EAAP News No. 55. (December 2005)

Livestock Production Science 98 (2005) 225 – 250 www.elsevier.com/locate/livprodsci In this issue (page numbers) End of EAAP News Last Editorial: Sustainable Agriculture and Food are at Risk EAAP Notice on Termination of EAAP News and LPS EAAP Annual Meeting, Antalya, Turkey, 2006 Scholarships for EAAP Meeting in Antalya, Turkey, 2006 Abstracts for EAAP Annual Meeting, Antalya, Turkey, 2006 Future EAAP Annual Meetings Forthcoming Conferences of Interest to EAAP In Memoriam Personal News News from EAAP European News International News Reports of Meetings, Working Groups and Task Forces Book Reviews Training Courses Calendar of Scientific Conferences

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Editor: John Hodges, Lofererfeld 16, A-5730 Mittersill, Austria. Fax: +43 6562 54814; e-mail: [email protected]

Number 55

December 2005

END of EAAP NEWS The EAAP Council has decided to terminate Livestock Production Science at the end of 2005 and this marks the end of EAAP News in this journal. See the EAAP Notice on page 230 following this Editorial. As Editor I have enjoyed putting together EAAP News and writing the Editorials for 14 years. I wish to thank EAAP and Elsevier Science for entrusting me with this privilege and responsibility. I also wish to thank the many readers who, from time to time, have sent affirming notes and comments. As a founder member of the Editorial Board of Livestock Production Science in 1974 I wish to acknowledge and pay respect to my close colleagues over many years from the start of the journal 32 years ago. These specially include the three Editors-in-Chief: the late Hepke de Boer (1974–1988); Rommert Politiek (1988–1999) and Jean Boyazoglu (1999 to this last issue) who will continue as the Editor-in-Chief of doi:10.1016/j.livprodsci.2005.11.008

Livestock Science. I also recognize the vision of the late Hepke de Boer who started EAAP News in 1988 and was Editor until 1991 when I took on this task. I also acknowledge the excellent staff of Elsevier Science in Amsterdam and Shannon and the staff of the EAAP Secretariat in Rome. They have always been most helpful and with whom it has been a pleasure to work with them. LAST EDITORIAL: SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD ARE AT RISK This Editorial is therefore the last that I shall write. In it, I look forward to the near and longer term future of agriculture and the world food supply. Although there are bright prospects, there are also new and threatening risks on the horizon. These hazards have an entirely new origin. They result from human activity — not from the identifiable decisions of any individuals but from the system under which Western agriculture is

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now managed. That system poses real threats to sustainability. Agriculture reshaped Agriculture is being restructured at an incredibly fast pace as we enter the 21st century. The pace has been and continues to be higher in the West where innovations during the 20th century, especially during the last 50 years, have changed farming from the oldest, even the original, human activity of civilization into a new world of economic drivers and values. The process involves not only technological change but also the sociological movement of millions of people from rural to urban lifestyles. This massive migration continues in the developing world and in the New Independent States (NIS) of the former USSR. In the West it has already resulted in a strange isolation of farmers who are now numerically a very small minority of national populations. The contrast is shown by the former 15 country member and the new 10 country member states of the European Union. In the 15 member EU, where only about 5% work on farms, few city dwellers were born on a farm and very few have any relatives who farm today. In the 10 new EU countries, the rural population is still around 25% and many people come from a farm background. Further east in the states of the former Soviet Union, the percentage is higher at 30–50%. In the West farmers are becoming an endangered species as intensification and scale are driven by the large public companies which now control the upstream and down-stream flow of resources and income to farmers under the banner of Cheap Food. What are the prospects for the next 10, 20 or 50 years? Most obvious is a growing level of unsustainability. Unsustainability The present pattern of continuous change in farming and food production cannot go on indefinitely without serious consequences. All thoughtful people, both inside and outside agriculture, acknowledge that the current pace of change is a high risk process. Naturally, the hazards are not so obvious to those who control the economic drivers. They appear to be unaware that they are on a collision course with reality and that collapse and maybe calamity are strong possibilities. One reason for their blindness is that lack of sustainability creeps

up slowly and is therefore less evident to those who are within the system. A second reason is that those who drive the system are focussed primarily upon economic returns that continue at present. Corporate executives express frustration with those who talk about unsustainability, sometimes calling them prophets of doom who are out of touch with the realities of the market — which is still doing very well. The profits of the large supermarkets and the upstream suppliers of seeds and chemicals to farmers are thriving. They feel that opposition comes from uninformed minorities who have limited, marginal or personal agendas. A third reason is that the decision-makers in the up and down stream power centres provide themselves with moral arguments for their existing ideology of increasing intensification, scale, cheap food and global trade in food. The view commonly expressed from the Boardrooms of the large and economically successful food chain companies in the West is that the world needs more food and therefore it is imperative to pursue economic and biological efficiency in food production. They seem able to ignore the fact that the West already has over-capacity for food production and, despite over-consumption and growing obesity under the pressure of massive advertising, the fantasy that they are feeding the poor provides a feel-good factor for their business success. But the system is unsustainable. The pursuit of ever cheaper food to the Western consumer is driven primarily by competition among a small clutch of large supermarkets in the West who seek market dominance and are not called to account for the effects of their agenda on the agro-resources, the farming community, the commons, and the environment which are the foundation resources for agriculture. Consequently there are many external costs which are carried by society through taxation, health, reduced environmental standards and depleted rural life. What are the longer-term risks of continued unsustainability? We are not speaking of tragedies of natural origin like hurricanes Katrina and Rita nor the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004. We are thinking rather of tragedies that have their origin in human behaviour. Progress in human society is imperative. Everyone would agree that, in principle it should be

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progress which improves the quality of life for all, builds community on a foundation of respect for universal human rights, acknowledges the integrity of the biosphere and the dignity of sentient species and pays positive attention to the inanimate resources of the earth. However, despite these high aspirations, human history records that the perverse nature of mankind, particularly those who seek and then use power for selfish ends, has repeatedly marred the achievement of those high ideals. The human story is a sorry one — full of noble aspirations and goals and short on fulfillment. The tragedies of man’s inhumanity to man is well documented in the archives of centuries past and resides in the living personal memories of millions alive today who suffered at the hands of other men in the 20th century. But even in the recent past of the 20th century the abuse of other humans, though horrific, was limited in time and space. The prospect for damage in the future is far greater. The world is shrinking. Globalization makes the earth a village. The scope for petty dictators is still restricted even though they may have global ambitions. But the threats we describe here have a new origin and dimension and they are frighteningly powerful and wide in their effects. They will come from an error, lack of foresight, mistaken judgements, inadequate scientific understanding sheer greed or collapse of the economic system. Because the food chain is going global their impact will be enormous. Climate change is a current example of such a world-scale tragedy that is already upon us. Largely caused, to date, by the economic and lifestyle behaviour of the West, climate change is affecting the whole world population. Who is responsible? It is a collective responsibility because the tragedy that is still building derives from the system of economic lifestyles embraced by millions — mainly in the USA and Europe. In such a global situation everyone is a stakeholder and liable to suffer. Similarly tragedies in the global food chain will also impact everyone. The unsustainability of our lifestyle of excessive energy usage will increasingly affect future generations in many unpleasant ways some of which are unforeseen. Risks to the agriculture and food systems Risks of three types threaten agriculture and food as we enter the 21st century. The origin of each risk lies

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within the economic system now being pursued in the West with singleness of purpose for immediate benefits. The three likely causes of potential tragedies are briefly discussed here without full details that are available elsewhere. 1. Environmental damage 2. Gene-technology in food production 3. Capitalist economic system for agriculture and food on a global scale Environmental damage The damage to the natural resources of the earth is overstretching the ability of the environment and its complex life-supporting systems. The recent Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) is the result of 1200 scientists studying the global ecosystems over four years. Their conclusions are devastating. They issue a stark warning that irreversible damage is being imposed upon the biosphere, that the natural machinery which recycles life processes is being degraded, and that the planet will no longer be able to sustain future generations. The UN Environment Program (UNEP, 1995), reported to the Convention on Biodiversity that there are 1.7 million known species of plants and animals and, including all other lower forms of life such as insects and microbiological species, there are an estimated 12 million not yet identified. All species, classified or not, are disappearing at an accelerating rate. UNEP also gave the following expected loss of species: mammals (25%), reptiles (20%), amphibians (25%) and fish (34%). Wilson et al., (2005) are so concerned at the rate of extinction of mammals and primates that they wrote to the US Senate asking for the Endangered Species Act to be strengthened rather than weakened. A major activity of EAAP in the last decade has been to activate sustainable use of livestock biodiversity. The loss of animal genetic resources is part of a larger problem of unsustainability. It is a measurable benchmark of other irreparable damage being inflicted upon the environment. The loss of breeds is serious for they have been thousands of years in the making and their unique adaptation traits are valuable. At least 1000 breeds have been lost in the last 100 years though lack of earlier documentation makes estimating difficult. The rate is accelerating with 300 breeds

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gone in the last 15 years. Today 2000 breeds are at risk (FAO, 2000). Those who suffer most from this long-term threat of lost biodiversity are the four billion rural poor people in developing countries, 50% of whom are dependent upon livestock to maintain basic quality of life. The lives of these people are being placed at risk by the Western agricultural system as domestic markets in their mega-cities are targeted by Western food exports (Hodges, 2005a). So far the programmes for conservation of animal genetic resources have not stopped the loss as shown by three successive editions of the FAO World Watch List from 1995 to 2000. Even from an economic point of view it is foolish to discard unique genotypes which may have commercial value in the future. These examples are but an indication of how the environment and biodiversity in general are being eroded by human activity and how the resilience of the natural cycles is overloaded. There is a certain risk that if we continue as we are going we will destroy the capacity to farm effectively (Hodges, 2005b). Gene-technology in food production The topic of Genetically Modified plant foods has been discussed in previous Editorials in some detail and will not be repeated here (Hodges, 1999, 2000). However there is one new aspect to the threat of great moment for animal scientists and for livestock production. The new issue is the use of transgenic animals in the food chain. To date genetically modified food has been of plant origin. But scientists and the large multinational companies in this area have been working for some years to produce and eventually market genetically modified meat and milk and eggs from genetically modified animals. Symptoms of this policy can be seen, for example, in the vast investment in gene-transfer technologies creating transgenic seeds and soon transgenic domestic animals. These products are accompanied by patent applications which will eventually turn staple foods into proprietary products with royalties. An example of this type of business is shown by the current multiple applications made by Monsanto in many countries in 2005 for patents affecting pig production (Monsanto, 2005). These patent applications are very extensive and if granted will also give Monsanto rights over some aspects of pig management systems including the use of MA-BLUP, IOD and

