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The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of four perennial ryegrass cultivars: Bealey, Astonenergy, Spelga and AberMagic on the milk yield and milk composition of grazing dairy cows. Two 4 × 4 latin square experiments were completed, one during the reproductive and the other during the vegetative growth phase of the cultivars. Thirty-two Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were divided into four groups, with each group assigned 17 days on each cultivar during both experiments. Within each observation period, milk yield and milk composition, sward morphology and pasture chemical composition were measured. During the reproductive growth phase, organic matter digestibility (OMD) was greater for Bealey and Astonenergy (P < 0.001; +1.6%). AberMagic contained a higher stem proportion (P < 0.01; +0.06) and a longer sheath height (P < 0.001; +1.9 cm). Consequently, cows grazing AberMagic recorded a lower milk yield (P < 0.001; -1.5 kg/day) and a lower milk solids yield (P < 0.001; -0.13 kg/day). During the vegetative growth phase, OMD was greater (P < 0.001; +1.1%) for Bealey, whereas the differences between the cultivars in terms of sward structure were smaller and did not appear to influence animal performance. As a result, cows grazing Bealey recorded a higher milk yield (P < 0.001; +0.9 kg/day) and a higher milk solids yield (P < 0.01; +0.08 kg/day). It was concluded that grass cultivar did influence milk yield due to variations in sward structure and chemical composition.

Improved animal health can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity in livestock systems while increasing productivity. Integrated modelling of disease impacts on farm-scale emissions is important in identifying effective health strategies to reduce emissions. However, it requires that modellers understand the pathways linking animal health to emissions and how these might be incorporated into models. A key barrier to meeting this need has been the lack of a framework to facilitate effective exchange of knowledge and data between animal health experts and emissions modellers. Here, these two communities engaged in workshops, online exchanges and a survey to i) identify a comprehensive list of disease-related model parameters and ii) test its application to evaluating models. Fifty-six parameters were identified and proved effective in assessing the potential of farm-scale models to characterise livestock disease impacts on GHG emissions. Easy wins for the emissions models surveyed include characterising disease impacts related to feeding.

Livestock farming is criticized for negatively impacting the environment, concerns about animal welfare and the impact of excessive meat consumption on human health. However, livestock farming provides other underappreciated and poorly communicated benefits to society in terms of employment, product quality, cultural landscapes and carbon storage by grasslands. Few attempts have been made so far to simultaneously consider the services and impacts provided by livestock production. Here, we propose an integrated graphical tool, called the 'barn' to explicitly summarize the synergies and trade-offs between services and impacts provided by livestock farming. It illustrates livestock farming interacting with its physical, economic and social environment along five interfaces: (i) Markets, (ii) Work and employment, (iii) Inputs, (iv) Environment and climate, (v) Social and cultural factors. This graphical tool was then applied by comparing two contrasting livestock production areas (high livestock density v. grassland-based), and the dominant v. a niche system within a crop-livestock area. We showed the barn could be used for cross-comparisons of services and impacts across livestock production areas, and for multi-level analysis of services and impacts of livestock farming within a given area. The barn graphically summarizes the ecological and socio-economic aspects of livestock farming by explicitly representing multiple services and impacts of different systems in a simple yet informative way. Information for the five interfaces relies on available quantitative assessments from the literature or data sets, and on expert-knowledge for more qualitative factors, such as social and cultural ones. The 'barn' can also inform local stakeholders or policy-makers about potential opportunities and threats to the future of livestock farming in specific production areas. It has already been used as a pedagogical tool for teaching the diversity of services and impacts of livestock systems across Europe and is currently developed as a serious game for encouraging knowledge exchange and sharing different viewpoints between stakeholders.

