Description of extended pre-harvest pig Salmonella surveillance-and-control programme and its estimated effect on food safety related to pork

Salmonella in pork can be combated during pre- or post-harvest. For large slaughterhouses, post-harvest measures like decontamination might be cost-effective while this is less likely with small-to-medium sized slaughterhouses. In this study, pre-harvest measures might be more relevant. We describe an extended surveillance-and-control programme for Salmonella in finisher pigs, which, to establish equivalence to the Swedish control programme, is intended for implementation on the Danish island, Bornholm. The effect of the programme on food safety was estimated by analysing Salmonella data from pig carcasses originating from herds that would have qualified for the programme during 2006-2008. Food safety was interpreted as prevalence of Salmonella on carcasses as well as the estimated number of human cases of salmonellosis related to pork produced within the programme. Data from the Danish Salmonella programme were obtained from Bornholm. We used a simulation model developed to estimate the number of human cases based on the prevalence of Salmonella on carcass swabs. Herds are only accepted in the programme if they have one or less seropositive sample within the previous 6 months. In this way, the Salmonella load is kept to a minimum. The programme is not yet in operation and pigs that qualify for the programme are currently mixed at slaughter with those that do not qualify. Therefore, we had to assess the impact on the carcass prevalence indirectly. The prevalence of Salmonella in carcass swabs among qualifying herds was 0.46% for the 3?years as a whole, with 2006 as the year with highest prevalence. According to the simulation the expected number of human cases relating to pork produced within the programme was below 10. When the programme is in operation, an extra effect of separating pigs within the programme from those outside is expected to lower the prevalence of Salmonella even further.     

Price Volatility in Seafood Markets: Farmed vs. Wild Fish

Price volatility has an important impact on seafood markets and the aquaculture industry. This article investigates price volatility regimes along three dimensions; technology, species and product form. We identify regimes using the Iterated Cumulative Sum of Squares (ICSS), which allow us to compare the volatility found in aquaculture products, as well as comparing against fish-meal and soybeans. The results help identify the level of price risk found within the aquaculture industry across species and products. In addition, we differentiate between technologies comparing wild-caught fish with aquaculture products. The results also help us consider the relative riskiness of aquaculture compared to other industries. The results indicate that in aggregate, price volatility for aquacultured products is substantially lower than for wild. However, this varies substantially between species.     

Predicting bull growth performance and carcass composition from growth hormone response to growth hormone-releasing hormone.

Development of practical, physiologically based methods that provide an early, yet accurate, evaluation of a bull's genetic merit could benefit the beef industry. The use of GH response to a single, acute dose of GHRH was evaluated as a predictor of future growth performance and carcass characteristics of weanling bulls. Fifty-six Angus bulls averaging 229 d (SD = 27) of age were administered three doses i.v. (0, 1.5, and 4.5 microg/100 kg BW) of human GHRH (1-29) analog in a Latin square design balanced for residual effects. Blood samples were collected via jugular catheter at -60, -45, -30, -15, 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min relative to GHRH injection. Serum concentrations of GH were plotted over time. Response to GHRH was calculated as the area under the GH response curve (AUC-GH) using the trapezoidal approximation. Relationships between AUC-GH, weaning weight adjusted to 205 d of age (205-d WW), and direct weaning weight EPD (WWEPD) versus age-adjusted BW (BWadj), ADG, and carcass measurements from a 140-d growth performance test were evaluated using simple linear regression. A positive correlation between AUC-GH and ADG and an inverse relationship between AUC-GH and carcass fat were observed. The present study provides evidence that AUC-GH is a better predictor of future growth performance in beef bulls than 205-d WW or WWEPD values. Thus, GH response to GHRH is associated with subsequent growth and may be a useful tool for sire selection in beef production.     

How do university-industry collaborations benefit innovation? Direct and indirect outcomes of different collaboration types

This paper explores the extent to which firms perceive to benefit from university-industry collaborations in their innovation processes, building on survey data from 232 Norwegian firms. We find that firms experience not only direct innovation benefits from collaborations, but also indirect benefits in the form of closer proximity to universities, which can in turn improve future collaboration. We compare the reported outputs from various types of collaboration, finding that firms engaging mainly in research-oriented interactions more often report that collaborations result in innovation than those engaging in education-oriented or more informal collaborations. However, education-oriented and informal collaborations are equally important for building cognitive, organizational, institutional and social proximities between firms and universities.     

Advances in domestication of indigenous fruit trees in the West African Sahel

Fruit trees play an important nutritional role for livelihoods of rural people in the West African Sahel through provision of energy and nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Research on the domestication of local fruit trees has started recently through projects concentrating on some of the most important indigenous species of dry West Africa, i.e. Adansonia digitata, Parkia biglobosa, Tamarindus indica, Vitellaria paradoxa and Ziziphus mauritiana. We present a status of finalised and ongoing domestication research with the aim of defining research gaps that would need to be covered by future research activities to obtain higher yields and better quality fruits. Germplasm collection in central West Africa has been intense compared to elsewhere in the species?? distribution areas, but conservation status of the material is poor since it is only planted in few trials. Knowledge of genetic parameters, especially for fruit traits, is almost absent, but characterisation of genotypes is underway for some of the species. Mating systems and patterns are still unknown for many species. Efficient vegetative propagation based on simple techniques was shown to be possible for all species except P. biglobosa. In order to secure immediate as well as long term gains, we recommend combining clonal propagation of selected plus individuals with recombination and breeding of selected genotypes. We discuss whether local institutions in the Sahel have the financial capacity to carry out long term breeding programmes, and suggest that efforts should be made to find new ways of disseminating improved germplasm.     

A human health risk assessment for macrolide-resistant Campylobacter associated with the use of macrolides in Danish pig production

In 2006, macrolides were withdrawn from the list of antibiotics recommended for veterinary treatment of diarrhoea in Danish pigs. The motive was to lower the antibiotic consumption in general and to mitigate the risk related to human infection with macrolide-resistant (Mres) Campylobacter. We subsequently conducted a risk assessment following international guidelines to address the risk for human health associated with usage of macrolides in Danish pigs. Data originated from surveillance programs, published papers, reports and statistics. Furthermore, an exposure model was built in @Risk. Mres Campylobacter is the hazard of interest. Data from different EU countries show that beef contains a very low prevalence (typically 0.1-1.1%) of Campylobacter; moreover, Mres is uncommon in Campylobacter isolates from cattle (between 0% and 6%). Beef was therefore left out of further analysis. For pork at retail, a high variation in the prevalence of Campylobacter has been reported within EU; but generally the prevalence is <10%, and the isolates are often Mres. EU data indicate that poultry meat harbor a high prevalence of Campylobacter (more more than 10%) with Mres at prevalence ranging from 0% to 8%. According to the exposure model - that included origin of meat as well as consumption patterns - most human cases of Mres campylobacteriosis (157 out of 186) was ascribed to imported meat. Only seven cases could be explained by veterinary usage of macrolides in Danish pigs. In general, human cases of campylobacteriosis are self-limiting, and it is questionable whether there is any excess risk related to infection with Mres Campylobacter compared to sensitive Campylobacter. In conclusion, the risk associated with veterinary use of macrolides in Danish pigs for the human health of Danes seemed to be low.