Sustainable intensification? Increased production diminishes omega-3 content of sheep milk

Intensifying agricultural production alters food composition, but this is often ignored when assessing system sustainability, yet it could compromise consumers’ health and the concept of ‘sustainable diets’. Here we consider milk composition from Mediterranean dairy sheep, finding inferior fatty acid (FA) profiles with respect to consumer health as a result of a more intensive system of production. Semi-intensive management did produce 57% more milk per ewe with 20% lower fat content, but inferior fat composition. Milk had a nutritionally poorer fatty acid (FA) profile, with 18% less omega-3 FA (n-3) (19% less long-chain n-3) and 7% less monounsaturated FA but 3% more saturated FA (9% higher in C14:0) concentrations compared with ewes under traditional, extensive management. Redundancy analysis identified close associations between fat composition and animal diets, particularly concentrate supplementation and grazing cultivated pasture - n-3 was associated with grazing diverse, native mountain pastures. The paper questions if identifying such key elements in traditional systems could be deployed for ‘sustainable intensification’ to maintain food quality whilst increasing output

Effect of Climate, Crop Protection, and Fertilization on Disease Severity, Growth, and Grain Yield Parameters of Faba Beans (<em>Vicia faba</em> L.) in Northern Britain: Results from the Long-Term NFSC Trials

\ua9 2024 by the authors. Faba beans are one of the most suitable grain legume crop for colder, maritime climates. However, there is limited information on the effect of changing from conventional to organic production methods and potential impacts of global warming on the health and performance of faba bean crops in Northern Europe. We therefore assessed the performance of faba beans grown with contrasting crop protection (with and without pesticides) and fertilization (with and without P and K fertilizer input) regimes used in organic and conventional production in seven growing seasons. Conventional crop protection and fertilization regimes had no effect on foliar disease severity, but resulted in small, but significant increases in faba bean yields. The overall yield gap between organic and conventional production regimes was relatively small (~10%), but there was substantial variation in yields between growing seasons/years. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that climate explanatory variables/drivers explained the largest proportion of the variation in crop performance and identified strong positive associations between (i) temperature and both straw and grain yield and (ii) precipitation and foliar disease severity. However, RDA also identified crop protection and variety as significant explanatory variables for faba bean performance. The relatively small effect of using P and K fertilizers on yields and the lack of a measurable effect of fungicide applications on foliar disease severity indicate that the use of these inputs in conventional faba beans may not be economical. Results also suggest that the yield gap between organic and conventional faba bean production is significant, but smaller than for other field crops

Effect of intensification practices, lambing period and environmental parameters on animal health, and milk yield and quality in dairy sheep production systems on Crete

Due to increasing demand, many traditional, grazing-based Mediterranean sheep production systems have introduced intensified feeding regimes, increased investments in facilities and equipment (milking machines) and modified their veterinary regimes to increase milk yields. However, compared to bovine milk production systems, there is limited knowledge about the impact of these intensification practices on animal welfare/health and on the quality of dairy products. The aim of this study was therefore to quantify the effects of production intensity/feeding regimes, lambing period and environmental background conditions on udder health parameters, gastrointestinal nematode infection levels and milk yield and quality parameters in traditional Sfakiano sheep production systems in Crete. Milk yields were higher in semi-intensive production systems while concentrations of several nutritionally desirable compounds such as omega-3 fatty acids were found to be higher in milk from extensive systems. Antibiotic and anthelmintic use was relatively low in both extensive and semi-intensive production systems there was no substantial difference in faecal egg counts, somatic cell counts (a marker for subclinical mastitis) and mi-cro-biological parameters assessed in milk. Recording of flock health parameters showed that animal health/welfare was high in both extensive and semi-intensively managed flocks, and that overall, the health status of extensively managed ewes was slightly better. In contrast, environ-mental conditions (temperature and rainfall) had a substantial effect on nematode infection levels and milk quality parameters assessed

Effects of organic food consumption on human health; the jury is still out

The most recent systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses have indicated significant and nutritionally-relevant composition differences between organic and conventional foods. This included higher antioxidant, but lower cadmium and pesticide levels in organic crops, and higher omega-3 fatty acids concentrations in organic meat and dairy products. Also, results from a small number of human cohort studies indicate that there are positive associations between organic food consumption and reduced risk/incidence of certain acute diseases (e.g. pre-eclampsia, hypospadias) and obesity. Concerns about potential negative health impacts of organic food consumption (e.g. risks linked to lower iodine levels in organic milk) have also been raised, but are not currently supported by evidence from human cohort studies. However, there is virtually no published data from (1) long-term cohort studies focusing on chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative conditions) and (2) controlled human dietary intervention studies comparing effects of organic and conventional diets. It is therefore currently not possible to quantify to what extent organic food consumption may affect human health

Effects of agricultural intensification on mediterranean diets: a narrative review

Introduction: Mediterranean diets (MedDiets) are linked to substantial health benefits. However, there is also growing evidence that the intensification of food production over the last 60 years has resulted in nutritionally relevant changes in the composition of foods that may augment the health benefits of MedDiets. Objective: To synthesize, summarize, and critically evaluate the currently available evidence for changes in food composition resulting from agricultural intensification practices and their potential impact on the health benefits of MedDiets. Methods: We summarized/synthesized information from (i) systematic literature reviews/meta-analyses and more recently published articles on composition differences between conventional and organic foods, (ii) desk studies which compared food composition data from before and after agricultural intensification, (iii) recent retail and farm surveys and/or factorial field experiments that identified specific agronomic practices responsible for nutritionally relevant changes in food composition, and (iv) a recent systematic literature review and a small number of subsequently published observational and dietary intervention studies that investigated the potential health impacts of changes in food composition resulting from agricultural intensification. Results and Discussion: There has been growing evidence that the intensification of food production has resulted in (i) lower concentrations of nutritionally desirable compounds (e.g., phenolics, certain vitamins, mineral micronutrients including Se, Zn, and omega-3 fatty acids, α-tocopherol) and/or (ii) higher concentrations of nutritionally undesirable or toxic compounds (pesticide residues, cadmium, omega-6 fatty acids) in many of the foods (including wholegrain cereals, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, dairy products and meat from small ruminants, and fish) that are thought to contribute to the health benefits associated with MedDiets. The evidence for negative health impacts of consuming foods from intensified conventional production systems has also increased but is still limited and based primarily on evidence from observational studies. Limitations and gaps in the current evidence base are discussed. Conclusions: There is now substantial evidence that the intensification of agricultural food production has resulted in a decline in the nutritional quality of many of the foods that are recognized to contribute to the positive health impacts associated with adhering to traditional MedDiets. Further research is needed to quantify to what extent this decline augments the positive health impacts of adhering to a traditional MedDiet