PCCG algorithms and other tools designed over many years by animal scientists funded by public support. Monsanto argues that their application to patent their particular approach to the use of these algorithms is made together with some specific genes for which they claim patent right because they have developed a particular approach in applying many of these elements together with other innovations. Monsanto blandly states that their primary interest is in protecting their freedom to practise these approaches in the particular way described by the applications. This Monsanto approach raises some new issues for animal scientists, for livestock production and for the consumption of animal products. On the issue of conservation, patented transgenic farm animals will hasten the demise of the traditional breeds and the issue of conservation of animal genetic resources will be completely reshaped. Although some consumers may now eat crop plant GM food without concern, the issue of transgenic livestock products will raise a new and negative image in the public mind about animal products and probably turn more people off eating meat altogether or to eating organically produced animal products. These business intentions to create monopolistic trade within the food chain, protected by intellectual property rights, are already becoming plain to farmers, small processors and retailers whose survival is threatened. Gene-transfer technology, like all technologies, has potential both for good use and for abuse (IAEA, 2005). Doubtless it can make contributions to improved food production under the surveillance of independent scrutiny where Due Process is practised and all stakeholders are represented. The problem is that gene-technology has been launched into the staple foods of the world food chain, without public consultation, by a few private interests who take unethical legal protection and a proprietary stance over major components of agriculture and food. Many may be comforted by the specious argument that gene-technology is only doing more quickly what breeders have been doing for a long time. That statement is, of course, untrue. Gene technology moves genes across the boundaries of widely separated species which is an entirely novel technique for breeders to use. The threat of risks arising from this technology are evident in principle since species have

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been millions of years in the making and have achieved a remarkable level of genetic homeostasis within the reproductive boundary of each species. Abnormalities caused by mutations (natural analogues of transgenes) are usually negative and have been ruthlessly culled from the population genome by natural selection. When mutations are created artificially by human intervention using gene transfer technology, the process of natural selection is changed. The modified genome, chosen by human rather than natural selection, is multiplied by massive and rapid breeding programmes and released on a large-scale into the natural gene pool of the food chain. Although the immediate effect may appear to be benign, the longer term results are uncertain and risky. Later, when an unexpected and negative genetic consequence occurs in the modified genomes of the food chain, the impact will be wide-spread, even global, and containment will be impossible. We now have glimmerings of new knowledge about the potential dangers now emerging from recent research into BSE, vCJD and CJD (Hodges, 2005c). There are unsuspected genetic interactions between the genomes of cattle and humans, and experimentally with mice, which affect the health and survival of individuals. When genetically modified food, plant or animal becomes the normal fare in the diet of the global population, which is clearly the business plan of some multi-national companies, the occurrence of a genetic error with deleterious effects upon the human populations or upon the agro-resources used for food will be awful. It will be too late to stop the tragedy which may be a global epidemic or fill-off. The terrible experience of BSE is a warning of the enormous difficulty involved in tracking down the mechanisms of a new and unsuspected aberrant genetic process which silently insinuates itself into the human food chain and is already established in the animal and human populations before recognition and continues to defy diagnosis. Capitalist economic system for agriculture and food on a global scale The intention to globalize the world food market is clear. It is a major item on the agenda of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as the business plan of the multi-national companies that are

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currently building control of the staple food market using intellectual property rights (IPR) associated with Terminator Gene Technology to give themselves near monopoly rights. The risks associated with this approach are clear. Based upon self-interest, capitalism quickly responds to the inevitable economic fluctuations, unpredictable cycles and variation in interest rates, exchange rates and returns on investment. Multi-national companies trading in the large food markets of the developing world will quickly stop activities to avoid losses when the world economy changes against their interest. Their prime contract is to their shareholders, not to feed their customers. Cutting supplies of non-essential manufactured goods is not fatal. Cutting supplies of food when local agricultural capacity has been diminished can be tragic. Future large-scale wars and terrorism will also disrupt world food trade leaving hunger in large urban populations who have neglected their local resources for growing food. There is no world government to ensure poor people are fed when the international trading system collapses. Division of labour offers no remedy for these inevitable tragedies. The West knows from experience that capitalism is volatile. World food supplies cannot be subject to such uncertainty any more than food in the West. Conclusion How can the risks confronting agriculture and food be averted? The power-structures are fully committed to the idea of progress through the present system of intensification, scale and cheap food. The three risks of environmental collapse, of gene-technology producing large-scale tragedy, and of starvation following a severe economic recession all flow from the same source. The threats come from the ideology of capitalism which is a superb system for creating new wealth but which lacks any inbuilt mechanism to avoid excess and abuse by those who own the capital. Today most of the world’s capital is held by the West. Vast sums of capital are largely owned by shareholders who are remote from the technical and economic management of the business and whose only interest is in profit and increased equity. The use of the capital is in the hands of a relatively small group of anonymous business executives who, unlike

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politicians, are neither elected nor accountable to the stakeholders and communities affected by their decisions about the food chain. Customers are the only group with power to influence these executives’ decisions and most customers are lulled into a sense of ignorant contentment and complacency about what is happening to the food chain by intensive advertising and the low price of food. So what can be done? We may take encouragement from what happened once before in the West when the industrial capitalist barons of the 19th century were practising slavery and exploiting their workers ruthlessly (Hodges, 2005b). The system was modified by a small group of individuals, many motivated by their Christian values, who changed the socio-economic shape of Western culture by pressing for the abolition of slave trading and then of slavery itself. During the 19th century in the UK these few men and women of high moral conviction and social concern inside and outside parliament confronted the hard face of capitalism that grew under the influence of the British Empire. They include William Wilberforce, Lord Shaftesbury, Elizabeth Fry and others. Over a period of a few decades, against the prevailing economic interests of business, these few individuals led parliament to ban child labour in the mines, stop the exploitation of women in factories, limit the length of the working day, introduce prison reform, start compulsory and free education and make it illegal for ships to be loaded beyond the Plimsoll line painted on ship sides and named after the Member of Parliament who fought for it in 1876. Outside parliament these individuals pioneered the first care homes for the elderly and opened free hospitals for the poor. These proposals to improve the quality of life, to introduce equity and justice and to facilitate community activities were opposed by many of the owners of factories and mines who argued that these changes should be decided by the market and that the costs of such radical legislation would cripple the economy. As a result of much new legislation, ethical behaviour appeared in the market place. Changes in the socio-economic system were thus introduced which would never have been promoted by economic forces alone. Slowly life changed for the better. The open question is whether such people of high moral character, having an informed grasp of what is

happening and a social conscience, are willing to act thus today. And will Western governments listen? And will any of these people rise from the ranks of animal scientists? John Hodges, Editor References FAO, 2000. World Watch List for Domestic Animal Diversity, 3rd Edition. Ed: Beate Scherf. FAO, Rome, Italy. Hodges, John. 1999. The genetically modified food muddle. Livest. Prod. Sci., December 1999. Hodges, John. 2000. Polarization on genetically modified food. Livest. Prod. Sci. 63. April 2000. 159–164. Hodges, John. 2005a. Cheap food and feeding the world sustainably. Livest. Prod. Sci. 92. 1–16. Hodges, John. 2005b. Conservation of genes and culture: historical and contemporary issues. Jour. Poultry Sci. In press. Hodges, John. 2005c. Developments and mysteries of BSE (Mad Cow Disease) and vCJD. Livest. Prod. Sci (October 2005). 97. 27–34. IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), 2005. Eds: Harinder P.S.Makkar and Gerrit J. Viljoen. Applications of Gene-Based Technologies for Improving Animal Production and Health in Developing Countries. Proceedings of an FAO/IAEA Conference in Vienna, 2003. Springer, The Netherlands with IAEA and FAO. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), 2005. Project Leader: Walter Reid. www.milleniumassessment. org. Monsanto. 2005. Patent application No. WO 2005/ 017204. Use of single nucleotide polymorphism in the coding region of porcine leptin receptor gene to enhance pork production. Monsanto Technology LLC. World Intellectual Property Organization. www.wipo.int/patentscope/en/data. United Nations Environment Program, 1995. Global Biodiversity Assessment, UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya. Wilson, E.O., P. R. Erlich, S. Pimm, P. Raven, G. Orians, J. Diamond, H. Mooney, D. Simberloff, D. Wilcove, and J. Carlton. 2005 Environmental News Service re. www.ens-meewswire-com/ens/may2005/ 2005-05-19-insltr.asp.

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EAAP NOTICE ON THE TERMINATION OF EAAP NEWS The EAAP Strategy approved by the General Assembly in 2004 pays particular attention to the EAAP publications. In this respect, the EAAP Council agreed to review the past policies, the present situation, needs, expectations and requests of European animal scientists regarding the role of EAAP publications and their place in the global animal science. Results of this review were presented at the 109th Session of the EAAP Council in February 2005. The Council underlined the high quality and impact of EAAP publications, in particular Livestock Production Science. It also expressed its appreciation for the valuable contribution and efforts of the LPS Editorsin-Chief, Section Editors and members of the Editorial Advisory Board. The Council noted that developments in animal science and requirements of the European and global scientific community imposed the need for changes in the EAAP publication policy, particularly regarding the EAAP official journal — Livestock Production Science — in order to meet challenges for the next 10 to 15 years. In this respect, it decided to undertake consultations with Member Organisations regarding a strategy of two linked journals — one high impact factor journal focussed on basic research and one for multidisciplinary and applied research — with an information magazine. The proposed strategy takes into account the fact that a number of Member Organisations and associations in Member countries have also initiated revisions of their publication policies. In this respect, the Council agreed that a cooperative approach — joint undertaking of EAAP and national organisations in managing two high level scientific journals — was the best solution. The Council agreed that both journals and the information magazine should be owned by EAAP and co-operating national associations. The 49th EAAP General Assembly held in Uppsala, Sweden, on 7 June 2005 endorsed the new publication strategy. Elsevier — the owner of LPS — has been given notice on the termination of arrangement for LPS, including the publication and distribution of the EAAP News. At the same time, Elsevier was invited to enter into negotiations in relation to the new strategy.

