- Email: [email protected]
For Livestock Science
Livestock Science 111 (2007) 270 – 274 www.elsevier.com/locate/livsci
Book reviews For Livestock Science Whittemore's Science and Practice of Pig Production, Eds: Ilias Kyriazakis and Colin T. Whittemore, 2005, Blackwell Publishing, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, 685 pages It is inevitable that the 3rd edition of this book would include contributions from several authors rather than remain a single-authored book. As Colin Whittemore himself acknowledges, no single author – even one of his stature – is completely capable of writing an authoritative text of such breadth and depth. Nevertheless it is still very much a Whittemore book, with most of the chapters being authored or co-authored by him. It is a moot point as to whether encyclopaedic-type books are preferable to specialized texts dealing with specific areas of the pig (or animal) production area. The advantage of the former is that such books provide a comprehensive approach to production. A disadvantage is that rapid progress in one area of production can necessitate a revision of the entire text. The book covers both the science and practice of pig production. It extends theory into practice and provides scenarios that are likely to fit most practical situations. This is an excellent approach in demonstrating the application of established scientific principles at the farm level. In 20 chapters it covers pig meat and carcass quality; growth and body composition changes; reproduction; behaviour and welfare; genetic selection; health; nutrition and feeding; diet formulation; product marketing; environmental management; production monitoring; simulation modelling; and conclusions. There are small sections on extensive and organic production, no doubt a reflection of the main emphasis being on conventional production systems used in northern Europe. The text displays a distinct pragmatic approach throughout, for instance in relation to the more contentious procedures such as teeth-clipping that are employed on pig production units. The book has an attractive presentation with a nice layout and is illustrated throughout with tables, figures and many photographs. It is likely to be used extensively doi:10.1016/j.livsci.2007.05.011
at the university and college level and by researchers and advisory personnel. Producers with the requisite background and training will also find the book a valuable resource. Users of the book are no doubt assumed to be familiar with the literature used as the basis for the chapters, since no references are provided. It would be very useful in future revisions to at least provide key references to literature sources. For instance, gastric ulceration is dealt with very briefly on pages 291 and 437. Reference sources would greatly assist readers wishing to deal with this problem in a production unit. As the book points out, most pig production enterprises worldwide are under-achieving. The stated objective of the book is to improve the efficiency of pig production worldwide. Application of the knowledge outlined in this new edition should help greatly to achieve that objective. Dr. Robert Blair, Professor Emeritus Department of Animal Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. E-mail address: [email protected]. Animal Bioethics: Principles and Teaching Methods, 2005, Eds: M. Marie, S. Edwards, G. Gandini, M. Reiss and E. von Borell, Wageningen Academic Publishers, 6700 AE Wageningen, The Netherlands, ISBN 9076998582, pp 360, paperback, Euro 49 This book originates as a European Network activity on teaching animal bioethics. The content of the book can roughly be divided into three parts: (bio)ethical theories and backgrounds; practical aspects of improving farm animal welfare; and teaching of animal ethics and animal welfare. The first part presents the main ethical theories and concepts regarding animal ethics, related motivations, values and beliefs in their historical, present and future dimensions starting with the foundations of different ethical theories and moral attitudes towards animals. The historical development of how humans see animals is presented and
Book reviews
includes the issues of continuity versus dissimilarities; the role of Western Judeo–Christian religion and tradition in our relationship to animals and animal ethics; and a more general view on Western values and recent developments with respect to (farm) animals. Then the main contemporary theories of bioethics (e.g. zoo-centric, anthropcentric) are discussed as well as their different interpretations (e.g. utilitarian or deontological) including one chapter dedicated to the concept of animal integrity. In the second part, possibilities for improvement of farm animal welfare and potential difficulties are discussed from three different perspectives: the role of the stockperson–animal interaction for welfare; the potential and role of different associations (consumer– producer associations, animal and environmental protections associations) to assist improvements in farm animal welfare; and a comprehensive analysis of obstacles and possibilities to enhance welfare-friendly husbandry systems in politics, market and society. The next chapter leads into the last part of the book and deals with the content of biology and animal production manuals. It covers ethical considerations only rarely but mostly presents an instrumental viewpoint of animals and the influence of this upon the attitudes of professional scientists. Then follows a discussion on the necessity of including ethics in the curricula of biology, agricultural and veterinary students. The objectives and the theoretical basis for teaching ethics are discussed, for example, by including psychological theories of moral behaviour. Finally, several chapters deal with practical examples of existing courses on ethics and/or animal welfare and with different approaches to teaching these topics. The different authors and chapters of the book give a broad, comprehensive