Husbandry factors and health conditions influencing the productivity of French rabbit farms

[EN] In 2009 productivity data from 95 kindling to finishing rabbit farms in France were analysed to identify rearing factors and health conditions that influenced their productivity. Farm productivity, expressed on a yearly basis, was described with 4 productivity indices: doe fertility and prolificacy, viability of young rabbits in the nest and mortality during the fattening period. The productivity data were obtained with the technical support of the farm and expressed in a standardised way. The average numerical productivity observed in the sample of farms was 50.9 rabbits produced per doe and per year (CI95% [49.6-52.2]). The husbandry management and health conditions were described based on a questionnaire filled out during an interview with the farmer and a farm visit. Explanatory data were organised into meaningful blocks relative to biosecurity measures, del using a Partiamaternity management, the sanitary context and the farm structure. The relationship between the 4 thematic blocks and the productivity indices was studied in a single mol Least Squares (PLS) regression model. Fertility (81.0%, CI95% [80.0-82.0]) and viability of young at nest (85.1%, CI95% [85.0-85.3] and mortality rate during fattening: 7.2%, CI95% [6.4-7.9]) were significantly associated with common factors relative to maternity management and the health context whereas prolificacy (9.7 live kits per parturition, CI95% [9.5-9.9]) was mostly influenced by a specific set of variables pertaining to those 2 blocks. Farm structure and biosecurity measures had a limited impact on fertility and on kit viability before weaning. The health conditions of the doe herd and the fattening rabbits were found to be significantly associated with several productivity indexes, but their impacts on productivity were as high as the impact of the other blocks. Genetic strain of the females, doe replacement strategy and nursing and weaning practices appeared to significantly influence reproductive performance, viability of kits before weaning and mortality rate during the fattening period. Maternity management therefore seemed to be the key point in rabbit unit management that governed the numerical productivity of the farm.The authors wish to acknowledge the CLIPP-Lapin de France, the SNGTV (French Veterinary Society - rabbit branch) and the FFC (French Federation of Cuniculture) for their collaboration. We also wish to thank the farmers and the rabbit production organisations who participated in the study. The authors are grateful to Ms. Anaïs Croisier for her participation as an investigator and to Mr. Guillaume Coutelet from the French Institute for Avian Production for his technical expertise. Funding was provided by the French Agency for Veterinary Medicinal Products (ANSES-ANMV)Huneau-Salaün, A.; Bougeard, S.; Balaine, L.; Eono, F.; Le Bouquin, S.; Chauvin, C. (2015). Husbandry factors and health conditions influencing the productivity of French rabbit farms. World Rabbit Science. 23(1):27-37. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2015.3076SWORD2737231Castellini, C., Dal Bosco, A., Arias-Álvarez, M., Lorenzo, P. L., Cardinali, R., & Rebollar, P. G. (2010). The main factors affecting the reproductive performance of rabbit does: A review. Animal Reproduction Science, 122(3-4), 174-182. doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2010.10.003Coutelet G. 2011. Performances moyennes des élevages cunicoles en France pour l'année 2010. Cuniculture Magazine, 38: 24-27.EFSA. 2005. Scientific Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare on the impact of the current housing and husbandry systems on the health and welfare of farmed domestic rabbits. EFSA J., 2005: 1-31.Lebas F. 2010. Situation cunicole en France en 2009: performances moyennes des élevages selon les résultats du RENACEB pour l'année 2009, situation du marché cunicole français et premières évaluations pour l'année 2010. Cuniculture Magazine, 37: 74-82.Licois D., Coudert P., Marlier D. 2006. Epizootic rabbit enteropathy. In: L. Maertens, P. Coudert (ed). Recent advances in rabbit sciences. Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Melle, Belgium, 163-170.Marongiu M.L., Dimauro C., Floris B. 2007. A six-year investigation on reproductive performance of hybrid rabbits. 1. Pregnancy rate and numerical productivity at weaning as affected by season. Ital. J. Anim. Sci., 6: 770-772.Rommers J., Maertens L., Kemp B. 2006. New perspectives in rearing systems for rabbit does. In: L. Maertens, P. Coudert (ed). Recent advances in rabbit sciences. Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Melle, Belgium, 39-51.Serrano P., Pascual M., Gómez E.A. 2012. Analysis of management techniques on productivity indicators using the bdcuni Spanish database. In Proc.: 10th World Rabbit Congress, 3-6 September, 2012. Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. 1: 803-807