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In addressing this short information to our readers, I wish once again to thank them for their support. My special thanks to John Hodges and to all authors who contributed in the 18 years long history of the EAAP News. The new EAAP information magazine will certainly continue the best traditions of the EAAP News in meeting requests and interest of the EAAP members and the European scientific community. Andrea Rosati. Secretary-General, EAAP EAAP ANNUAL MEETING, ANTALYA, TURKEY. 17–20 SEPTEMBER 2006 The 57th EAAP Annual Meeting will be held from 17 to 20 September in Antalya, Turkey. The hosts are Ankara University and Akdeniz University and the President is Professor Metin Yener who is well known at EAAP Meetings. The theme of the Annual Meeting is bSustaining production systems to improve the livelihoods (health, well-being, wealth) of livestock farmersQ. There will be 30 scientific sessions with oral and poster papers, workshops and satellite symposia. Antalya, often now called the Turkish Riviera, is an ancient site of human civilizations from the 1st century BC and has many archaeological and natural beauty attractions including the sea and the tourist resort of Belek nearby. Scientific Events The scientific programme is available on the EAAP Website (www.eaap.org), on the website of the Meeting in Turkey (www.eaap2006.gen.tr) and in the last issue of EAAP News (October 2005). The Round table theme in 2006 is bWhole food chain approach to meat quality and safetyQ. Satellite Workshops 1. FAO/EAAP Workshop on Farm Animal Genetic Resources: Strategies and Achievements in Conservation and Utilization. 15 September. 2. EAAP Workshop on Writing and Presenting Scientific Papers. 16 September.

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3. Higher Education Working Group Workshop. Cooperation between European and African Universities for teaching specific topics of animal sciences on the Southern part of the Mediterranean. 16 September. 4. European Regional Focal Point (ERFP) — 16 September. 5. Satellite Symposium on Growth and Development bEnvironmental and genetic regulation of prenatal events and its importance for postnatal growth performance and meat qualityQ — 21 September. Social Events All the social events will have a Turkish flavour: ! Welcome Cocktail — Sunday 17 September at 20.30. Turkish Social Evening — Monday 18 September at 20.30. ! Gala Dinner — Tuesday 19 September at 20.30. There is a contribution of 40 Euros per person for the Gala Dinner, the balance being covered by the sponsors. ! Conference Tour — Wednesday 20 September to Aspendos which is the best-preserved theatre of antiquity with seating for 15,000. It is still used today and nearby are remains of a basilica, agora and a large aqueduct.

General Information The unit of currency is the Turkish Lira (TL). Banks can exchange foreign currency and travellers cheques with proof of identity such as passport. The most commonly used credit cards are Visa, Mastercard, American Express. The electrical voltage is 220 V AC, 50 Hz and the plugs are European style two pin type. The average temperature in September is 25–30 8C. Visas are needed for citizens of some countries and participants should check with their nearest Turkish Embassy or Consulate. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website is: http://www.mfa.gov.tr. The Conference working language is English and technical sessions will not be translated. Certificates of attendance will be available at the registration desk. An official letter of invitation designed to overcome administrative difficulties will be sent on request, although it must be understood that such a letter does not grant any financial support. Each congress room is equipped with slide projector, LCD projector and a connected PC. The presentation software is Power Point 2003. A preview room will be available. Authors should submit their visuals with a USB disk or a CD. All speakers are kindly requested to hand in eight copies of their full text(s) in the Speakers Centre one day before presentation. Travel to Antalya

Accompanying Persons There is a very attractive programme for accompanying persons and a conference tour for all. The registration of accompanying persons includes all the above items except the scientific sessions and proceedings. The programme for the accompanying persons provides activities for four days Sunday–Wednesday. The cost of these activities is included in the accompanying person registration fee. The activities include: ! Sunday 17 September — Perge which is an ancient city loaded with history. ! Monday 18 September — Side which has a major ancient theatre built in the 2nd century. ! Tuesday 19 September — Waterfalls in several locations plus Manavgat with river and cascade and then a boat trip to further waterfalls. ! Wednesday 20 September — Antalya City.

There are frequent flights from most major European cities to Antalya with an average of about 3 h flight time. Information: www.eaap2006.gen.tr or email: [email protected]. Agriculture in Turkey Turkey is divided into nine agricultural regions and has a large livestock population, the major species being sheep, cattle and hair goats; the minor species being donkeys, Angora goats, horses and water buffaloes. The majority of farms in Turkey are small subsistence households. There are about four million farms with an average land area of six hectares. About 67% of the farms have mixed crops and livestock production; 30% crop production and 3% animal production. Agricultural Research in Turkey is largely carried out by the Faculties of Agriculture and the research

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Institutes of the Ministry of Agriculture and rural Affairs. Frequent scientific meetings are held in various fields of agriculture including animal science. Registration Fees Registration fees for participants in Euros are 450 before and 550 (after) 31 May 2006. For students and accompanying persons: 250 and (300). Registration fees include scientific sessions, proceedings, lunches, coffee breaks, welcome cocktail, conference party, post conference dinner and conference tour.

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Authors wishing to submit should read the guidelines carefully which can be downloaded with the Abstract Form. The responsible contact person will inform authors during the first week of May 2006 whether their abstracts have been accepted for presentation during the meeting. Authors who submit abstracts but fail to register for the Conference risk having their abstracts withdrawn from the Abstract Book. The publishers of the Abstract Book for EAAP 2006 are: Wageningen Academic Publishers, PO Box 220, 6700 AE Wageningen, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31-317-476-516. Fax: +31-317-453-417. Email: [email protected]

Further information: Saltur Tourism Travel Agency, Atatu¨rk Bulvari No. 175/8, Kavaklidere 06680, Ankara, Turkey. Tel.: +90-312-419-8480. Fax: +90-312-419-8479. Email: [email protected] Website:www.eaap2006.gen.tr Important Dates: Deadlinefor receipt of abstracts: 31 March 2006 Deadline for reduced registration fee: 31 May 2006 Deadline for hotel reservations: 31 May 2006

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR EAAP ANNUAL MEETING IN TURKEY, 2006 INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS All member organizations have the right to propose young scientists — maximum 38 years of age — for the EAAP Annual Meeting. An applicant who already obtained a scholarship in the past cannot reapply before three years. A maximum of one scholarship per country can be granted. Grants are case regulated by the availability of funds. Before 1st February 2006

ABSTRACTS FOR EAAP ANNUAL MEETING, TURKEY, 2006 Authors wishing to present papers are requested to submit the title and the abstract using the Abstract Form which can be accessed on the Internet at www.WageninenAcademic.com/eaap. Papers will be accepted as oral presentations or as posters. The Abstract Form can also be requested from Wageningen Academic Publishers by email as an attachment. The Abstract form must be sent by 31 March 2006 to [email protected] mentioning the name of the first author as the subject of the email. Only abstracts submitted on the original Abstract Form will be considered for publication. Abstracts must be submitted in English and should contain the specific objectives, experimental methods and statistical analyses together with a synthesis of the results and conclusions. The title and the authors and the abstract must not exceed the space provided in the box on the front of the pre-printed forms (maximum 250 words).

For each applicant, the Rome EAAP Secretariat should receive from the member organisation a letter announcing and supporting the candidacy of the scholar along with: 1.1 Name, address, fax and phone number, date of birth, official title or function, short description of the scientific work and main publications of the applicant. 1.2 Name and address of the institution where he/she works. This formal request should be accompanied by: 1.2.1 Five copies (if sent by post — see address below) of the full paper which the applicant intends to present, written in one of the working languages of the Association (English, French or German) left to his/her choice, and not exceeding five pages including tables, figures and references. The contribution

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has to fit in the agenda of one of the provisional joint or single sessions. 1.2.2 A copy of the original abstract form (in English), duly filled in accordance with the instructions given on the back of the form. All documentation should be sent to: [email protected]; or by fax: + 39 06 86329263; or by post to EAAP, Via G. Tomassetti 3 A/1; 00161 Rome, Italy Before the 31st March 2006 (deadline) The applicant should send directly to the publisher a completed abstract form. The form can be downloaded from www.WageningenAcademic.com/ eaap (see also previous page). Please follow the instructions carefully. The abstract must be typed according to the instructions for authors. For any problem in downloading the form, please contact Wageningen Academic Publishers directly ([email protected]) By the end April 2006 The Rome EAAP Secretariat will inform the applicants of the result of the examination by the Board of Examiners of his/her candidacy. At the same time, the selected applicants will receive information on the conditions and uses of the lump sum, according to the financial situation of the Scholarship Fund. In the same way as for all other authors of communications, the selected applicants will be informed by the relevant Commission President on the method of presentation. FUTURE EAAP ANNUAL MEETINGS 2007: 58th EAAP Annual Meeting will be held from 26 to 29 August 2007 in Dublin, Ireland. The Annual Meeting will be held at University College Dublin located on a beautiful campus 4 km south of Dublin city centre. Information: www.eaap2007.ie Information on Dublin city: www.dublin.ie. 2008: 59th EAAP Annual Meeting will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania. 2009 and later EAAP Annual Meetings Preliminary requests have been received from Greece, Spain, Slovakia and France.