view on relevant aspects when teaching animal bioethics, with emphasis on farm animals. Besides this, the strength of this book especially lies in the practical parts, the discussion of teaching methods as well as the advantages and disadvantages of welfare friendly farms. The presentation of different courses and approaches is especially valuable for stimulating enthusiasm on how to include bioethics in curricula. Consequently, the book is particularly helpful for people teaching or starting to teach animal ethics. But, it also gives interesting information to others who are involved in ethical decision making or practical implementation. In addition to the ethical frameworks, the book presents approaches for structured ethical reasoning and examples of real case analysis. Critics, however, may refer to the partly satisfactory coordination or structuring of chapters for content and consistency. It would have been especially valuable to find
271
a short but comprehensive overview of ethical theories and animal welfare concepts including clear definitions of the key terms right at the beginning. This overview of concepts would have been valuable to guide the reader who is starting to deal with animal bioethics. It would also have provided some consistency among authors. In sum, however, this book can fully be recommended for all interested in animal bioethics but, especially for teachers of bioethics in veterinary, agricultural and biological sciences. Prof. Dr. Susanne Waiblinger Institute of Animal Husbandry and Welfare, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Science University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria. E-mail address: [email protected]. Changing European farming systems for a better future: New visions for rural areas, Eds: Hans Langeveld and Niels Raling, 2006, Wageningen Academic Publishers, 480 pages, Hardbound, ISBN: 9086860028, Euros 80 or US$ 107 This book consists of papers prepared for the 7th European IPSA Symposium: “New visions for rural areas: Changing European farming systems for a better future”. The papers are divided into six sections. The first section “learning as a process” describes learning in a multi-stakeholder environment. Several examples of joint learning processes are described and explained with theories about communication, multistakeholder participation and roles of farmers, experts and politicians. This section refers specifically to the new roles of experts and scientists. Personally I liked the contributions in which the theoretical background was related to case-studies. The second section “Agriculture, land use and sustainable development” is a mixed section in which the connection among the different papers seems to be the different ways in which sustainable development can be approached. Several interesting cases about agriculture and its context are described, for example the case-study of the Douro-Duero valley and the contribution of smallscale production to revitalization of the local economy. The third section “The future of farming” focuses on farm level and discusses what makes farming change at EU and national levels, describes scenarios of evolution and multifunctional farming. Several case-studies show the diversity of farmers and farming systems and the importance of paying attention to this diversity. Although
272
Book reviews
the section had a promising title it was the less innovative and interesting section of the book. The fourth section “Agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS) in transition” shows that innovation depends nowadays on the collaboration in a network of interdependent societal actors. This “new” innovation leads to new roles for research, extension and education and new methodologies and approaches. Papers in this section describe, analyze and compare current developments in AKIS. At first the section seemed to be more specifically written for extension workers and social scientists, but several cases are relevant for all readers: researchers, industries, farmers, extension services etc. The fifth section “Management of natural resources” describes tools with which natural resources can be managed: GIS, models etc. But all tools are developed in cooperation with local stakeholders, e.g. farmers, citizens, and interest organizations. Knowledge exchange and dissemination about natural resources, like “landscape” and “biodiversity” are key themes. The final short section “perspectives for participative systems oriented research” could be filled with articles from other sections of this book. It confirms the applicability and usefulness of participative methods to tackle problems to multifunctional agriculture in current contexts. In general the book gives a lot of interesting case-studies from all over the world, in which mostly multi-stakeholder processes of change in agriculture are described and or analyzed. Examples from most agricultural sectors can be found in the book, however most methods/approaches can be transferred to other agricultural sectors. A drawback of this book is that the distribution of the papers over the different sections seems to be completely illogical. To find again interesting papers you need to make good notes. It is also a book that contains all papers and posters from a conference, which makes it an inconsistent book with papers of different qualities, so a bit difficult to read. Several case-studies, however, which combine data with theory are really interesting to read for those working in multi-disciplinary teams or working in multi-stakeholder environment; in other words for those that focus on innovation and changes in agriculture. As I am a scientist educated in “technical sciences” with an interest in participative approaches and multi-stakeholder processes I learned a lot from the book. Dr Ir C. H.A.M. (Karen) Eilers Lecturer and Study Advisor in the Animal Production Systems Group, Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. E-mail address: [email protected].