Animal nitrogen (N) partitioning is a key parameter for profitability and sustainability of ruminant production systems, which may be predicted from N isotopic discrimination or fractionation (Δ15N). Both animal genetics and feeding level may interact and impact on N partitioning. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the interactive effects of genetic merit (G) and feed allowance (F) on N partitioning and Δ15N in sheep. The sheep were drawn from two levels of G (high G vs. low G; based on New Zealand Sheep Improvement Limited (http://www.sil.co.nz/) dual (wool and meat) growth index) and allocated to two levels of F (1.7 (high F) vs. 1.1 (low F) times Metabolisable Energy requirement for maintenance) treatments. Twenty-four Coopworth rams were divided into four equal groups for a N balance study: high G × high F, high G × low F, low G × high F, and low G × low F. The main factors (G and F) and the interaction term were used for 2-way ANOVA and regression analysis. Higher F led to higher N excretions (urinary N (UN); faecal N (FN); manure N), retained N, N use efficiency (NUE), and urinary purine derivatives excretion (P < 0.05). On the other hand, higher UN/N intake, and plasma Δ15N were observed with the lower F (P < 0.05). Higher G led to increased UN, FN, manure N, apparent N digestibility, and urinary purine derivatives excretion (P < 0.05). Higher F only increased UN in high G sheep, with no effect on low G sheep (P < 0.05). Regression analysis results demonstrated potential to use plasma Δ15N to reflect the effects of G and F on NUE and UN/N intake. Further research is urged to study interactive effects of genetic and feeding level on sheep N partitioning.

Exposure of rabbit bucks to summer heat stress reduces their homeostasis and semen quality leading to a temporal subfertility. The potentiality of ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera leaves (M. oleifera ethanolic extract (MLEE)) to reduce negative impacts of heat stress on physiological and semen quality traits was investigated. A total of 28 adult V-line rabbit bucks were randomly distributed among four experimental groups of seven rabbits each. The first group received water (placebo) and served as a control (M0). The other three groups were given orally MLEE at levels of 50 (M50), 100 (M100) and 150 (M150) mg/kg BW every other day for 12 consecutive weeks during the summer season. Chemical constituents of MLEE were detected by gas chromatography/MS. During the experimental period, ambient temperature and relative humidity were recorded daily and were used to estimate temperature and humidity index. Feed intake, BW, rectal temperature were recorded and blood serum biochemical attributes were determined. Semen samples were collected weekly and were analyzed for semen quality traits. Results showed that MLEE contained high percentages of long-chain fatty acids and antioxidant agents. Feed intake and BW were not affected significantly by the treatment, however rectal temperature was decreased significantly by 0.42°C, 0.24°C and 0.40°C in the M50, M100 and M150 groups, respectively, compared with the M0 group. Treatment with 50 mg/kg BW increased concentration of serum albumin (115%; P<0.05), total antioxidant capacity (132%; P<0.05) and testosterone (160%; P=0.098) as well as seminal plasma initial fructose (127%; P=0.092) compared with the control group. Compared with the control, MLEE supplementation with 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg BW increased significantly sperm concentration by 118%, 151% and 158%, sperm progressive motility by 117%, 120% and 118%, sperm viability by 129%, 137% and 127%, sperm normal morphology by 114%, 113% and 114%, intact acrosome sperm by 109% (on average) and sperm with integrated cell membrane by 109%, 123% and 114%, respectively. In conclusion, MLEE supplementation at a level of 50 mg/kg BW could be effectively used to improve heat tolerance, oxidative status and semen quality of rabbit bucks during summer season.

Climate change is already a reality for livestock production. In contrast to the ruminant species, little is known about the impacts and the vulnerability of pig European Union (EU) sector to climate warming. This review deals with the potential and the already measurable effects of climate change in pig production. Based on evidences published in the literature, climate change may reduce EU pig productivity by indirectly reducing the availability of crops usually used in pig feeding, spreading the vector or pathogen to new locations and increasing the risk of exposure to cereals contaminated with mycotoxins; and directly mainly by inducing heat stress and increasing the animal's susceptibility to various diseases. Provision of realistic projections of possible impacts of future climate changes on EU pig sector is a prerequisite to evaluate its vulnerability and propose effective adaptation strategies. Simulation modelling approach is the most commonly used approach for exploring the effects of medium or long-term climate change/variability in pig production. One of the main challenges for this modelling approach is to account for both direct and indirect possible effects but also to uncertainties in parameter values that substantially increase the uncertainty estimates for model projections. The last part of the paper focus on the main issues that still need to be overcome for developing a decision support tools for simulating the direct and indirect effect of climate change in pig farms.