FORTHCOMING CONFERENCES OF INTEREST TO EAAP (in date order) Berlin Green Week Conference Perspectives of Beef Production with Suckler Cows Under Extensive Conditions This Conference of the German Beef Cattle Breeders and Producers, Bonn, will be held in Berlin as a part of the Green Week celebration from 13 to 15 January 2006. Information: EAAP Website: www.eaap.org International Conference on Livestock Services enhancing Rural Development The International Conference on Livestock Services Enhancing Rural Development will be held in Beijing, PR. China from 16 to 22 April 2006. It is organized by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank (WB). The problems and rationale Human population growth, increasing urbanization and rising incomes are predicted to double the demand for, and production of, livestock and livestock products in the developing countries over the next 20 years. Livestock production is thus growing faster than any other agricultural sub-sector (with the exception of aquaculture) and it is predicted that by 2020, livestock will produce more than half of the total global agricultural output in value terms. This process has been referred to as the blivestock revolutionQ. The objectives of this conference are to: ! share the lessons learnt from the research and development programs conducted on livestock service delivery over the past decade,

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! discuss new ideas and innovative approaches relevant to the delivery of livestock services to smallholders under different environments, and ! discuss livestock service delivery research and development strategies that meet the changing needs of smallholder/poor livestock farmers under a range of livestock sector development scenarios.

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The regions north of the Arctic Circle are characterized by polar days when the sun does not set. The north of Finland has 73 such days each year and even in southern Finland the longest day is nearly 19 h long. The warmest day of the year comes about one month after aphelion i.e., around 20 July. Information: www.proagria.fi/icar2006. Email: [email protected].

Approach and activities 3rd European Workshop of Equine Nutrition The conference will bring together a large number of development and research practitioners from South Asia, South East Asia, Africa, South America and China to discuss the above identified issues. It is proposed that the conference will be developed through a plenary session at which commissioned speakers from the region will share their experiences and discuss how such lessons could be usefully applied in other regions and systems. Subsequently it is proposed that the meeting will develop itself through several parallel satellite workshops that deal with the specificities of the requirements and needs for livestock services in smallholder livestock systems and under the following three main livestock sector development pathways based on market demand and production potential: Information: Dr. Gong Xifeng or Dr. Liu Yukun, Department of international Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Fax: 86+10+62174060 Tel.: 86+10+62185242 Email: [email protected] gongxifeng@yahoo. com.cn [email protected] Further details also available at EAAP Website: www.eaap.org 35th Congress of ICAR and Interbull, Finland, 2006 The 35th Congress of ICAR and the Interbull Annual Meeting will be held from 5 to 10 June 2006 in the city of Kuopio, Finland. Special topics of interest will be: Functional Traits and Farm Management orientation in Milk Recording plus Technical Excursions. The Kuopio region is situated in central Finland about 400 km north of Helsinki. It is a strong milk production area with intensive use of grass and cheese production. Research at the University of Kuopia is important for agriculture and the V.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Research focuses upon medical sciences.

This Workshop on bNutrition and Feeding of the Brood MareQ will be held under the umbrella of the EAAP Horse Commission on 20 to 22 June 2006 at the University del Molise in Campobasso, Italy. Information: Prof. Nicoletta Miraglia Email miraglia@ unimol.it. Website: www.unimol.it 6th Congress of the European Society for Agriculture and Food Ethics This congress will be held from 21 to 24 June 2006 in Oslo, Norway. Information: www.eursafe.org American Society of Animal Science The annual meeting of the ASAS will be held in Minneapolis from 9–13 July 2006. Information: www.asas.org 8th World Congress on Genetics applied to Livestock Production, 2006 in Brazil This congress will be held from 13 to 18 August 2006 at Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. The World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production is the meeting point for scientists involved in genetic improvement of domestic animals. The state of the art in the theory of quantitative and population genetics is presented, and current knowledge on genetics and genetic improvement strategies is updated for each species, in order to discuss future prospects of animal breeding. Highlights in this 8th Congress will involve the use of molecular tools and bioinformatics in selection programmes, as well as strategies for economic animal improvement, including animal breeding in developing countries. A special new activity will be a Meet the Breeder Programme.

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Important Deadline Dates: Paper submission: February 1, 2006 Early registration fee: April 15, 2006 Anyone may sign up at the website for email updates on the Congress. Information — Email: [email protected] Fax: +55-31-3494-6025. Website: www.wcgalp8. org.br 30th International Conference on Animal Genetics (ISAG) in Brazil The 30th International Conference on Animal Genetics (ISAG) will be held at Porto Seguro, Bahia State, Brazil from 20 to 25 August 2006. This is the first time the ISAG Conference will take place in a South American country, providing an opportunity to experience different cultures and to make new friends and partners. It will be a unique experience for scientists and students, opening the door to many different ecosystems, such as the Amazon Forest, the Atlantic Forest, the Cerrado (savannah), Pantanal (marshland) and Caatinga (arid lands). The venue — Porto Seguro in Bahia means bSafe HarbourQ. In April, 1500, the Portuguese navigator, ´ lvares Cabral, arrived at the coast (Porto Pedro A Seguro) and claimed formally the region for Portugal. Now, more than its historical importance, the city has also some of the most pleasant beaches, natural reserves and all the appropriate infrastructures. In August during the Brazilian btropical winterQ the Northeast Coast climate is always comfortable, with temperature ranging from 25 to 28 8C. Information: Secretariat, Brazilian College of Animal Reproduction, Bel Horizonte-MG Brazil Tel.: +55 (31) 4917122 Fax: +55 (31) 491-7025 Email: cbra@ cbra.org.br and [email protected] Website: www.cbra.org.br Future RBI International Conference, 2007 The next RBI International Conference will be held in Vietnam in 2007. For other information on RBI contact the Secretariat of RBI. Information: www. rbi.it

American Society of Animal Science 100th Anniversary Celebration Meeting — 2008 The American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) is planning a special celebration meeting in Indianapolis in 2008 in recognition of the formation of the Society a century earlier. Information: www.asas.org. IN MEMORIAM Dr. John Vercoe, Australia 1936–2005 Dr. John Vercoe, a leading animal scientist in Australia, recently died unexpectedly. He is wellknown for his scientific research work and for many stimulating activities in rural and regional Australia especially amongst beef breeders, their organizations, CSIRO and the Department of Primary Industry. His notable work on Genotype by Environmental Interactions with beef cattle on open grazing in Queensland brought international recognition and many visitors to the Tropical Beef Centre at Rockhampton in Queensland where he was Director for many years until his retirement in 1996. John Vercoe’s career as an animal science researcher began when he took his Ph. D. in ruminant nutrition under the supervision of Professor Derek Tribe at the University of Melbourne. After graduation in 1964 he spent a post-doctoral period at the Hannah Research Institute, Scotland with Sir Kenneth Blaxter before appointment as ruminant nutritionist at the CSIRO Rockhampton Research Station in 1966 to study breed differences in feed utilization and performance. He pioneered research by studying G x E Interactions in beef cattle at pasture. By making new discoveries he contributed significantly to the management and breeding of beef cattle and became known internationally. After retirement in 1996, John engaged in many international activities and was a consultant to a variety of organizations. From 2001 to 2004 he chaired the Board of Trustees for the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) which is a CGIAR Research Institute with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. John Vercoe was member of the Executive Council of CGIAR from 2002 to 2004 when he also chaired the

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Committee of Boards and Chairs of the CGIAR. He was also the Queensland Co-ordinator from 1996 to the present of the Crawford Fund, one of Australia’s key organizations for training agricultural scientists from developing countries in agricultural research. This was an area in which he excelled, provided great stimulus and gained deep personal satisfaction. The animal science community and the livestock industry in Australia and worldwide have lost a fine colleague whose enthusiasm and insights will be greatly missed. We extend our sadness to his wife, Jan and his family at this time. John Hodges Sir Richard Southwood, UK Sir Richard Southwood died on 26 October 2005 aged 74. He was an eminent entomologist and zoologist and a former Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. He was chairman of the UK Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the 1980s and prominent in identifying lead in the atmosphere which resulted in the adoption of lead-free petrol. He became most well-known as Chairman of the Working Party set up by the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1988 to advise on Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). This was two years after BSE was first identified in cattle and after thousands of such cattle had entered the human food chain. The Southwood Committee immediately recommended that any part of an animal suspected of having the disease should be excluded from the food chain which resulted in action in August 1988 for the compulsory slaughter and destruction of all cattle showing signs of BSE. However, in its report the following year the Committee stated that bit was most unlikely that BSE will have any implications for human healthQ. The report also condemned the bunnatural practiceQ of feeding sheep to cows and made a precautionary recommendation that the brains and offal of infected cattle be removed from the food chain. The government then banned he human consumption of certain parts of bovine offal. Later, a new enquiry found that the recommendations of the Southwood Report were wise but

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concluded that the Committee had given a false impression by failing to make it clear that bin describing the risk as remote, they were intending to indicate that steps should be made to reduce the riskQ. Sir Richard later expressed his disappointment that the politicians had not addressed the problem as seriously as his committee had expected and particularly that they were willing to pay only 50% of the market value for suspected BSE cases, thus tempting farmers to send sick animals to market. It is now clear that the Southwood Report was bcherry pickedQ by senior politicians and civil servants who wanted to put the best face on the BSE problem leading them to assert that eating beef was perfectly safe. They ignored the caveats in the Southwood Report that if the scientific assessments turned out to be wrong then the consequences could be extremely serious. As is now known, the scientific assessment was wrong and tragedy has ensued for both the cattle industry and for human health. Eventually the government ministers and senior civil servants had to admit that there is an almost certain link between BSE and vCJD and that the condition passes the species boundary when people eat affected beef. Although a mass epidemic thankfully did not occur, great suffering has been experienced by the victims of vCJD and their families. The Southwood Report has emerged as a warning to scientists to speak clearly on what they know with certainty, to be courageous by avoiding affirmation of ideas on which they do not have definitive evidence and valid, tested conclusions and to stand completely clear of mixing science with the spin of politics. Sir Richard Southwood was involved early in the 1960s in identifying and seeking to avert the dangers of environmental pollution and its effect upon natural resources. He forged a distinguished career in the field of ecological entomology and some of his papers, addresses and books are regarded as foundational in the field being frequently quoted and used by students. His last book, The Story of Life (1993), examines the development of life in all its forms from bacteria to the variety of biodiversity seen today. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1977 and knighted in 1984. John Hodges

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PERSONAL NEWS

NEWS FROM EAAP

Professor Jean Boyazoglu

EAAP Partner Organizations

The Agricultural University of Athens, Greece awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science to Professor Jean Boyazoglu on 25 November 2005 in recognition of his long and distinguished career of service to the international animal science community over many decades. The award is granted in recognition of his remarkable contributions to progress in the wider domain of animal science and more specifically on the discipline of animal breeding and genetics as well as the field of quality products. Following his award Professor Jean Boyazoglu delivered a key speech on the topic of ‘‘Why worry about farm animal biodiversity and its conservation’’. Christian Robert — new Director General of IDF Mr. Christian Robert has been appointed the new Director General of the International Dairy Federation that has its headquarters in Brussels. In taking up his post in October 2005, Mr. Robert said that IDF has unique strengths as an influential and valuable global player. Further there is an unprecedented interest in the organization whose membership continues to grow to 49 countries with Armenia and the recent cooperation with Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia through a collaborative agreement between the IDF and the Eastern and Southern African Dairy Association (ESADA). The membership now represents almost 80% of the world’s total milk production. The IDF seeks to respond to the changing global needs of the dairy industry and to bring together all players from farm to table. The strengths of the IDF are its technical expertise with a network of more than 1200 experts, the worldwide basis of its knowledge. IDF has effective links to the scientific community, to major international organizations and to all levels of the dairy chain. IDF has strong partnerships with Codex Alimentarius, ISO, FAO and OIE.

