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Namibian dairy industry in fight for survival
The Namibian dairy sector is battling to survive, with production decreasing and the price-cost squeeze forcing producers to exit the sector. According to Kokkie Adriaanse, chairperson of the Namibia Dairy Producers’ Association, raw milk production dropped from 21,8 million litres in 2019 to 17,...Read more -
Methane emissions rising in Africa
An increase in methane emissions from Sub-Saharan Africa occurred between 2010 and 2016, with most of the upsurge emanating from the East African region, a study has found. Experts say that methane, a heat-trapping gas about 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide, when emitted into the atmosphe...Read more -
Meat board takes charge to control FMD outbreak in Namibia
The recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in Namibia at the end of 2020 was largely contained and did not pose a threat to areas south of the veterinary cordon fence in the north of the country, according to Thinus Pretorius, chairperson of Nambia’s Livestock Producers’ Organisation (LPO)....Read more -
Lato Milk to export to Ethiopia, South Sudan and Malawi
Pearl Dairy Farms Limited (PDFL), the manufacturers of Lato Milk products, are now exporting their product portfolio to Ethiopia, Malawi and South Sudan underpinned by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) ratification agreement Algeria is next on the list of potential markets as the Ug...Read more -
Keeping animals out of home key to improved nutrition
Improved housing with piped water and keeping animals out of the home may be the key to improving childhood nutrition, a study suggests. According to the 2017 WHO Africa Nutrition Report, 58.5 million children suffered stunting— being too short for one’s age — in 2016. The WHO global targets incl...Read more -
Farmer-herdsmen conflicts linked to climate change
The increased conflicts between crop farmers and herdsmen in Nigeria could spill over into other countries if the competition for climate change-induced scarcity of resources such as water are not addressed, a study says. The study says that activities such as burning of vegetation cover, defores...Read more -
Climate induced heat stress in pigs will require joint action to protect and sustain the pig industry in Uganda for years to come
Science experts, policy makers and other pig industry stakeholders gathered in Uganda’s capital city, Kampala, in December last year to discuss important findings and insights on the impact of heat stress on the pig sector in the country, as a result of climate change. Pig farming is a profitable...Read more -
Ancient proteins help track early milk drinking in Africa
Tracking milk drinking in the ancient past is not straightforward. For decades, archaeologists have tried to reconstruct the practice by various indirect methods. They have looked at ancient rock art to identify scenes of animals being milked and at animal bones to reconstruct kill-off patterns t...Read more -
Global poultry market to grow at 3.8% CAGR in 2021
The global poultry market is expected to grow from US$310.7bn in 2020 to US$322.55bn in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8%, according to a report by ResearchAndMarkets The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact,...Read more -
AFRY, Volta Greentech aim to reduce 80% of methane emissions from cows
Cows produce more than 4% of the global greenhouse gas emissions by releasing methane gas, which is more than twice as much emission as all the world’s airplanes Backed by more than six years of research from international universities and research bodies, Volta Greentech is now commercialising ...Read more -
Studies focus on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in domestic cats, pigs
Two recently published studies from Kansas State University researchers and collaborators have led to two important findings related to the COVID-19 pandemic: Domestic cats can be asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2, but pigs are unlikely to be significant carriers of the virus. SARS-CoV-2 is the...Read more -
Smart vaccine scheme quick to curb rabies threat in African cities
More people could be protected from life-threatening rabies thanks to an agile approach to dog vaccination using smart phone technology to spot areas of low vaccination coverage in real time. Vets used a smart phone app to help them halve the time it takes to complete dog vaccination programmes i...Read more -
Reducing transmission risk of livestock disease
The risk of transmitting the livestock virus PPRV, which threatens 80 percent of the world’s sheep and goats, increases with certain husbandry practices but not herd size. A new study, led by researchers at Penn State, investigated how transmission of PPRV might change at different scales a...Read more -
OIE’s Global Burden of Animal Disease (GBAD) research programme secures more funding
Animal health researchers from the GBADs programme have secured $7 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to explore and measure animal health burdens and their impacts on human lives and economies. The inform...Read more -
Next Few Months Critical to Spring Fertility
Getting management of the suckler cow right in the January to April period will be critical in determining the success of the 2021 breeding season. Most Spring calving suckler cows are either just freshly calved or will calve in the next 8-12 weeks. Aidan Murray Beef Specialist has all the advice...Read more -
Meet Cosmo, a bull calf designed to produce more male offspring
Using the genome-editing technology CRISPR, researchers can make targeted cuts to the genome or insert useful genes, which is called a gene knock-in. In this case, scientists successfully inserted or knocked-in the cattle SRY gene, the gene that is responsible for initiating male development, int...Read more -
Livestock’s Role In a Change Climate
Edward Bork’s research surrounding how livestock grazing affects soil carbon has made him a believer in the beneficial role cattle can potentially play in a changing climate. “Because their grazing contributes to the concentration of carbon in the soil – a helpful process – livestock can be a too...Read more -
How to achieve optimum feed performance in a volatile market
During the production cycle of a broiler, many factors influence a bird’s ability to achieve the full metabolisable energy (ME) potential of the feed Changes in diet and environment, as well as its genetics, can play a role. However, poultry producers’ main challenge is the variance in feed diges...Read more -
Eating fly larvae can improve broilers welfare by facilitating natural behaviour
Research presented by Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has shown that if broilers have to forage and peck the larvae, they move more, which improves their welfare During the research, live black soldier fly larvae were offered in different quantities and at different times during the da...Read more -
Daylight study reveals how animals adapt between seasons
Scientists have discovered how a biological switch helps animals make the seasonal changes crucial for survival, such as growing a warm winter coat and adjusting body temperatures. The findings reveal how the brain responds to short and long days to allow animals to adapt to changing conditions a...Read more -
Cobb broiler breeder management guide helps customers optimise flock performance
The new Cobb broiler breeder management guide includes expanded, updated and newly added technical expertise in broiler breeder production management to help customers succeed The company’s latest recommendations in the influential handbook are intended to help support more yield, better feed co...Read more -
Cattle Lice Control
Hair loss on your cattle is a good indication they have a lice problem. The bites cause itching and irritation, so cattle rub, lick, and chew on themselves. This can cause damage to fence posts and other items they rub on for relief. Lice also affect performance. When the cattle are rubbing and...Read more -
Young poultry farmer thrives despite setbacks
Asiphe Pentu runs a poultry farming operation from his home in Beshwana village in Mount Ayliff near Kokstad, in the Eastern Cape. One of six siblings, Pentu started his business, Khawulela Poultry Farming, in 2014, when he was just 17 and still in Grade 9, due to poverty faced by his family. His...Read more -
Securing a market for your chickens
Emerging poultry farmers should first find a market for the eggs or chickens they will be producing. However, these farmers shouldn’t try to compete with the large commercial producers for a place on the supermarket shelves. These big producers use specially selected chicken breeds to produce egg...Read more
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