The Yak, 2nd Edition, 2003, G. Wiener, H. Jianlin and L, Ruijin, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand, RAP Publication 2003/ 06, ISBN 92-5-104965-3, 457 pages, softback The yak is essentially an Asian animal, but until relatively recently, not very much was known about its biological attributes, husbandry and potential importance. Its existence mainly in the “ roof of the world “ in Quighai– Tibetan Plateau , adaptation and performance to very harsh and difficult rangeland conditions are quite unique, as also the close links to man. These and other aspects are therefore worthy of documentation and dissemination, to extend knowledge on the broader understanding of the available genetic resources. This publication thus provides very valuable information and insights on various aspects of the yak in Asia and elsewhere. The writing of this book has its origins in the dedicated efforts of the late Professor Cai Li from Sichuan Province in China. With the assistance of his colleagues, students and co-workers, he spent an entire lifetime observing, recording and understanding the characteristics, attributes and role of the yak in the economy of the mountainous regions of Central Asia. These writings in Chinese were the primary source of information, which together with other publications in Russian — the traditional publications for yak publications, were translated into English and provided the bulk of the information for this book. Authors of scientific publications and books will appreciate the extra arduous tasks associated with the translations, identification, checking, collation, interpretation and reporting of the data, and the authors of this book need to be congratulated for their considerable efforts to make the information available. The book is organised into 16 chapters: Origins; Domestication and distribution; Breeds; Breeding, crossbreeding and hybridization; The yak in relation to its environment; Reproduction; Production characteristics; Performance of hybrids of yak with Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle; Management; Diseases; Products from yak and their utilisation; Yak in different areas and countries of the world; Social, cultural and economic context for yak production; Alpine rangeland ecosystems and their management in the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau; Yak nutrition—a scientific basis; Molecular and cytogenetics in yak—a scientific basis and evidence for phylogeny; and Concluding thoughts—a perspective from a distance. Two elements that have been given additional emphasis in this book are the cultural and social context of the ownership of yaks, and the science
Book reviews
of yak production. Chapter 11, the longest in this book, deals with the yak in different environments — part one involving six provinces in China, part two with reference to western Asia, and part three concerning north America and Europe. One subject that surprisingly has not been directly discussed concerns yak production systems — objectives, types, resources used environment, responses and socio-economic benefits. Some elements of these do however appear in other chapters. The last chapter on concluding thoughts provides some insights into research gaps, emerging trends and prospects. Each chapter has an introductory overview, and also a list of pertinent references. There is also a useful subject index. The book brings together current information and a wealth of knowledge on the various aspects concerned with the yak. It will be of special appeal to all those concerned with yak production, and others interested in animal production. The sole purpose of this book as stated by the authors was to contribute to knowledge and understanding of the yak and yak keeping — this publication has achieved this objective admirably. Dr. C. Devendra Consulting Tropical Animal Production Specialist, Kuala Lumpa, Malaysia. E-mail address: [email protected]. Publications of Interest State of Food and Agriculture 2006: Food aid for food security? FAO Agriculture Series No. 37 Rome, 2006, 180 pp. + mini CD-ROM, ISBN 978-92-5105600-4, ISSN 0081-4539, TC/P/A0800/E $65.00 The State of Food and Agriculture 2006 examines the issues and controversies surrounding international food aid and seeks to find ways to preserve its essential humanitarian role while minimizing the possibility of harmful secondary impacts. Food aid has rightly been credited with saving millions of lives; indeed, it is often the only thing standing between vulnerable people and death. Yet food aid is sharply criticized as a donordriven response that creates dependency on the part of recipients and undermines local agricultural producers and traders upon whom sustainable food security depends. The economic evidence regarding these issues is surprisingly thin, but it confirms that the timing and targeting of food aid are central to achieving immediate food security objectives while minimizing the potential for harm. Reforms to the international food aid system are necessary but they should be undertaken carefully because lives are at risk. Included