News on the partner organizations with EAAP may be found using links at the EAAP website: eaap.org These organizations include: International Committee on Animal Recording (ICAR) Interbull CIHEAM-IAMZ World Association of Animal Production (WAAP) Wageningen Academic Publishers British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) CIRVAL European Aquaculture Society International Embryo Transfer Society International Livestock Research Centre (ILRI) Elsevier Science European Regional Focal Points EUROPEAN NEWS CAB International Publishing CABI Publishing are pleased to announce the 2005 edition of the Animal Health and Production Compendium. The AHPC is an encyclopaedic, interactive database, which provides users with instant access to a wealth of information on animal health and production. It covers diseases, breeds, nutrition, husbandry and treatment of livestock and poultry. The AHPC provides the information needed to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases, select breeds and choose animal husbandry techniques. It also allows users to prepare reports and extension literature, study, advise others, compile, maps, graphs and tables, and perform statistical analyses. More details can be found at www.cabicompendium. org/ahpc For more information visit: www.cabicompendium. org/ahpc Access improved features, including instant free trials, online ordering, ToC Alerts, notes for authors and more at www.cabi-publishing.org. As a special offer CABI Publishing are offering a 20% discount on personal subscriptions to the CDROM version. Special offer price: o80 (normal price:

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o100). To obtain your EAAP discount simply quote reference JDJ20 when placing your order by phone, fax, or email. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8DE, UK Tel.: +44 1491 832111. Fax: +44 1491 829292. E-mail: [email protected]

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GMO research in greenhouses; assessing GMOs and the effects of introducing a GMO into the environment. See http://www.fao.org/sd/sdrr/biosafety/index_en.asp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact [email protected] with comments or to suggest an additional biosafety resource. 3) SADC animal genetic resources workshops

INTERNATIONAL NEWS FAO-Biotechnews Update for October 2005 The FAO Update on Biotechnology affecting livestock and food for October contains several items of interest for readers of LPS. 1) Public participation and GMOs — FAO e-conference summary document The summary document of the FAO e-mail conference entitled bPublic participation in decision-making regarding GMOs in developing countries: How to effectively involve rural peopleQ has now been published. The 12-page document provides a summary of the main issues discussed during this moderated e-mail conference, hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum from 17 January to 13 February 2005, based on the messages posted by 70 people from 35 different countries during the conference. The main topics discussed were if, and to what degree, the rural people of developing countries should participate in decisionmaking regarding GMOs; misinformation and the type and quality of information required by rural people; appropriate communication channels; costs of public participation; international agreements/guidelines; and scepticism about the public participation process. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/C12/summary.htm or contact: [email protected] to request a copy. 2) Updated biosafety resources website FAO’s Research and Technology Development Service (SDRR) has recently updated its Biosafety Resources website. The resources are classified into four groups: guidelines, manuals, reports and toolkits. The website aims to provide a broad choice of training resources on different biosafety issues, including recombinant DNA laboratory safety; biosafety and containment issues for

In 2001–2003, a series of four workshops on farm animal genetic resources was held in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), considering, among others, the topic of policies on biotechnology. A summary of these workshops, by I. Ko¨hler– Rollefson, entitled bFarm animal genetic resources: Safeguarding national assets for food security and tradeQ, has been published by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and FAO.See http://dad.fao.org/en/refer/library/ reports/FarmAnimalGeneticResources.pdf (1.13 MB) or contact [email protected] for more information. 4) The 60th General Assembly of the United Nations The 60th General Assembly of the United Nations started in September 2005 and is scheduled to discuss a total of 156 agenda items before midSeptember 2006. Item 52 (h) is on the Convention on Biological Diversity, for which document A/60/ 171 has been prepared, including a report by the Convention’s Secretariat on ongoing work regarding the Convention, including its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Item 54 (b) is on bScience and technology for developmentQ, for which document A/60/184 has been prepared, summarising work carried out by entities of the United Nations system in the area of biotechnology. See http://www.un.org/ga/60/second/ summaries.htm (documents available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) or contact [email protected] for more information. 5) UNU-IAS biotechnology reports As part of a series of biotechnology publications by the United Nations University’s Institute of Ad-

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vanced Studies (UNU-IAS), aimed at bproviding information on the challenges, opportunities, and risks of this expanding technology for sound decision- and policy-makingQ, a book and two reports by A. Sasson have now been released. The reports, entitled bIndustrial and environmental biotechnology: Achievements, prospects and perceptionsQ and bFood and nutrition biotechnology: Achievements, prospects and perceptionsQ, are freely available on the web. See http://www.ias.unu.edu/publications/details. cfm/articleID/703 or contact: [email protected] for more information. Subscription to the FAO BiotechNews The FAO-BiotechNews is sent to subscribers free by email regularly. If you wish to subscribe, send an email message to [email protected] leaving the subject blank and entering the one-line text message as follows: bsubscribe FAO-BiotechNews-LQ The service is also available in French. To subscribe, send an e-mail to [email protected] leaving the subject blank and entering the following one-line text message: subscribe FAO-BiotechNewsFr-L The Welcome Text that subscribers receive on joining the e-mail list, describing its aims and scope and how it works, is available at: http://www.fao.org/ biotech/Welcome-Fr.htm (in French) For the service in Spanish, do the same as for FAO-BiotechNews-Fr except the message should read: subscribe FAO-BiotechNews-Esp-L The Welcome Text is available at: http://www.fao.org/biotech/ Welcome-Esp.htm (in Spanish) The Russian language version is available. To subscribe do the same as for FAO-BiotechNews-Fr except the message should read: subscribe FAO-BiotechNews-Ru-L More information on FAO-BiotechNews-Ru is available at http://www.fao.org/biotech/fbn-ru.htm (in Russian). Dr. John Ruane, Coordinator of FAO-BiotechNews FAO, Rome, Italy E-mail: FAO-Biotech-News@ fao.org. FAO Biotechnology website http://www.fao.org/ biotech/index.asp (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish).

Milk Genes to Explain Health Benefits of Dairy Products The Annual Meeting of the International Dairy Federation met in Vancouver, Canada in September 2005 bringing together specialists in nutrition and genetics to discuss how the genetic material responsible for milk production could hold the key to understanding the nutritional benefits of milk. This discussion revolves around the notion that milk is the only product which is specifically designed to deliver nutrition and health to mammals having evolved over millions of years and providing ingredients that give infants a greater probability of surviving to reproduction age. Genes responsible for milk are being identified as the human genome is sequenced leading to a better understanding of the function of the different components in milk. Dr. Bruce German, from the Department of Food Science and Technology at University College, Davis, California said: bWhile previous research has confirmed the benefits of milk for infant health, we now find many examples of milk providing nutrients essential to lifelong health.Q He is Director of the Milk Genomics project now underway at UC Davis, which is co-ordinating scientific researchers around the world using the genomics of milk to study the benefits of milk in new ways. Scientists and organisations from the US, New Zealand, Australia, France, Ireland, Canada, Switzerland and the Netherlands are coming together to build databanks with information on genes responsible for milk looking by looking at gene action and products. It is possible that milk scientists could modify the composition of raw cow’s milk to add value based on the conclusions derived from genetic research. Dr. J. O’Donnell, of the California Dairy Research Foundation said: bSome early targets are to understand how milk contributes to weight maintenance, moderates blood pressure, supports health promoting, probiotic bacteria and prevents infectious diseases.Q Further information: www.idf2005.com or Marylene Tucci, IDF, Tel.: +32-2-706-86-44, Fax : +32-2-733-0413. E-mail: [email protected].

