̽��ֱ��new RSPCA Sir Patrick Moore Award honours Professor Donald Broom

bjb42 — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 16:47:48 +0000

Professor Broom championed key scientific and ethical principles worldwide leading to significant changes in attitudes, laws and animals' lives.

In 1986 he was appointed the first Professor of Animal Welfare in the world in the Department of Veterinary Medicine. Professor Broom helped secure a large grant for the RSPCA from the Tubney Charitable Trust based on Marian Dawkins’ research into the importance of farmed ducks having full body access to open water. This launched the RSPCA’s successful ‘Like a Duck to Water’ campaign to raise awareness in this area.

Professor Broom won the RSPCA/British Society of Animal Science award for innovative developments in animal welfare in 2001 and in 2007 was presented with the RSPCA Michael Kay award for services to animal welfare in Europe.

Professor Broom said: “I am a longstanding fan of the RSPCA as I think that its emphasis on considering the welfare of individual animals is of great value. In particular, the RSPCA inspectorate and the divisions of the RSPCA involved in factually-based national and international lobbying of governments and other organisations have had substantial beneficial impact on animals.

“Those who work in universities are not often honoured by major national charities. I am grateful for this recognition of my work in animal welfare science and very proud to receive the Sir Patrick Moore award from the RSPCA.”

̽��ֱ��Sir Patrick Moore Award, in memory of the former astronomer and honorary RSPCA vice president, is a new award for outstanding contribution to animal welfare science.

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Sustainable livestock production is possible

gm349 — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 09:10:15 +0000

Consumers are increasingly demanding higher standards for how their meat is sourced, with animal welfare and the impact on the environment factoring in many purchases. Unfortunately, many widely-used livestock production methods are currently unsustainable. However, new research out today from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has identified what may be the future of sustainable livestock production: silvopastoral systems which include shrubs and trees with edible leaves or fruits as well as herbage.

Professor Donald Broom, from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, who led the research said: “Consumers are now demanding more sustainable and ethically sourced food, including production without negative impacts on animal welfare, the environment and the livelihood of poor producers. Silvopastoral systems address all of these concerns with the added benefit of increased production in the long term.”

Current cattle production mostly occurs on cleared pastures with only herbaceous plants, such as grasses, grown as food for the cows. ̽��ֱ��effects on the local environment include the removal of trees and shrubs as well as the increased use of herbicides, all of which result in a dramatic decrease in biodiversity. Additionally, there is also contamination of soil and waterways by agricultural chemicals as well as carbon costs because of vehicles and artificial fertiliser necessary to maintain the pasture.

̽��ֱ��researchers advocate that using a diverse group of edible plants such as that in a silvopastoral landscape promotes healthy soil with better water retention (and less runoff), encourages predators of harmful animals, minimizes greenhouse gas emissions, improves job satisfaction for farm workers, reduces injury and stress in animals, improves welfare and encourages biodiversity using native shrubs and trees.

Additionally, shrubs and trees with edible leaves and shoots, along with pasture plants, produce more food for animals per unit area of land than pasture plants alone. Trees and shrubs have the added benefit of providing shade from hot sun and shelter from rain. It also reduces stress by enabling the animals to hide from perceived danger.

“ ̽��ֱ��planting as forage plants of both shrubs and trees whose leaves and small branches can be consumed by farmed animals can transform the prospects of obtaining sustainable animal production,” said Professor Broom. “Such planting of ‘fodder trees’ has already been successful in several countries, including the plant Chamaecytisus palmensis which is now widely used for cattle feed in Australia.”

Another success has been in Colombia where a mixed planting of the shrub Leucaena with a common pasture grass resulted in a 27% increase in dry matter for food and 64% increase of protein production.

When ruminants, such as cows, goats and sheep, are consuming the plants from a silvopastoral system, researchers have seen an increase in growth and milk production. Milk production in the tropical silvopastoral system mentioned above was 4.13 kg per cow when compared with 3.5 kg per day on pasture-only systems. As the numbers of animals per hectare was much greater, production of good quality milk per hectare was four to five times greater on the silvopastoral system.

One of the additional benefits of using the silvopastoral system is that it increases biodiversity. Biodiversity is declining across the globe, and the main culprit is farming – 33% of the total land surface of the world is used for livestock production. If farmers were to switch to sustainable livestock production methods, such as the silvopastoral system, the result would be much greater biodiversity with no increase in land use.

Professor Broom added: “It is clear that silvopastoral systems increase biodiversity, improve animal welfare and provide good working conditions while enabling a profitable farming business. ̽��ֱ��next step is to get farmers to adopt this proven, sustainable model.”

̽��ֱ��paper ‘Sustainable, efficient livestock production with high biodiversity and good welfare for animals’ was published today, 25 September, in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

New research advocates use of pastures with shrubs and trees as it is more sustainable, improving animal welfare and increasing biodiversity.

It is clear that silvopastoral systems increase biodiversity, improve animal welfare and provide good working conditions while enabling a profitable farming business.

Professor Donald Broom

Donald Broom

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̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Donald Broom

̽��ֱ��new RSPCA Sir Patrick Moore Award honours Professor Donald Broom

Sustainable livestock production is possible