273
in this issue is a mini CD-ROM of the FAO Statistical Yearbook 2005–2006 Vol. 2/1, containing time series data for 200 countries in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish. Compendium of food additive specifications, Addendum 13 FAO Food and Nutrition Paper No. 52 Add. 13 Rome, 2005, 104 pp. ISBN 92-5-105355-3 ISSN 0254-4725 TC/M/A0044/E $20.00 This document is one of three publications prepared by the sixty-fifth session of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), held in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2005. This meeting was dedicated to the evaluation of food additives including flavouring agents. Specifications of food additives in this document provide information on their identity and purity. The three main objectives of these specifications are to identify the substance that has been subject to biological testing, to ensure that the substance is of the quality required for safe use in food and to reflect and encourage good manufacturing practice by the food industry. This publication will be useful to all who work with or are interested in food additives and their safe use in food. Mastitis in dairy production: Current knowledge and future solutions, (2005), Ed: H. Hogeveen, Wageningen Academic Publishers, 744 pages, hardbound ISBN 978-90-76998-70-1, Euro 110 or US$ 146 Worldwide, mastitis is still one of the most important diseases in the dairy sector. Being a multifactorial disease, caused by multiple pathogens, control remains a difficult issue. Mastitis not only affects the health of milk-producing animals, having consequences for the profitability of dairy farms, it also affects the animal welfare. Moreover, mastitis negatively influences the milk quality having consequences for the dairy processing industry. In other words: mastitis affects a large part of the dairy production chain. Due to ongoing scientific effort, insight in mastitis in the context of increasingly complex farming systems, is improving. This insight leads to better methods to control mastitis, either by prevention or by adequate measures (e.g. therapy) when a cow (or goat or sheep) gets mastitis. This book reflects the current knowledge from all over the world on mastitis as it was presented during the 4th IDF International Mastitis Conference, held in June 2005 in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The papers of the
274
Book reviews
115 oral presentations and the 13 keynote presentations are reflecting not only the current knowledge of mastitis control but are also giving ideas for future solutions for control measures.
Bulletin of International Dairy Federation, IDF Publication No. 396/2005, Evaluating Milking Performance This publication provides an overview of commonlyencountered problems in machine milking of cows. It presents guidelines for methods for evaluating the milking installation, its operation and the interaction between equipment, cow and operator. This monograph updates a review of scientific literature and presents the methods that have proven useful for practical application in the field by dairy advisers, udder health specialists and competent milking machine technicians. The aim is to provide suggestions for measurements to quantify various aspects of milking performance. This quantification can provide the basis for making recommendations for changes in the milking process and in determining whether a prescribed intervention has produced a positive benefit. This issue of the Bulletin of IDF is of particular interest for researchers and veterinary practitioners, dairy advisers and milking machine technicians. It can be ordered in electronic form via the IDF Website. To find out more visit http://www.fil-idf.org
Continuous monitoring of machine milking, 2006, Bulletin No. 404/2006, International Dairy Federation, Brussels, Belgium Improving animal welfare while ensuring profitable milk production is one of the key challenges facing the worldwide dairy industry. The technical condition of milking machines and equipment has an important influence on udder health and milk quality. It is important to maintain the machines and equipment in order to ensure correct functionality and to carry out specific tests that will identify any faults and subsequently improve the technical working conditions. A high performance of milking machines and equipment is not a guarantee for optimal milking but it forms the foundation. In this context, the IDF has published a research guide that surveys possible checks for a monitoring system and an evaluation of the importance of each point. Malfunction of the milking machine may cause disruption in work routines and the milking process. Mechanical breakdown may lead to a complete stop in milking for a period, with resulting loss of production and unfavourable treatment of the cows. This IDF publication will help to supply the dairy sector with appropriate tools. Orders can be made from the IDF Website at http://www. fil-idf.org. Professor John Hodges Associate Editor, Livestock Science E-mail address: [email protected].