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FAO electronic conference Role of biotechnology for characterisation and conservation of crop, forest, animal and fishery genetic resources in developing countries The 13th FAO Electronic Conference was held on bThe role of biotechnology for the characterisation and conservation of crop, forestry, animal and fishery genetic resourcesQ. The eConference took place from 6 June to 3 July 2005. About 650 people subscribed and 127 messages were posted from people in 38 different countries. Over 60% of messages came from developing countries. Most focus was on molecular markers with much less emphasis on cryopreservation or in vitro culture. Discussions covered a wide range of issues relevant to crop, forest, animal and fishery genetic resources, such as the potential role or value that markers have for prioritising populations for conservation purposes or for characterising different populations; advantages and disadvantages of different marker systems; potential importance of DNA banks; international collaboration and capacity building; and low cost options for tissue culture. The messages are available at http://www.fao.org/biotech/ logs/c13logs.htm or can be requested as a single email (size 184 KB) from biotech-admin@ fao.org. The Summary Document is in preparation and will be available by the end of 2005. A background document was prepared before the Conference which is available at http://www.fao.org/biotech/C13doc.htm. Strategies to Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions on Dairy Farms The International Dairy Federation is searching for new strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions on dairy farms. The President, Jim Begg, said bWe are aware of dairy farming contributing to total greenhouse gas emissions and we are taking responsibility for our part in achieving the targets set out in the Kyoto protocol.Q The European Union announced that agriculture accounts for around 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. Within that figure, the main sources of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in Europe are: agricultural soils (48%), cattle digestive processes — known as enteric fermentation (32%), and manure management (20%). Dairy cows make up 7% of total EU livestock but produce one

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third of greenhouse gas emissions from enteric fermentation and one sixth of those from manure management. The IDF Conference heard that, in Canada, one of the most widely used strategies is to improve animal productivity through nutrition, management, reproduction or genetics. The argument runs that higher milk production per cow needs fewer cows for the same amount of milk thereby reducing the overall methane production. The dairy sector in Canada has reduced its methane emissions by 10% since 1990 by reducing the number of animals. A number of alternative methane mitigation strategies are currently being considered in academic and industry organisations, including immunisation and the use of feed additives like essential oils and probiotics to manipulate the enteric fermentation. Jim Begg said bWe hope to build greenhouse gas mitigation strategies into a wider program of best practice which will take into account of water run-off and utilisation of pesticides for crops and animal productions to become more in harmony with the environment.b Further information: www.idf2005.com or Marylene Tucci, IDF, Tel.: +32-2-706-86-44, Fax: +32-2733-04-13. E-mail: [email protected]. ILRI Resources on Animal Genetic Conservation The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has a series of publications related to the Economics of AnGR Conservation and Sustainable Use which are available free at the ILRI Website. The importance of the Economics of AnGR Conservation and Sustainable Use can be appreciated from the following extract from the Background Study Paper: bThe large number of animal genetic resources (AnGR) at risk in developing countries, together with the limited financial resources available for conservation, means that economic analysis can play an important role in ensuring an appropriate focus for conservation efforts. In this regard, important tasks include, inter alia: 1) determining the economic contribution that AnGR make to various societies;

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2) supporting the assessment of priorities through the identification of cost-effective measures that might be taken to conserve domestic animal diversity; and 3) assist in the design of economic incentives and institutional arrangements for the promotion of AnGR conservation by individual farmers or communities. bThe studies listed below reveal that not only is there a range of methodologies that can be used to value livestock-keeper breed/trait preferences, but that they can in fact be of use in designing policies that counter the present trend towards marginalisation of indigenous breeds. In particular, it becomes possible, inter alia, to: a) recognise the importance livestock keepers place on adaptive traits and non-income functions, and the need to consider these in breeding programme design; b) identify those breeds that are a priority for participation in cost-efficient diversity-maximising conservation programmes; and c) contrast the costs involved with the large benefits non-livestock keepers place on breed conservation. The challenge is to now raise awareness regarding the importance of the economics of AnGR, as well as to strengthen national capacities with regard to the application of related methodologies/decisionsupport tools and their integration into the wider national livestock development process. In this way, further economics of AnGR work can be applied in contexts where the results can be taken up so as to actively benefit livestock-keepers and support the work of national researchers and policy-makers.Q

2. An application of the use of safe minimum standards in the conservation of livestock biodiversity. Drucker A. Environment and Development Economics (in press). 3. Economic analysis of animal genetic resources and the use of rural appraisal methods: lessons from South-East Mexico. Drucker A.G. and Anderson S. International Journal of Sustainable Agriculture (in press) 4. Production objectives and management strategies of livestock-keepers in Southeast Kenya: implications for a breeding programme. Mwacharo, J. and Drucker, A. G Tropical Animal Health and Production (in press) 5. Putting the economic analysis of animal genetic resources into practice. Drucker A. In: CIPUPWARD. Participatory Research and Development for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management: a Source Book. Paper. 113. Los Banos, Laguna, The Philippines. (in press). 6. Economic valuation of animal genetic resources: importance and application. Drucker A. 2003. In: CIP-UPWARD. Conservation and Sustainable Use of Agrobiodiversity: a Source Book. Los Banos, Laguna, The Philippines. pp. 416–424. 7. Livestock breeds in traditional animal genetic resources management. Rege J.E.O. 2003. In: CIP-UPWARD. Conservation and Sustainable Use of Agrobiodiversity: a Source Book. Los Banos, Laguna, The Philippines. pp. 133–138. 8. In situ conservation of farm animal genetic resources. Rege J.E.O. 2003. In: CIP-UPWARD. Conservation and Sustainable Use of Agrobiodiversity: a Source Book. Los Banos, Laguna, The Philippines. pp. 434–438.

Documents available The following documents are available from ILRI on the Economics of AnGR Conservation and Sustainable and may be downloaded from the. ILRI Website. http://www.ilri.org/pageselflink.asp?pageid=263 and menuid=27 1. The economic valuation of farm animal genetic resources: a survey of available methods. Drucker A., Gomez V. and Anderson S. 2001. Ecological Economics 36:1–18.

Special Issue of Ecological Economics Special Issue on Animal Genetic Resources Volume 45, 3. June 2003. Contents are shown below. Articles may be downloaded from the website: http://www.ilri.org/pageselflink.asp?pageid=263 and menuid=27 ! Article 1: Drucker A. and Scarpa R. dIntroduction and overview to the Special Issue on Animal Genetic ResourcesT

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! Article 2: Rege J.E.O. and Gibson J.P. dAnimal genetic resources and economic development: issues in relation to economic valuationT ! Article 3: Anderson S. dAnimal genetic resources and sustainable livelihoodsT ! Article 4: Wollny C. dThe need to conserve farm animal genetic resources through community-based management in Africa: should policy makers be concerned?T ! Article 5: Gollin D. and Evenson R. dValuing animal genetic resources: lessons from plant genetic resourcesT ! Article 6: Tisdell C. dSocioeconomic causes of loss of animal diversity genetic: analysis and assessmentT ! Article 7: Simianer H., Marti S., Gibson J., Hanotte O. and Rege J.E.O. dAn approach to the optimal allocation of conservation funds to minimize loss of genetic diversity between livestock breedsT (Zipped, 176 K) ! Article 8: Tano K., Faminow M., Kamuanga M. and Swallow B. dUsing conjoint analysis to estimate farmers’ preferences for cattle traits in West AfricaT ! Article 9: Scarpa R., Kristjanson P., Ruto E., Radeny M., Drucker A. and Rege J.E.O. dValuing indigenous farm animal genetic resources in Africa: a comparison of stated and revealed preference estimatesT (pdf, 207 K) ! Article 10: Scarpa R., Drucker A., Anderson S., Ferraes-Ehuan N., Gomez V., Risopatron C. and Rubio-Leonel O. dValuing animal genetic resources in peasant economies: the case of the Box Keken Creole Pig in YucatanT (pdf, 184 K) ! Article 11: Cicia G., D’Ercole E. and Marino D. dValuing farm animal genetic resources by means of contingent valuation and a bio-economic model: the case of the Pentro horseT ! Article 12: Jabbar M. and Diedhiou M. dDoes breed matter to cattle farmers and buyers? Evidence from West AfricaT ! Article 13: Ayalew W., King J., Bruns E. and Rischkowsky B. dEconomic evaluation of smallholder subsistence livestock production: lessons from an Ethiopian goat development programT ! Article 14: Signorello G. and Pappalardo G. dDomestic animal biodiversity conservation: the case study of rural development plans in the European UnionT

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! Article 15: Mendelsohn R. dThe challenge of conserving indigenous domesticated animalsT Further information from: Adam Drucker. email: [email protected] Economics of Animal Genetic Resources Conservation Programme ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Tel.: +251-1-463215 x 192 Tel. via USA (for cheaper/better connection): +1-650833-6696 x 192 Fax: +251-1-461252/464645 Fax via USA (for cheaper/better connection): +1-650833-6697 ILRI Home Page: http://www.ilri.org/ Food and Agriculture Organization Agriculture and Food Statistics available on CD and on line FAOSTAT CD 2005. FAO Statistical Databases. Double CD, Multilingual (En/Fr/Es/Ar/Ch) ISBN 92-5-005333-9 AD/C/Y7272/Multi $600.00 FAOSTAT is a statistical database of FAO that currently contains more than three million timeseries records. FAOSTAT-ON LINE can be accessed on the FAO Web site at http://faostat.fao.org. This new, updated version of the FAOSTAT-CD incorporates statistical information as available on-line at the end of May 2005, covering more than 300 countries and territories and 3000 items in the following areas of agriculture, fisheries, forestry and nutrition: CD-ROM 1 Agricultural production (1961 to 2004) Agricultural production indices (1961 to 2004) Agriculture and food trade (1961 to 2003) Trade indices (1961 to 2003) Commodity balances (1961 to 2002) Food supply (1961 to 2002) Food balance sheets (1961 to 2002) Producer prices (1961 to 2002) Land (1961 to 2002) Means of production (1961 to 2003) Population (1961 to 2003 + projections to 2050)