Modelling the effect of context-specific greenhouse gas and nitrogen emission mitigation options in key European dairy farming systems

Understanding the environmental consequences associated with dairy cattle production systems is crucial for the implementation of targeted strategies for emission reduction. However, few studies have modelled the effect of tailored emission mitigation options across key European dairy production systems. Here, we assess the single and combined effect of six emission mitigation practises on selected case studies across Europe through the Sustainable and Integrated Management System for Dairy Production model. This semi-mechanistic model accounts for the interacting flows from a whole-farm perspective simulating the environmental losses in response to different management strategies and site-specific conditions. The results show how reducing the crude protein content of the purchased fraction of the diet was an adequate strategy to reduce the greenhouse gas and nitrogen emission intensity in all systems. Furthermore, implementing an anaerobic digestion plant reduced the greenhouse gas emissions in all tested case studies while increasing the nitrogen emissions intensity, particularly when slurry was applied using broadcast. Regarding the productivity increase, contrasting effects were observed amongst the case studies modelled. Moreover, shallow slurry injection effectively mitigated the intensity of nitrogen losses from the fields due to strong reductions in ammonia volatilisation. When substituting urea with ammonium nitrate as mineral fertiliser, site-specific conditions affected the mitigation potential observed, discouraging its application on sandy-loam soils. Rigid slurry covers effectively reduced the storage-related nitrogen emissions intensity while showing a minor effect on total greenhouse gas emission intensity. In addition, our results provide novel evidence regarding the advantages of cumulative implementation of adapted mitigation options to offset the negative trade-offs of single-option applications (i.e. slurry covers or anaerobic digestion and slurry injection). Through this study, we contribute to a better understanding of the effect of emission mitigation options across dairy production systems in Europe, thus facilitating the adoption of tailored and context-specific emission reduction strategies

DEXi-Dairy: an ex post multicriteria tool to assess the sustainability of dairy production systems in various European regions

Growing awareness of global challenges and increasing pressures on the farming sector, including the urgent requirement to rapidly cut greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, emphasize the need for sustainable production, which is particularly relevant for dairy production systems. Comparing dairy production systems across the three sustainability dimensions is a considerable challenge, notably due to the heterogeneity of production conditions in Europe. To overcome this, we developed an ex post multicriteria assessment tool that adopts a holistic approach across the three sustainability dimensions. This tool is based on the DEXi framework, which associates a hierarchical decision model with an expert perspective and follows a tree shaped structure; thus, we called it the DEXi-Dairy tool. For each dimension of sustainability, qualitative attributes were defined and organized in themes, sub-themes, and indicators. Their choice was guided by three objectives: (i) better describe main challenges faced by European dairy production systems, (ii) point out synergies and trade-offs across sustainability dimensions, and (iii) contribute to the identification of GHG mitigation strategies at the farm level. Qualitative scales for each theme, sub-theme, and indicator were defined together with weighting factors used to aggregate each level of the tree. Based on selected indicators, a list of farm data requirements was developed to populate the sustainability tree. The model was then tested on seven case study farms distributed across Europe. DEXi-Dairy presents a qualitative method that allows for the comparison of different inputs and the evaluation of the three sustainability dimensions in an integrated manner. By assessing synergies and trade-offs across sustainability dimensions, DEXi-Dairy is able to reflect the heterogeneity of dairy production systems. Results indicate that, while trade-offs occasionally exist among respective selected sub-themes, certain farming systems tend to achieve a higher sustainability score than others and hence could serve as benchmarks for further analyses

Endotoxin concentration in poultry houses for laying hens kept in cages or in alternative housing systems