Book reviews For Livestock Science Whittemore's Science and Practice of Pig Production, Eds: Ilias Kyriazakis and Colin T. Whittemore, 2005, Blackwell Publishing, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, 685 pages It is inevitable that the 3rd edition of this book would include contributions from several authors rather than remain a single-authored book. As Colin Whittemore himself acknowledges, no single author – even one of his stature – is completely capable of writing an authoritative text of such breadth and depth. Nevertheless it is still very much a Whittemore book, with most of the chapters being authored or co-authored by him. It is a moot point as to whether encyclopaedic-type books are preferable to specialized texts dealing with specific areas of the pig (or animal) production area. The advantage of the former is that such books provide a comprehensive approach to production. A disadvantage is that rapid progress in one area of production can necessitate a revision of the entire text. The book covers both the science and practice of pig production. It extends theory into practice and provides scenarios that are likely to fit most practical situations. This is an excellent approach in demonstrating the application of established scientific principles at the farm level. In 20 chapters it covers pig meat and carcass quality; growth and body composition changes; reproduction; behaviour and welfare; genetic selection; health; nutrition and feeding; diet formulation; product marketing; environmental management; production monitoring; simulation modelling; and conclusions. There are small sections on extensive and organic production, no doubt a reflection of the main emphasis being on conventional production systems used in northern Europe. The text displays a distinct pragmatic approach throughout, for instance in relation to the more contentious procedures such as teeth-clipping that are employed on pig production units. The book has an attractive presentation with a nice layout and is illustrated throughout with tables, figures and many photographs. It is likely to be used extensively doi:10.1016/j.livsci.2007.05.011
at the university and college level and by researchers and advisory personnel. Producers with the requisite background and training will also find the book a valuable resource. Users of the book are no doubt assumed to be familiar with the literature used as the basis for the chapters, since no references are provided. It would be very useful in future revisions to at least provide key references to literature sources. For instance, gastric ulceration is dealt with very briefly on pages 291 and 437. Reference sources would greatly assist readers wishing to deal with this problem in a production unit. As the book points out, most pig production enterprises worldwide are under-achieving. The stated objective of the book is to improve the efficiency of pig production worldwide. Application of the knowledge outlined in this new edition should help greatly to achieve that objective. Dr. Robert Blair, Professor Emeritus Department of Animal Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. E-mail address: [email protected]. Animal Bioethics: Principles and Teaching Methods, 2005, Eds: M. Marie, S. Edwards, G. Gandini, M. Reiss and E. von Borell, Wageningen Academic Publishers, 6700 AE Wageningen, The Netherlands, ISBN 9076998582, pp 360, paperback, Euro 49 This book originates as a European Network activity on teaching animal bioethics. The content of the book can roughly be divided into three parts: (bio)ethical theories and backgrounds; practical aspects of improving farm animal welfare; and teaching of animal ethics and animal welfare. The first part presents the main ethical theories and concepts regarding animal ethics, related motivations, values and beliefs in their historical, present and future dimensions starting with the foundations of different ethical theories and moral attitudes towards animals. The historical development of how humans see animals is presented and
Book reviews
includes the issues of continuity versus dissimilarities; the role of Western Judeo–Christian religion and tradition in our relationship to animals and animal ethics; and a more general view on Western values and recent developments with respect to (farm) animals. Then the main contemporary theories of bioethics (e.g. zoo-centric, anthropcentric) are discussed as well as their different interpretations (e.g. utilitarian or deontological) including one chapter dedicated to the concept of animal integrity. In the second part, possibilities for improvement of farm animal welfare and potential difficulties are discussed from three different perspectives: the role of the stockperson–animal interaction for welfare; the potential and role of different associations (consumer– producer associations, animal and environmental protections associations) to assist improvements in farm animal welfare; and a comprehensive analysis of obstacles and possibilities to enhance welfare-friendly husbandry systems in politics, market and society. The next chapter leads into the last part of the book and deals with the content of biology and animal production manuals. It covers ethical considerations only rarely but mostly presents an instrumental viewpoint of animals and the influence of this upon the attitudes of professional scientists. Then follows a discussion on the necessity of including ethics in the curricula of biology, agricultural and veterinary students. The objectives and the theoretical basis for teaching ethics are discussed, for example, by including psychological theories of moral behaviour. Finally, several chapters deal with practical examples of existing courses on ethics and/or animal welfare and with different approaches to teaching these topics. The different authors and chapters of the book give a broad, comprehensive view on relevant aspects when teaching animal