt i en række interessetilkendegivelser fra fjerkræproducenter og andre interesserede indenfor økologisk fjerkræproduktion, og projektet blev planlagt i et samarbejde mellem • Brancheforeningen for Økologiske Æg- og Fjerkræproducenter • Dansk Erhvervsfjerkræ • Landsforeningen for Økologisk Jordbrug • Landskontoret for Fjerkrærådgivning og • Danmarks JordbrugsForskning som koordinerende partner Det var en grundlæggende ide i projektet at tage udgangspunkt i de medvirkende producenters allerede opbyggede erfaringsgrundlag og idéer til videre udvikling. En del af projektet tog udgangspunkt i en interessetilkendegivelse fra en gruppe ægproducenter, ”Hønsegården” A.m.b.a., der havde et samarbejde om videndeling og afsætning. Producenterne havde i samarbejde med Landskontoret for Fjerkrærådgivning identificeret udearealerne (hønsegårdene) som et centralt område, hvor der var behov for yderligere viden om den mest hensigtsmæssige indretning og drift i forhold til såvel hønernes produktivitet og velfærd som miljøeffekter. Rapporten beskriver de opnåede resultater fra denne del af projektet og på grundlag heraf gives anbefalinger til, hvorledes udearealerne mest hensigtsmæssigt bør indrettes

Sow body condition at weaning and reproduction performance in organic piglet production

The objective was to investigate the variation in backfat at weaning and its relations to reproduction results in organic sow herds in Denmark. The study included eight herds and 573 sows. The average backfat at weaning mean�13 mm; SD�4.2 mm) ranging from 10.5 to 17.3 mm among herds shows that it is possible to avoid poor body condition at weaning even with a lactation length of seven weeks or more. No main effect of backfat at weaning on reproduction performance was found, but the probability of a successful reproduction after weaning tended to decrease with decreasing backfat for first parity sows, whereas the opposite was the case for multiparous sows

As a Matter of Factions: The Budgetary Implications of Shifting Factional Control in Japan’s LDP

For 38 years, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) maintained single-party control over the Japanese government. This lack of partisan turnover in government has frustrated attempts to explain Japanese government policy changes using political variables. In this paper, we look for intraparty changes that may have led to changes in Japanese budgetary policy. Using a simple model of agenda-setting, we hypothesize that changes in which intraparty factions “control” the LDP affect the party’s decisions over spending priorities systematically. This runs contrary to the received wisdom in the voluminous literature on LDP factions, which asserts that factions, whatever their raison d’être, do not exhibit different policy preferences. We find that strong correlations do exist between which factions comprise the agenda-setting party “mainstream” and how the government allocates spending across pork-barrel and public goods items

Lagringskvalitet i gulrot - kan noe gjøres?

Storage diseases is a serious challenge in carrots. Effects on storage quality of studies to loosen soil structure, combined with studies of carrot varieties, carrot age and storage conditions are presented in this paper, intended for Norwegian growers

Evaluation of non-chemical seed treatment methods for the control of Alternaria dauci and A. radicina on carrot seeds

The current study was initiated to evaluate the efficacy of physical methods (hot water, aerated steam, electron treatment) and agents of natural origin (resistance inducers, plant derived products, micro-organisms) as seed treatments of carrots for control of Alternaria dauci and A. radicina. Control of both Alternaria species by seed treatment with the resistance inducers was generally poor. Results were also not satisfactory with most of the formulated commercial micro-organism preparations. Based on the average of five field trials, one of these, BA 2552 (Pseudomonas chlororaphis), provided a low but significant increase in plant stand. Among the experimental micro-organisms, the best results were obtained with Pseudomonas sp. strain MF 416 and Clonostachys rosea strain IK726. A similar level of efficacy was provided by seed treatment with an emulsion (1%) of thyme oil in water. Good and consistent control was generally achieved with the physical methods aerated steam, hot water and electron treatment. Aerated steam treatment was, apart from the thiram-containing chemical standard, the best single treatment, and its performance may at least partially be due to extensive pre-testing, resulting in dosages optimally adapted to the respective seed lot. In some of the experiments the effect of the hot water treatment, which was tested at a fixed, not specifically adapted dosage, was significantly improved when combined with a Pseudomonas sp. MF 416 or C. rosea IK726 treatment. The results are discussed in relation to the outcome of experiments in which the same seed treatment methods and agents were tested in other seed-borne vegetable pathosystems

Negative Effect of Smoking on the Performance of the QuantiFERON TB Gold in Tube Test.

