Issues of sustainability on the Brazilian broiler meat production chain.

Abstract. Brazil is the world's largest broiler meat export. The sanitary control, knowledge and technology, as well as the natural aspects of the country are pointed as the key for the success of the product on the market. In this paper, an overview on the ammonia emission of the Brazilian broiler meat production chain from 2005 to 2010 is presented. The emission of ammonia was estimated on 700 thousand tons per year, which may implicate in the decay in the surrounding environment near the production areas. Brazilian broiler production creates jobs and has a significant social rule in Brazilian economy; however in the other hand, the implications of emitting this amount of ammonia to the atmosphere may be undesirable. Advances in developing new fodder technology are needed, in order to mitigate this issue.ID: 175 - APMS 2012

Morphological asymmetry and broiler welfare

Health status, feed conversion ratio, and mortality are long known broiler chicken production indicators. However, further parameters are required by today's demanding meat markets, as these indicators are not sufficiently accurate to determine flock overall welfare. Morphological asymmetry has been pointed as an alternative welfare indicator as it reflects the ability of the bird to cope with the challenges that rearing conditions may impose. This study aimed at evaluating the possibility of using morphological asymmetry as a welfare indicator. Broilers from 28 to 42 days of age were used in the trial. Birds were randomly selected in a commercial poultry farm and transported to the laboratory. They walked over the force measurement platform in order to determined their feet force as a percentage of body weight. The following body parts of the live birds were measured by two different operators using a digital caliper: tarsometatarsus length, outertoe length, midtoe length, and backtoe length. In the corresponding carcasses, the following traits were measured: wattle width, eye length, and first secondary feather length. Data were submitted to statistical analyses and no correlation was found between specific feet trait measurements and walking ability. Considering the time budget involved in measuring morphological asymmetry, this procedure did not appear to be a practically feasible welfare indicator.209213Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

ENERGIA SOLAR TÉRMICA: INOVAÇÃO EM AQUECIMENTO DE ÁGUA PARA PROCESSOS INDUSTRIAIS / SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY: WATER HEATING INNOVATION FOR INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES

O aumento do consumo mundial de energia tem gerado a busca de fontes alternativas, inclusive a solar, de fácil utilização, não exigindo equipamentos muito sofisticados nem complexos. Muitos processos industriais utilizam água em temperaturas até 100°C. O uso de energia solar na indústria ainda é baixo se comparado ao consumo energético total. O objetivo deste artigo é investigar possibilidades de usos de aquecimento solar de água em processos industriais, para o que foi utilizada pesquisa bibliográfica em artigos internacionais visando identificar o estágio atual dessas aplicações no mundo. Pesquisa exploratória de dados secundários do mercado brasileiro de sistemas de aquecimento solar no Departamento Nacional de Aquecimento Solar (DASOL), e no Plano Nacional de Eficiência Energética 2010-2030 (PNEf-2010) do Ministério de Minas e Energia, buscou caracterizar o estágio atual desse setor no Brasil. O estudo permite concluir que o uso de aquecimento solar de água em indústrias no Brasil é possível e representa uma alternativa que pode contribuir para a redução do custo e do consumo de energia em 30% a 40% dos processos de aquecimento em baixas temperaturas, especialmente nos setores de alimentos, bebidas, têxtil e químico.</p

Dairy Cattle Linear and Angular Kinematics during the Stance Phase

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 9 (2007): Dairy Cattle Linear and Angular Kinematics during the Stance Phase. Manuscript BC 06 006. Vol. IX. June, 2007

Brazilian chicken meat production chain:a 10-year overview

Brazil is the world's largest broiler meat exporter. Health control, knowledge and technology, as well as the natural aspects of the country are pointed out as the keys for the success of that product in the market. Brazilian broiler production grew significantly in the last decade; it creates jobs and has a significant social role in Brazilian economy. This study aimed at evaluating the Brazilian broiler meat supply chain from 2000 to 2010 using the social network analysis (SNA). Data from governmental and private sources were organized and analyzed. The focus of this study was the broiler production supply chain segment involving the hatchery, the broiler farm, the feed mill, the processing plant, and the government. The inputs considered were one-day-old chicks, pullet, feedstuff, and the infrastructure; and the outputs were broiler meat and taxes paid. The software UCINET was applied for calculating the structural attributes and indicators of the network. Results showed a relatively disorganized network in 2000 with the strongest tie between the farmer and the processing plant. The structural organization of the network improved until 2010. The density of the ties in the broiler meat production network increased steadily from 2000 to 2010 within a vertical cohesive supply chain structure. The success of Brazilian broiler meat production is attributed to the abundance of land, fertile soil, favorable climate, and the effort and investments in research and development by innovative companies in the last few years. The results of the present study showed that Brazilian broiler production evolved positively in the last ten years, and it was weakly influenced by international challenges