bioethics, with emphasis on farm animals. Besides this, the strength of this book especially lies in the practical parts, the discussion of teaching methods as well as the advantages and disadvantages of welfare friendly farms. The presentation of different courses and approaches is especially valuable for stimulating enthusiasm on how to include bioethics in curricula. Consequently, the book is particularly helpful for people teaching or starting to teach animal ethics. But, it also gives interesting information to others who are involved in ethical decision making or practical implementation. In addition to the ethical frameworks, the book presents approaches for structured ethical reasoning and examples of real case analysis. Critics, however, may refer to the partly satisfactory coordination or structuring of chapters for content and consistency. It would have been especially valuable to find
271
a short but comprehensive overview of ethical theories and animal welfare concepts including clear definitions of the key terms right at the beginning. This overview of concepts would have been valuable to guide the reader who is starting to deal with animal bioethics. It would also have provided some consistency among authors. In sum, however, this book can fully be recommended for all interested in animal bioethics but, especially for teachers of bioethics in veterinary, agricultural and biological sciences. Prof. Dr. Susanne Waiblinger Institute of Animal Husbandry and Welfare, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Science University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria. E-mail address: [email protected]. Changing European farming systems for a better future: New visions for rural areas, Eds: Hans Langeveld and Niels Raling, 2006, Wageningen Academic Publishers, 480 pages, Hardbound, ISBN: 9086860028, Euros 80 or US$ 107 This book consists of papers prepared for the 7th European IPSA Symposium: “New visions for rural areas: Changing European farming systems for a better future”. The papers are divided into six sections. The first section “learning as a process” describes learning in a multi-stakeholder environment. Several examples of joint learning processes are described and explained with theories about communication, multistakeholder participation and roles of farmers, experts and politicians. This section refers specifically to the new roles of experts and scientists. Personally I liked the contributions in which the theoretical background was related to case-studies. The second section “Agriculture, land use and sustainable development” is a mixed section in which the connection among the different papers seems to be the different ways in which sustainable development can be approached. Several interesting cases about agriculture and its context are described, for example the case-study of the Douro-Duero valley and the contribution of smallscale production to revitalization of the local economy. The third section “The future of farming” focuses on farm level and discusses what makes farming change at EU and national levels, describes scenarios of evolution and multifunctional farming. Several case-studies show the diversity of farmers and farming systems and the importance of paying attention to this diversity. Although
272
Book reviews
the section had a promising title it was the less innovative and interesting section of the book. The fourth section “Agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS) in transition” shows that innovation depends nowadays on the collaboration in a network of interdependent societal actors. This “new” innovation leads to new roles for research, extension and education and new methodologies and approaches. Papers in this section describe, analyze and compare current developments in AKIS. At first the section seemed to be more specifically written for extension workers and social scientists, but several cases are relevant for all readers: researchers, industries, farmers, extension services etc. The fifth section “Management of natural resources” describes tools with which natural resources can be managed: GIS, models etc. But all tools are developed in cooperation with local stakeholders, e.g. farmers, citizens, and interest organizations. Knowledge exchange and dissemination about natural resources, like “landscape” and “biodiversity” are key themes. The final short section “perspectives for participative systems oriented research” could be filled with articles from other sections of this book. It confirms the applicability and usefulness of participative methods to tackle problems to multifunctional agriculture in current contexts. In general the book gives a lot of interesting case-studies from all over the world, in which mostly multi-stakeholder processes of change in agriculture are described and or analyzed. Examples from most agricultural sectors can be found in the book, however most methods/approaches can be transferred to other agricultural sectors. A drawback of this book is that the distribution of the papers over the different sections seems to be completely illogical. To find again interesting papers you need to make good notes. It is also a book that contains all papers and posters from a conference, which makes it an inconsistent book with papers of different qualities, so a bit difficult to read. Several case-studies, however, which combine data with theory are really interesting to read for those working in multi-disciplinary teams or working in multi-stakeholder environment; in other words for those that focus on innovation and changes in agriculture. As I am a scientist educated in “technical sciences” with an interest in participative approaches and multi-stakeholder processes I learned a lot from the book. Dr Ir C. H.A.M. (Karen) Eilers Lecturer and Study Advisor in the Animal Production Systems Group, Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. E-mail address: [email protected].