False negative and indeterminate Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) results are a well documented problem. Cigarette smoking is known to increase the risk of tuberculosis (TB) and to impair Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) responses to antigenic challenge, but the impact of smoking on IGRA performance is not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of smoking on IGRA performance in TB patients in a low and high TB prevalence setting respectively. Patients with confirmed TB from Denmark (DK, n = 34; 20 smokers) and Tanzania (TZ, n = 172; 23 smokers) were tested with the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In tube (QFT). Median IFN-γ level in smokers and non smokers were compared and smoking was analysed as a risk factor for false negative and indeterminate QFT results. Smokers from both DK and TZ had lower IFN-γ antigen responses (median 0.9 vs. 4.2 IU/ml, p = 0.04 and 0.4 vs. 1.6, p < 0.01), less positive (50 vs. 86%, p = 0.03 and 48 vs. 75%, p < 0.01) and more false negative (45 vs. 0%, p < 0.01 and 26 vs. 11%, p = 0.04) QFT results. In Tanzanian patients, logistic regression analysis adjusted for sex, age, HIV and alcohol consumption showed an association of smoking with false negative (OR 17.1, CI: 3.0-99.1, p < 0.01) and indeterminate QFT results (OR 5.1, CI: 1.2-21.3, p = 0.02). Cigarette smoking was associated with false negative and indeterminate IGRA results in both a high and a low TB endemic setting independent of HIV status

Welfare and productivity of laying hens in commercial organic egg production systems in Denmark

Plumage condition, use of outdoor run, mortality and productivity were recorded in 18 Danish commercial organic egg-producing flocks consisting of 1200–5000 hens each. Between 7 and 38% of the hens in a flock used the outdoor run, with a mean of 18%. In most flocks the majority of the hens outside stayed close to the hen house, but some farmers succeeded in attracting the hens away from the house, which reduced the percentage of hens staying close to the house to 15%. At the age of 56 weeks, six flocks had little or no plumage damage, whereas four flocks showed severe feather pecking, but here feather pecking was already evident at an age of 28 weeks. Plumage condition was not significantly correlated with use of the outdoor run. The range in mortality rate amongst flocks was 9–62%, with an average of 22%. The high mortality was partly due to outbreaks of Pasteurella, mortality reaching over 50% in two of the four afflicted flocks. In some flocks also predatory attacks and piling (causing suffocation of the lowest birds) caused mortality. Average egg production was better than reported for Danish organic and free-range non-organic farms, but feed consumption and feed conversion rate were slightly higher. The results of this study do not provide a definite answer to the question whether or not hens should be kept outside

Probability of Achieving Glycemic Control with Basal Insulin in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Real-World Practice in the USA

Introduction: Basal insulin (BI) plays an important role in treating type 2 diabetes (T2D), especially when oral antidiabetic (OAD) medications are insufficient for glycemic control. We conducted a retrospective, observational study using electronic medical records (EMR) data from the IBM ® Explorys database to evaluate the probability of achieving glycemic control over 24 months after BI initiation in patients with T2D in the USA. Methods: A cohort of 6597 patients with T2D who started BI following OAD(s) and had at least one valid glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) result recorded both within 90 days before and 720 days after BI initiation were selected. We estimated the changes from baseline in HbA1c every 6 months, the quarterly conditional probabilities of reaching HbA1c &lt; 7% if a patient had not achieved glycemic control prior to each quarter (Q), and the cumulative probability of reaching glycemic control over 24 months. Results: Our cohort was representative of patients with T2D who initiated BI from OADs in the USA. The average HbA1c was 9.1% at BI initiation, and decreased robustly (1.5%) in the first 6 months after initiation with no further reductions thereafter. The conditional probability of reaching glycemic control decreased rapidly in the first year (26.6% in Q2; 17.6% in Q3; 8.6% in Q4), and then remained low (≤ 6.1%) for each quarter in the second year. Cumulatively, about 38% of patients reached HbA1c &lt; 7% in the first year; only approximately 8% more did so in the second year. Conclusion: Our study of real-world data from a large US EMR database suggested that among patients with T2D who initiated BI after OADs, the likelihood of reaching glycemic control diminished over time, and remained low from 12 months onwards. Additional treatment options should be considered if patients do not reach glycemic control within 12 months of BI initiation. Funding: Sanofi Corporation. </p

Large hospital variation in the risk of dislocation after primary total hip arthroplasty for primary osteoarthritis:31,105 patients in 59 hospitals from the Danish Hip Arthroplasty Register

Background and purpose — The risk of dislocation after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) is affected by several factors, which increases the possibility of substantial differences among hospitals. We compared cumulative incidences of dislocation between regions and hospitals after primary THA surgery in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Patients and methods — From the Danish Hip Arthro-plasty Register, we included 31,105 THAs performed from 2010 to 2014 with 2 years’ follow-up. Dislocations treated by closed reduction were identified in the Danish National Patient Register combined with patient file review. The results are presented as 2-year cumulative incidence on national, regional, and hospital level as proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and as adjusted odds ratios (OR) analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Results — 1,861 dislocations in 1,079 THAs were identified from 59 orthopedic departments. The 2-year cumulative incidence ranged from 2.2% to 4.3% between the 5 regions in Denmark. Hospital variation was 0–12%. For hospitals with a 5-year volume of more than 100 procedures, the incidence was 0.9–7.4%. Using the highest volume hospital as the ref-erence, ORs for dislocation for the remaining hospitals were between 0.3 (CI 0.1–0.6) and 2.7 (1.9–4.0) after adjusting for age, sex, head size, and fixation method. Low-volume hospitals showed a higher dislocation risk than high-volume units with an adjusted OR of 1.2 (1.1–1.4). Interpretation — We found substantial variation in the incidence of dislocation between hospitals within Denmark, which can be explained by a combination of patient-, com-ponent-, and surgery-related factors. There is a need for continuous monitoring of THA dislocation on regional and hospital levels to reduce overall and local dislocation risk for future patients.</p