International audience1. Endotoxins as components of organic dust may have adverse effects on the respiratory health of workers in poultry buildings. The move towards more welfare-friendly housing systems for layers may increase worker exposure to air contaminants due to the use of litter. 2. The endotoxin concentrations in the inhalable fraction of airborne dust (below 100 µm) from cage and alternative system henhouses (on-floor, free range and aviaries) were compared under both experimental and commercial conditions. 3. The endotoxin concentration was higher in experimental aviaries (median: 565 EU/m3, range: 362-1,491 EU/m3) than in cage housing (98 EU/m3 (51-470)). 4. In field conditions, the endotoxin concentration in the air of 13 alternative henhouses was higher (35 to 3,156 EU/m3) than in cage system buildings (n=8, 78-576 EU/m3). It was correlated to the respirable dust concentration (fraction below 5 µm) and to the temperature inside the henhouse but no seasonal variation was observed. 5. The present study emphasizes that considerable worker exposure to endotoxins may occur in henhouses especially in alternative systems

Single and Multiple Trait Sire Selection. First Lactation Milk Yield and Composition, Conformation, Feed Intake, Efficiency, and Net Income

Daughters of sires selected on Predicted Difference milk of first lactations (yield) were compared with daughters of sires selected on an udder index from among artificial insemination bulls with less than 10% of their daughters culled and with a Predicted Difference fat-corrected milk greater than 181 kg (merit). On latest proofs yield bulls were 425 kg higher than merit bulls for Predicted Differences of first lactations, whereas merit bulls had an average Predicted Difference Type, which was 1 point higher than yield bulls. Data were from first calving interval. Yield daughters produced 685 and 51 kg more milk and solids-not-fat but were .28% and .12% lower in fat and protein percentages than merit daughters. Energy intake of the ad libitum mix rations was nearly identical, but gross feed efficiency was significantly higher (.73 vs. .69) for yield daughters. Mammary conformation score was significantly higher for the merit group. A significantly higher number of merit daughters were coded acceptable for descriptive udder traits in the udder index. Net income per day was significantly higher for the yield group than for the merit group ($.25 vs.$.15). Much of this difference was due to the higher expense associated with a 21 day longer calving interval of merit heifers.This is an article from Journal of Dairy Science 64 (1981): 77, doi:10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(81)82531-3. Posted with permission.</p

Influence of farm diversity on nitrogen and greenhouse gas emission sources from key European dairy cattle systems: A step towards emission mitigation and nutrient circularity

European dairy cattle production systems (DPS) are facing multiple challenges that threaten their social, economic, and environmental sustainability. In this context, it is crucial to implement options to promote the reconnection between crop and livestock systems as a way to reduce emissions and enhance nutrient circularity. However, given the sector's diversity, the successful implementation of these options lacks an evaluation framework that jointly considers the climatic conditions, farm characteristics, manure management and mineral fertilisation practices of DPS across Europe.This study was financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) through the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) and other National Funding Agencies through the “MilKey” project (grant number 2819ERA08A), funded under the Joint Call 2018 ERA-GAS (Grant N° 696356), SusAn (Grant N° 696231) and ICT-AGRI 2 (Grant N° 618123) on “Novel technologies, solutions and systems to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in animal production systems”, and the “DairyMix” project (grant number 2822ERA15A) under the Joint Call of the Cofund ERA-Nets SusCrop (Grant N° 771134), FACCE ERA-GAS (Grant N° 696356), ICT-AGRI-FOOD (Grant N°862665) and SusAn (Grant N° 696231). Agustin del Prado also receives financial support through the CircAgric-GHG project funded by the 2nd 2021 call “Programación conjunta internacional 2021” MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and Next Generation EU/PRTR (ref. no. PCI2021-122048-2A). BC3-Research is supported by the Spanish Government through María de Maeztu Excellence 2023–2026 (ref. no. CEX2021-001201-M, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the Basque Government through the BERC 2022–2024 Programme. Lorraine Balaine also acknowledges funding from the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine [grant number 2019EN201]. We thank Elisabeth Castellan, Anna Sandrucci, and Serena Bonizzi for their help in the data collection process. In addition, the first author would like to thank Lander Rodriguez Idiazabal (Basque Center for Applied Mathematics) for his contribution to the conceptualisation of the statistical analysis