The Yak, 2nd Edition, 2003, G. Wiener, H. Jianlin and L, Ruijin, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand, RAP Publication 2003/ 06, ISBN 92-5-104965-3, 457 pages, softback The yak is essentially an Asian animal, but until relatively recently, not very much was known about its biological attributes, husbandry and potential importance. Its existence mainly in the “ roof of the world “ in Quighai– Tibetan Plateau , adaptation and performance to very harsh and difficult rangeland conditions are quite unique, as also the close links to man. These and other aspects are therefore worthy of documentation and dissemination, to extend knowledge on the broader understanding of the available genetic resources. This publication thus provides very valuable information and insights on various aspects of the yak in Asia and elsewhere. The writing of this book has its origins in the dedicated efforts of the late Professor Cai Li from Sichuan Province in China. With the assistance of his colleagues, students and co-workers, he spent an entire lifetime observing, recording and understanding the characteristics, attributes and role of the yak in the economy of the mountainous regions of Central Asia. These writings in Chinese were the primary source of information, which together with other publications in Russian — the traditional publications for yak publications, were translated into English and provided the bulk of the information for this book. Authors of scientific publications and books will appreciate the extra arduous tasks associated with the translations, identification, checking, collation, interpretation and reporting of the data, and the authors of this book need to be congratulated for their considerable efforts to make the information available. The book is organised into 16 chapters: Origins; Domestication and distribution; Breeds; Breeding, crossbreeding and hybridization; The yak in relation to its environment; Reproduction; Production characteristics; Performance of hybrids of yak with Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle; Management; Diseases; Products from yak and their utilisation; Yak in different areas and countries of the world; Social, cultural and economic context for yak production; Alpine rangeland ecosystems and their management in the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau; Yak nutrition—a scientific basis; Molecular and cytogenetics in yak—a scientific basis and evidence for phylogeny; and Concluding thoughts—a perspective from a distance. Two elements that have been given additional emphasis in this book are the cultural and social context of the ownership of yaks, and the science
Book reviews
of yak production. Chapter 11, the longest in this book, deals with the yak in different environments — part one involving six provinces in China, part two with reference to western Asia, and part three concerning north America and Europe. One subject that surprisingly has not been directly discussed concerns yak production systems — objectives, types, resources used environment, responses and socio-economic benefits. Some elements of these do however appear in other chapters. The last chapter on concluding thoughts provides some insights into research gaps, emerging trends and prospects. Each chapter has an introductory overview, and also a list of pertinent references. There is also a useful subject index. The book brings together current information and a wealth of knowledge on the various aspects concerned with the yak. It will be of special appeal to all those concerned with yak production, and others interested in animal production. The sole purpose of this book as stated by the authors was to contribute to knowledge and understanding of the yak and yak keeping — this publication has achieved this objective admirably. Dr. C. Devendra Consulting Tropical Animal Production Specialist, Kuala Lumpa, Malaysia. E-mail address: [email protected]. Publications of Interest State of Food and Agriculture 2006: Food aid for food security? FAO Agriculture Series No. 37 Rome, 2006, 180 pp. + mini CD-ROM, ISBN 978-92-5105600-4, ISSN 0081-4539, TC/P/A0800/E $65.00 The State of Food and Agriculture 2006 examines the issues and controversies surrounding international food aid and seeks to find ways to preserve its essential humanitarian role while minimizing the possibility of harmful secondary impacts. Food aid has rightly been credited with saving millions of lives; indeed, it is often the only thing standing between vulnerable people and death. Yet food aid is sharply criticized as a donordriven response that creates dependency on the part of recipients and undermines local agricultural producers and traders upon whom sustainable food security depends. The economic evidence regarding these issues is surprisingly thin, but it confirms that the timing and targeting of food aid are central to achieving immediate food security objectives while minimizing the potential for harm. Reforms to the international food aid system are necessary but they should be undertaken carefully because lives are at risk. Included