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CD-ROM 2 Food aid (WFP) (1970 to 2003) Exports of cereals by source and destination (1980 to 2002) Fishery data (1961 to 2001) Fish production (1950 to 2002) Forestry data (1961 to 2003) Forestry trade flow (1997 to 2002) CODEX ALIMENTARIUS: Pesticide residues in food CODEX ALIMENTARIUS: Veterinary drug residues in food System requirements: Windows (98/NT/2000/XP); minimum: Pentium PC, 128 MB RAM; recommended: 512 MB RAM or better. Browser: Internet Explorer (version 5 and above), Netscape (version 6.2 and above) and Mozilla 1.x (http://www.mozilla.org/). PDF files should be compatible with: AdobeR ReaderR (Version 4 or later) (PDF 1.3). The HTML version of FAO-Bookinfo is also available on-line for you at: http://www.fao.org/catalog/bullettin/last.htm E-mail: [email protected] REPORTS OF MEETINGS, WORKING GROUPS AND TASK FORCES Round Table EAAP Annual Meeting, Uppsala, June 2005 bEthical values and economic goals: conflicts or complementarities in animal production?Q The Round Table, held in the main Conference Hall of the Agricultural University of Uppsala, was the 5th of the series initiated in The Hague in 2000. The purpose of this annual EAAP activity is to create a place for discussion about the socio-economic and political issues of animal production today. For the Uppsala Round Table, the topic was the possible conflicts or complementarities between bEthical values and economic goalsQ. In fact, the discussion largely focussed on animal welfare. Most farmers in our industrialised countries feel misunderstood by the major part of the society. Basically, they consider they succeed in meeting what they believe to be social expectations through a high

degree of technical competence resulting in high productivity of their livestock. However, having access to abundant and low price food products, people are now claiming other values and qualities. Particularly society rejects all possibility of risk in food safety and directs new attention to the management systems for animals. They ask farmers to give them guarantees on animal welfare. This is a crucial key for understanding the distrust of consumers and the current distortions between society’s perceptions and the realty of the farmers. Several issues were discussed around this statement during the Round Table. Firstly, it was pointed out that respect for good animal welfare can be seen as a positive signal that the farmers send to society that they are on the same wavelength share common values. But it is not sufficient: farmers have to be convinced that a signal is not enough but in fact they must have the same objectives as citizens without waiting for supplementary economic income. It was said that it is a question of personal responsibility. But a controversial issue could also be developed over the criteria used for the indices showing whether animals are really bhappyQ. For instance, in The Netherlands, it is said that the biconQ of happy animals is open air pasture. But, it is not clear that animals are always bhappyQ in outside conditions. Are we sure that it should not be the contrary? Another point which mobilised the panel relates to the consequences of market globalisation on animal welfare. Is it not possible that there are really conflicts between ethical values and economic goals? Finally, a wide-ranging discussion took place between members of the panel and the audience who were actively involved, particularly about the relationship between animal welfare and breeding goals. This type of discussion raises new types of questions about the responsibility of the players in the animal food chain in addition to the scientists, farmers and politicians. This Round Table was conceived by Jan Philipsson, Swedish Livestock University, and managed by Peter Sylwan, Science Journalist and Animal Production Specialist, Institute of Communication, University of Lund (Sweden), with the participation of: Dr. Unni Kjaernes, Sociologist, The National Institute for Consumer Research (Norway), Dr. Pieter Knap, Chief Geneticist of The Pig Improvement Company, (The Netherlands), Dr. Frans Stafleu, Veterinarian, The

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Ethics Institute of Utrecht University (The Nether˚ hnberg, Independent Consullands), Mrs. Annika A tant, previously Swedish Minister of Agriculture. The previous EAAP Round Tables have been: 1. bChain competence: knowledge in agri-supply chainsQ, The Hague, 2000. 2. bThe future of the livestock sector in the light of the recent crises in EuropeQ, Budapest, 2001. 3. bGlobalisation and the animal sector: who benefits?Q, Cairo, 2002. 4. bChanging consumers. . . changing animal production?Q, Rome, 2003. 5. bEuropeanization of the animal agriculture: opportunities and menacesQ, Bled, 2004. Proceedings of Round Tables The Proceedings of these EAAP Round Tables are available (in English with French translation) on the website of EAAP www.eaap.org and on the website of Mission Agrobiosciences. On the latter there is also access to other debates about agriculture, food and life technologies (in French). www.agrobiosciences.org Jean-Claude Flamant, Mission Agrobiosciences, Toulouse Email: [email protected] FAO/IAEA International Symposium on Applications of Gene-Based Technologies for Improving Animal Production and Health in Developing Countries, Vienna, Austria, October 2003

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effectively utilized gene-based methods. The contrasts between the resources available to developing and developed countries were clearly evident. However, even in technologically advanced countries, there are relatively few examples of novel biotechnological products that can demonstrate key advantages to people and communities. That is not to say that the potential of gene-based technologies was understated, only that tangible proof of practical use was lacking. The main problem seemed to be one of ensuring largescale, sustained funding of such technologies in the livestock arena. It did, however, become clear that less-developed countries might benefit even more than developed countries from advances in genetic research. Nevertheless, a concerted effort is needed to understand real needs and to make adjustments for the longer developmental time scales needed. It is clear that genetic analyses are already well established, or at least readily achievable in most developing countries, although genomic analysis still rests with a few specialized centres in the developed world. The scientific information presented at this symposium was of a nature that elicited much excitement regarding the potential applications for gene-based technologies, particularly in those field that have matured more, notably in animal disease diagnostics and therapeutics, rather than in animal production. Developing countries could thus acquire more economic benefits in the short term by focusing research and development work on animal health. In the area of animal production, benefits are more likely to accrue in the medium to long term. The timing of the Symposium was opportune in the face of various recent disease epidemics and the continuing debate on the blivestock revolutionQ that is expected to address global food requirements and influence trading patterns.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Research aimed at improving animal production and health has been revolutionized by recent developments in biotechnology, particularly those involving gene-based technologies. The underlying theme of this Symposium was the exploitation of gene based technologies for use in the livestock sector in developing countries. In this regard, consideration was also given to inherent problems in developing countries, given their weak research base and lack of training, which in turn limits their ability to

1.1 Animal production 1. The genetic manipulation of grain crops and tropical forages to increase the efficiency of nutrient availability to animals and to decrease phosphorus and nitrogen emission into the environment offers considerable potential in increasing livestock productivity while protecting the environment. This could be achieved through molecular manipulation, transgenesis, and site-directed or conventional mutation breeding.

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2. International and national bodies should further promote the use of quantitative methods for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and oligonucleotide probe-based analysis for reducing methane, countering the effects of antinutritional factors, monitoring gut pathogens associated with food safety, improving utilization of feed resources, and in identifying new pro- and pre-biotics and antibiotic substitutes for addition to feeds in developing countries. 3. The practical applications of genomic studies on rumen microbes are currently unpredictable, but could involve industrial reproduction of key lignocellulytic enzymes for pretreatment of fibrous residues. Rumen genomic studies might provide insight into the nutrient requirements of these organisms and this knowledge could be employed in practical feeding strategies. Because of present uncertainties and the high cost of genomic research, developing countries should preferably not initiate such studies, but should rather direct resources to enhancing capacity in the area of bio-informatics, since sequence information will become publicly available. 4. In developing countries, the use of genotype information is likely to be more useful in marker-assisted introgression than in selection within breeds. Introgression of a single mutated gene is relatively easy and holds promise for livestock improvement in developing countries and should thus be targeted. Some single-gene mutations are known and information on many more is likely to become available in the near future. A model for introgression is the Booroola gene of the Garole breed, as demonstrated in India that could be replicated in other countries. 5. Locally adapted breeds should be characterized for nutritional resilience, behaviour, metabolic rates, energy expenditure, muscle and bone structure, feed conversion efficiencies, female reproductive performance and lactation, protein turnover, mobilization of energy for lactation, etc. In low-input systems in developing countries, complete phenotypic and pedigree information is often not available except in some intensive breeding

units. The real value of marker information will thus be under-utilized. A proper recording system must also be in place if the full potential of marker-assisted selection for breed improvement is to be utilized. 6. If transgenic animals were to gain acceptance in developing countries, then gene constructs and transgenic technology should be used to modify locally adapted breeds rather than introducing elite transgenic breeds from developed countries. It should be noted that transgenesis is unlikely to be successful for genes encoding traits governed by gene networks, although it is feasible, and should be pursued in the case of single-gene traits. 1.2 Animal health 1. The increasing demand for and trade in animals and animal products is fuelling a livestock revolution in developing countries and posing increased health problems, to both animals and man. Gene-based technologies are playing an increasingly important role in addressing such problems. 2. Major advances have been made in elucidating host-pathogen interactions, diagnosis, molecular epidemiology and predictive epidemiology of veterinary diseases, as well as in vaccine production, through the exploitation of gene-based technologies. Major progress has also been made in the sequencing of animal genomes. 3. Different solutions are required to solve problems of animal health and food safety in developed versus less-developed countries. For the latter, more appropriate exploitation of gene-based technologies could be identified. Developed countries tend to regard developing countries as sources of disease and a threat. There is also a large differential in the attitudes towards various diseases according to the state of economic development. The prospect for increased trade is a major factor in promoting gene-based methods and research in developing countries. More appropriate targeting of research by developed countries is needed to help produce more relevant vaccines and diagnostic methods for transfer to developing countries.

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4. Training is an essential pre-requisite to allow pure and applied research, and, by extension, to produce appropriate reagents, therapeutics and vaccines to deal with problems peculiar to developing countries. 5. Molecular tools such as PCR and microarrays have driven developments, particularly within the fields of disease diagnosis and control. Molecular epidemiology based on sequence comparisons is now commonplace, as also are real-time and forensic analyses of diseases and pathogens. 6. Gene-based technologies allow for more direct, non-invasive diagnostic methodologies within a short time frame. An increasing number of faster and more sophisticated molecular diagnostic techniques based on PCR are available for the detection of cellular and viral pathogens. Sensitive and specific techniques will be more readily usable at the site of infection, but the challenge remains of ensuring validation to ascertain true diagnostic sensitivities. Care is needed to ensure that existing serological tests remain in use in tandem with molecular methods. 7. Gene-based technologies have already made a major impact on animal vaccinology. As an illustration, widespread studies are in progress on the use of naked DNA vaccination. For control programmes, it is important that newly designed vaccines include markers to distinguish vaccinated from infected animals. The concept was first tested using DNA viruses whose genomes could easily be manipulated using molecular techniques. Reverse genetics of viral pathogens can provide new immunogenic constructs that act as marker vaccines for many RNA viruses. The development of vaccines against invertebrate disease vectors so as to directly attack the source of the transmission and spread of many important human and veterinary pathogens, offers exciting possibilities. Major constraints on vaccine development occur where there is a high rate of mutation and selection of pathogens, requiring the availability of multivalent vaccines. The physical and environmental stability of such vaccines must also be assured.