Influence of methodological choices in farm sustainability assessments: A word of caution from a case study analysis of European dairy farms

In a context where sustainability assessments are increasingly popular, this perspective article discusses the influence of methodological choices on measurements of farm sustainability. We build the argumentation on the premises that sustainability is a multi-dimensional concept that can be measured through an indicator approach and use examples from a case study analysis of seven European dairy farms. Specifically, the article demonstrates how and why indicator selection, estimation methods, and reporting frameworks can influence measured performance and thereby affect wider sustainability conclusions about production systems and practice change. Overall, we highlight that while in practical terms, methodological choices are necessary to conduct a farm sustainability assessment, important limitations can arise from the process. Of particular concern are farm conclusions and recommendations that lead to perverse outcomes and generate further sustainability issues outside of study scope. Practical guidance is provided to aid methodological choices with a more comprehensive and critical view of farm sustainability assessments. Importantly, we call for a more upfront recognition of methodological shortcomings in farm analyses.This research was funded under the 2018 Joint Call of the Cofund ERA-Nets FACCE ERA-GAS [grant number 696356], SusAn [grant number 696231], and ICT-AGRI 2 [grant number 618123] on \u201CNovel technologies, solutions and systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in animal production systems\u201D. The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of their national funding agencies: the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine [grant number 2019EN201]; the French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) [grant number ANR-19-SUGA-0003]; the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) through the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) [grant number 2819ERA08A]; and the Polish National Centre for Research and Development (Narodowe Centrum Bada\u0144 i Rozwoju) [grant number SUSAN / II / MILKEY / 02/2020]. Agust\u00EDn del Prado (BC3) is funded by the Ramon y Cajal programme from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (RYC-2017-22143) and by Ikerbasque \u2013 Basque Foundation for Science. BC3 acknowledges financial support by the Spanish Government through Mar\u00EDa de Maeztu excellence accreditation 2023-2026 (Ref. CEX2021-001201-M, funded by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033) and the Basque Government through the BERC 2022-2024 programme. Finally, the authors acknowledge the help of Elisabeth Castellan (IDELE), Habtamu Alem (NIBIO), and Grete J\u00F8rgensen (NIBIO) in collecting the data used in this article

Nitrous oxide fluxes, soil oxygen, and denitrification potential of urine- and non-urine-treated soil under different irrigation frequencies

© American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. 5585 Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA. All rights reserved. Despite increased use of irrigation to improve forage quality and quantity for grazing cattle (Bos taurus, Linnaeus), there is a lack of data that assess how irrigation practices influence nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from urine-affected soils. Irrigation effects on soil oxygen (O2) availability, a primary controller of N2O fluxes, is poorly understood. It was hypothesized that increased irrigation frequency would result in lower N2O emissions by increasing soil moisture and decreasing soil O2 concentrations. This would favor more N2O reduction to dinitrogen (N2). We examined effects of high (3-d) versus low (6-d) irrigation frequency with and without bovine urine addition to pasture. Nitrous oxide fluxes were measured daily for 35 d. Soil O2, temperature, and water content were continuously measured at multiple depths. Inorganic nitrogen, organic carbon, and soil pH were measured at 6-d intervals. Measurements of denitrification enzyme activity with and without acetylene inhibition were used to infer the N2O/(N2O + N2) ratio. The N2O/(N2O + N2) ratio was lower under high- compared with low-frequency irrigation, suggesting greater potential for N2O reduction to N2 with more frequent irrigation. Although N2O fluxes were increased by urine addition, they were not affected by irrigation frequency. Soil O2 decreased temporarily after urine deposition, but O2 dynamics did not explain N2O dynamics. Relative soil gas diffusivity (DP/DO) was a better predictor of N2O fluxes than O2 concentration. On a freedraining soil, increasing irrigation frequency while providing the same total water volume did not enhance N2O emissions under ruminant urine patches in a grazed pasture