273
in this issue is a mini CD-ROM of the FAO Statistical Yearbook 2005–2006 Vol. 2/1, containing time series data for 200 countries in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish. Compendium of food additive specifications, Addendum 13 FAO Food and Nutrition Paper No. 52 Add. 13 Rome, 2005, 104 pp. ISBN 92-5-105355-3 ISSN 0254-4725 TC/M/A0044/E $20.00 This document is one of three publications prepared by the sixty-fifth session of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), held in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2005. This meeting was dedicated to the evaluation of food additives including flavouring agents. Specifications of food additives in this document provide information on their identity and purity. The three main objectives of these specifications are to identify the substance that has been subject to biological testing, to ensure that the substance is of the quality required for safe use in food and to reflect and encourage good manufacturing practice by the food industry. This publication will be useful to all who work with or are interested in food additives and their safe use in food. Mastitis in dairy production: Current knowledge and future solutions, (2005), Ed: H. Hogeveen, Wageningen Academic Publishers, 744 pages, hardbound ISBN 978-90-76998-70-1, Euro 110 or US$ 146 Worldwide, mastitis is still one of the most important diseases in the dairy sector. Being a multifactorial disease, caused by multiple pathogens, control remains a difficult issue. Mastitis not only affects the health of milk-producing animals, having consequences for the profitability of dairy farms, it also affects the animal welfare. Moreover, mastitis negatively influences the milk quality having consequences for the dairy processing industry. In other words: mastitis affects a large part of the dairy production chain. Due to ongoing scientific effort, insight in mastitis in the context of increasingly complex farming systems, is improving. This insight leads to better methods to control mastitis, either by prevention or by adequate measures (e.g. therapy) when a cow (or goat or sheep) gets mastitis. This book reflects the current knowledge from all over the world on mastitis as it was presented during the 4th IDF International Mastitis Conference, held in June 2005 in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The papers of the
274
Book reviews
115 oral presentations and the 13 keynote presentations are reflecting not only the current knowledge of mastitis control but are also giving ideas for future solutions for control measures.
Bulletin of International Dairy Federation, IDF Publication No. 396/2005, Evaluating Milking Performance This publication provides an overview of commonlyencountered problems in machine milking of cows. It presents guidelines for methods for evaluating the milking installation, its operation and the interaction between equipment, cow and operator. This monograph updates a review of scientific literature and presents the methods that have proven useful for practical application in the field by dairy advisers, udder health specialists and competent milking machine technicians. The aim is to provide suggestions for measurements to quantify various aspects of milking performance. This quantification can provide the basis for making recommendations for changes in the milking process and in determining whether a prescribed intervention has produced a positive benefit. This issue of the Bulletin of IDF is of particular interest for researchers and veterinary practitioners, dairy advisers and milking machine technicians. It can be ordered in electronic form via the IDF Website. To find out more visit http://www.fil-idf.org
Continuous monitoring of machine milking, 2006, Bulletin No. 404/2006, International Dairy Federation, Brussels, Belgium Improving animal welfare while ensuring profitable milk production is one of the key challenges facing the worldwide dairy industry. The technical condition of milking machines and equipment has an important influence on udder health and milk quality. It is important to maintain the machines and equipment in order to ensure correct functionality and to carry out specific tests that will identify any faults and subsequently improve the technical working conditions. A high performance of milking machines and equipment is not a guarantee for optimal milking but it forms the foundation. In this context, the IDF has published a research guide that surveys possible checks for a monitoring system and an evaluation of the importance of each point. Malfunction of the milking machine may cause disruption in work routines and the milking process. Mechanical breakdown may lead to a complete stop in milking for a period, with resulting loss of production and unfavourable treatment of the cows. This IDF publication will help to supply the dairy sector with appropriate tools. Orders can be made from the IDF Website at http://www. fil-idf.org. Professor John Hodges Associate Editor, Livestock Science E-mail address: [email protected].