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1.3 Education, intellectual property rights, ethics, biosafety and related aspects 1. Technologies and expertise should be transferred to developing countries through capacity building programmes whose aims and focus are driven by the countries themselves. Appropriate modalities for achieving this must be determined. Equally important institutional strengthening for strategic planning, priority setting and policy development for identification of appropriate gene-based technologies and their applications. Regional and subregional approaches should be used to enhance cooperation, capacity building and sharing of knowledge. 2. Establishing and strengthening the networking groups in developing countries for research and development work in bmodern biotechnologyQ and application of gene-based technologies will provide the necessary impetus to address the emerging challenges for enhancing animal productivity and health. Increased contact between academics and industry is essential, and is one of the main prerequisites to becoming more competitive in biotechnology. Initiatives to stimulate such interactions should be encouraged and actively supported. 3. There is an urgent need to involve industry in the commercialization of research products, especially in the early stages where venture capital plays an important part in the developed world. 4. Intellectual property rights (IPR) and the use of patented products and procedures are important issues to consider with any application of genomic-based procedures worldwide, including in developing countries. There is a need for the international research community to coordinate their activities efficiently in order to address of IPR — issues that have often limited collaboration among public and private institutions. 5. Issues of ethics and biosafety need to be addressed at the institutional and national levels, but harmonization should be at intergovernmental or international levels.

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6. Gene-based technologies are unlikely to have an impact if applied in isolation. Programmes that work to understand and improve the full socio-economic system of animal production and marketing are more likely to succeed than those that deal with individual components of the system. 7. International funding agencies should assist and support countries to ensure that gene-based technologies are deployed within the framework of national aspirations. BOOK REVIEWS Likelihood, Bayesian and MCMC Methods in Quantitative Genetics. (2002). Daniel Sorensen and Daniel Gianola. A book in the series: Statistics for Biology and Health, Eds: K. Dietz, M.Gail, K. Krickenberg et al. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany. HB. ISBN 0-387-95440-6. 740 pp. Euro 89.95. Over the last ten years the introduction of computer intensive statistical methods has opened new horizons concerning the probability models that can be fitted to genetic data, the scale of the problems that can be tackled and the nature of the questions that can be posed. In particular, the application of Bayesian and likelihood methods to statistical genetics has been facilitated enormously by these methods. Techniques generally referred to as Markov Chain, Monte Carlo (MCNC) have played a major role in this process, stimulating synergies among scientists in different fields, such as mathematicians, probabilists, statisticians, computer scientists and statistical geneticists. Specifically, the MCMC brevolutionQ has made a deep impact in quantitative genetics. This can be seen, for example, in the vast numbers of papers dealing with complex hierarchical models and models for detection genes affecting quantitative or meristic traits in plants, animals and humans that have been published recently. This book, suitable for numerate biologists and for applied statisticians, provides the foundation of likelihood, Bayesian and MCMC methods in the context of genetic analysis of quantitative traits. Most students in biology and agriculture lack the formal background needed to learn these modern biometrical techniques.

Although a number of excellent texts in these areas have become available in recent years, the basic ideas and tools are typically described in a technically demanding style and have been written by and addressed to professional statisticians. For this reason, considerable more detail is offered than what may be warranted for a more mathematically apt audience. The book is divided into four parts. Part I gives a review of probability and distribution theory. Parts II and III present methods of inference and MCMC methods. Part IV discusses several models that can be applied in quantitative genetics primarily from a Bayesian perspective. Small-scale Poultry Production. FAO Technical Guide. Animal Production and Health Manual No. 1 Rome, 2004, 124 pp. ISBN 92-5-105082-1 ISSN 1810-1119 $26.00 This technical guide promotes sustainable smallscale, family-based poultry production. It gives a comprehensive review of all aspects of small-scale poultry production in developing countries and includes sections on feeding and nutrition, housing, general husbandry and flocks health. Regional differences in health practices are also described. The guide provides the technical and scientific bbuilding blocksQ needed to develop sustainable programmes for smallscale poultry production. It will be of practical value to those keeping or planning to keep poultry and as a valuable technical reference for poultry specialists, researchers, students and those interested in broader rural development issues. FAO Statistical Yearbook 2004. Vol. 1/1. Rome, 2004, 346 pp. + mini CD-ROM, Multilingual (En/ Fr/Es/Ar/Ch) ISBN 92-5-005151-4. ISSN 18120571. $90.00 The bFAO Statistical YearbookQ marks an important transition for FAO under its responsibility for regularly monitoring the global performance of food and agriculture and disseminating relevant information to policy-makers as well as other users. The yearbook consolidates and replaces four FAO publications: the FAO Bulletin of Statistics and the FAO Production, Trade, and Fertiliser Yearbooks. This streamlining prepares the ground for further enhancements and changes in form, content, and delivery of statistical

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outputs planned for future years. The aims are an enhanced statistical database, a modernized FAOSTAT interface and greater harmony between paper and electronic products. The bFAO Statistical YearbookQ will be published annually in two separate issues: the first providing data by topic for all countries and the second providing data for each country covering all topics. As with FAO’s earlier statistical publications, the bFAO Statistical YearbookQ will be based on data submitted by member countries in response to standard questionnaires, supplemented by reviews of national sources. The Introduction offers additional background information on technical matters, outlines the content of the yearbook, and explains its relationship to other FAO data sources. The bFAO Statistical YearbookQ is accompanied by the mini CD-ROM Abridged FAOSTAT CD 2004Q, which includes more extensive and detailed, as well as historical, information than that summarized in the yearbook. The HTML version of FAO-Bookinfo is also available on-line for you at http://www.fao.org/ catalog/bullettin/last.htm E-mail: [email protected] TRAINING COURSES CIHEAM/IAMZ Courses, Mediterranean The following courses are offered by CIHEAM and IAMZ. Information: Instituto Agrono´mico Mediterra´neo de Zaragoza, Apartado 202-50080 Zaragoza, Spain. Tel.: +34-976-716000. Fax: +34-976-716001. E-mail: [email protected] Web: http:// www.iamz.ciheam.org Email: [email protected]. org Environmental Indicators as a Tool for Sustainable Rural Management will be held from 8 to 12 May 2006 at Zaragoza, Spain. Mediterranean Aquaculture and Environmental Management will be held from 24 to 28 April 2006 in Murcia, Spain. Barneveld College, The Netherlands All courses include theory and practical aspects of management and technical operations, with study visits and are suited to beginners and mid-career

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specialists in production, extension and management. Information: Dept. International Studies, PO Box 64, 3770 AB Barneveld, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31-342-414881. Fax: +31-342-492813. E-mail: [email protected]. Short courses at Barneveld College Courses will be held at various dates through 2006 in the following topics: ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Modern Broiler Management Modern Hatchery Management Modern Breeder Management Modern Pig Farm Management Feed Formulation Practical Feed Production Combination Feed Formulation and Practical Feed Production

CALENDAR OF SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES JANUARY 2006 Berlin Green Week Conference on Perspectives of Beef Production with Suckler Cows under Extensive Conditions. This Conference of the German Beef Cattle Breeders and Producers, Bonn, will be held in Berlin as a part of the Green Week celebration from 13 to 15 January 2006. Information: EAAP Website: www.eaap.org. APRIL 2006 International Conference on Livestock Services Enhancing Rural Development This International Conference on Livestock Services Enhancing Rural Development will be held in Beijing, PR. China from 16 to 22 April 2006. Information: Dr. Gong Xifeng or Dr. Liu Yukun, Department of international Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Fax: 86+10+62174060 Tel.: 86+10+ 62185242 Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Further details also available at EAAP Website: www.eaap.org.

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MAY 2006 Beef 2006 Australia’s National Beef Exposition will be held from 1 to 6 May 2006 at Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. www.beefaustralia.org. 10th Symposium on Digestive Physiology in Pigs (which is held every three years under the auspices of the European Association of Animal Production Commission on Pig Production) will be held in Denmark in May 2006. Information: J.A. Ferna´ndez: [email protected]. Web: www.dpp2006.dk. Joint Organic Congress will hold a Workshop from 30 to 31 May 2006 in Odense, Denmark. Information: EU-AgriNet from: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/agriculture/index_ en.html. JUNE 2006 35th Congress of ICAR and INTERBULL will be held from 5 to 10 June 2006 in the city of Kuopio, Finland. Information: www.proagria.fi/icar2006. Email: [email protected]. The 3rd European Workshop of Equine Nutrition entitled bNutrition and Feeding of the Brood MareQ will be held under the umbrella of the EAAP Horse Commission on 20 to 22 June 2006 at the University del Molise in Campobasso, Italy. Information: Prof. Nicoletta Miraglia Email [email protected]. Website: www.unimol.it. 6th Congress of the European Society for Agriculture and Food Ethics will be held from 21 to 24 June 2006 in Oslo, Norway. Information: www.eursafe.org Paradigms in Pig Science. A Nottingham University Conference will be held in June 2006. Information: [email protected].

13 to 19 August 2006 at Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Information Email: [email protected] Fax: +55-31-3494-6025. Website: www.wcgalp8.org.br. SEPTEMBER 2006 XII European Poultry Conference will be held in Verona, Italy from 10 to 14 September 2006. Information: Email: [email protected] www.epc2006.it. 57th EAAP Annual Meeting will be held from 17 to 20 September in Antalya, Turkey. President: Professor S. Metin Yener. Information: Saltur Tourism and Travel Agency, Tel.: +90-312-418-83-00. Fax: +90312-425-71-37. Email: [email protected]. OCTOBER 2006 Eubiosis in the digestive tract for healthy animals — relevance for man. A Workshop will be held in Switzerland from 8 to 13 October 2006. Information: Caspar Wenk, Animal Sciences, ETH Zentrum/LFW B 57, 8092 Zu¨rich, Switzerland Email: [email protected]. SEPTEMBER 2007 58th EAAP Annual Meeting will be held from 26 to 29 August 2007 in Dublin, Ireland. Information: www.eaap2007.ie. Information on Dublin city: www. dublin.ie. 2007 7th International Conference of Rare Breeds International will be held in Vietnam in 2007. Information: www.rbi.it.

JULY 2006

AUGUST 2008

The annual meeting of the ASAS will be held in Minneapolis from 9–13 July 2006. Information: www.asas.org.

XXIII World Poultry Conference will be held from 10 to 15 August 2008 in Brisbane, Australia. Email: [email protected] http://www.wpsa.info. 2008: 59th EAAP Annual Meeting will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania. 2009 and later EAAP Annual Meetings: Requests have been received from Greece, Spain, Slovakia and France.

AUGUST 2006 8th World Conference of Genetics applied to Animal Production (8WCGALP) will be held from