Managing land-use conflict around urban centres: Australian poultry farmer attitudes towards relocation

In analysing the release of agricultural land to urban development, the urban fringe literature has not focused on whether farmers are able to relocate from the urban fringe to remoter rural areas. Through interviews with representatives from the poultry industry in two Australian states, this paper identifies that poultry farm relocation strategies are constrained by off-farm economic relations, the land-use planning system and financial considerations. Closely aligned to these constraints on relocation is the on-going process of poultry farm intensification, which is seen as presenting rising problems for land-use management around expanding metropolitan centres in Australia. Of particular concern is the potential for amenity complaints and associated land-use conflicts, which have not been comprehensively investigated. Recognising that existing environmental and land-use planning controls are ineffective in producing amicable solutions when conflict involving poultry farming is at its most intense, the paper calls for improvements to the regulatory system, including greater consideration for how the process of relocation can be encouraged. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential cost and environmental impact of feeding high-oil corn to poultry in Brazil

The objective of the study was to evaluate the cost and environmental impact of replacing traditional corn, which is the main ingredient in poultry diets, with a high-oil corn (HOC) variety. Using linear programming, diets were formulated with either traditional corn or HOC. The results indicate that HOC-based diets cost up to $11.38/tonne less than traditional corn-based diets. Using HOC rather than traditional corn in diets has the potential to reduce the annual nitrogen excreted to the environment from broilers and broiler breeders in Brazil by 6.44 Mtonnes. In addition, there is the potential to reduce P excretion by 4.52 Mtonnes/yr, because the need to supplement diets with inorganic P sources, such as dicalcium phosphate, is much lower with HOC-based diets. We estimate that 28.5 Mtonnes of dicalcium phosphate can be saved annually using HOC in Brazilian poultry diets. The literature suggests that replacing traditional corn with HOC does not affect bird metabolism, while positive impacts on growth rate have been recorded. Therefore, substituting traditional corn with HOC has cost and environmental benefits for the Brazilian poultry industry without compromising productivity.

n-3 fatty acid enrichment of edible tissue of poultry: A review

There is clear evidence of the nutritional benefits of consuming long-chain n-3 PUFA, which are found predominantly in oily fish. However, oily fish consumption, particularly in the United Kingdom, is declining, as is the consumption of all meats with the exception of poultry, which has increased in consumption by 73% in the last 30 yr. This pattern, if less marked, is reflected throughout Europe, and therefore one means of increasing long-chain n-3 PUFA consumption would be to increase the long-chain n-3 PUFA content in the edible tissues of poultry. This review considers the feasibility of doing this, concentrating particularly on chickens and turkeys. It begins by summarizing the benefits to human health of consuming greater quantities of n-3 FA and the sources of n-3 PUFA in the human diet. The literature on altering the FA composition of poultry meat is then reviewed, and the factors affecting the incorporation of n-3 PUFA into edible tissues of poultry are investigated. The concentration of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in the edible tissues of poultry is readily increased by increasing the concentration of ALA in the birds' diet (particularly meat with skin, and dark meat to a greater extent than white meat). The concentration of EPA in both white and dark meat is also increased when the birds' diet is supplemented with EPA, although supplementing the diet with the precursor (ALA) does not result in a noticeable increase in EPA content in the edible tissues. Although supplementing the birds' diets with relatively high concentrations of DHA does result in an increased concentration of DHA in the tissues, the relationship between dietary and tissue concentrations of DHA is much weaker than that observed with ALA and EPA. The impact that altering the FA composition of edible poultry tissue may have on the organoleptic and storage qualities of poultry products is also considered.

Effect of species and genotype on the efficiency of enrichment of poultry meat with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

The effect of poultry species (broiler or turkey) and genotype (Wrolstad or BUT T8 turkeys and Ross 308 or Cobb 500 broilers) on the efficiency with which dietary longchain n-3 PUFA were incorporated into poultry meat was determined. Broilers and turkeys of both genotypes were fed one of six diets varying in FA composition (two replicates per genotype x diet interaction). Diets contained 50 g/kg added oil, which was either blended vegetable oil (control), or partially replaced with linseed oil (20 or 40 g/kg diet), fish oil (20 or 40 g/kg diet), or a mixture of the two (20 g linseed oil and 20 g fish oil/kg diet). Feeds and samples of skinless breast and thigh meat were analyzed for FA. Wrolstad dark meat was slightly more responsive than BUT T8 (P = 0.046) to increased dietary 18:3 concentrations (slopes of 0.570 and 0.465, respectively). The Ross 308 was also slightly more responsive than the Cobb 500 (P= 0.002) in this parameter (slopes of 0.557 and 0.449). There were no other significant differences between the genotypes. There was some evidence (based on the estimates of the slopes and their associated standard errors) that white turkey meat was more responsive than white chicken meat to 20:5 (slopes of 0.504 and 0.289 for turkeys and broilers, respectively). There was no relationship between dietary 18:3 n-3 content and meat 20:5 and 22:6 contents. If birds do convert 18:3 to higher FA, these acids are not then deposited in the edible tissues.

A survey of fluoroquinolone resistance in Escherichia coli and thermophilic Campylobacter spp. on poultry and pig farms in Great Britain

Aims: To estimate the proportions of farms on which broilers, turkeys and pigs were shedding fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant Escherichia coli or Campylobacter spp. near to slaughter. Methods and Results: Freshly voided faeces were collected on 89 poultry and 108 pig farms and cultured with media containing 1.0 mg l(-1) ciprofloxacin. Studies demonstrated the specificity of this sensitive method, and both poultry and pig sampling yielded FQ-resistant E. coli on 60% of farms. FQ-resistant Campylobacter spp. were found on around 22% of poultry and 75% of pig farms. The majority of resistant isolates of Campylobacter (89%) and E. coli (96%) tested had minimum inhibitory concentrations for ciprofloxacin of >= 8 mg l(-1). The proportion of resistant E. coli and Campylobacter organisms within samples varied widely. Conclusions: FQ resistance is commonly present among two enteric bacterial genera prevalent on pig and poultry farms, although the low proportion of resistant organisms in many cases requires a sensitive detection technique. Significance and Impact of the Study: FQ-resistant bacteria with zoonotic potential appear to be present on a high proportion of UK pig and poultry farms. The risk this poses to consumers relative to other causes of FQ-resistant human infections remains to be clarified.

The economic viability and potential of a novel poultry agroforestry system

Investigating agroforestry systems that incorporate poultry is warranted in Northern Europe as they may offer benefits including: improved welfare and use of range; reduced feed costs; price premia on products; reduced payback periods for forests; and, greater returns on investment. Free-range egg production accounts for 27% of the United Kingdom egg market and demand for outdoor broilers is increasing. No research has been conducted recently on the economic viability of agroforestry systems with poultry. An economic model was constructed to: assess economic viability of a broiler agroforestry system; and, investigate the sensitivity of economic performance to key factors and interactions, and identify those which warrant attention in research and management. The system modelled is a commercial trial established in Southern England in 2002 where deciduous trees were planted and broilers reared in six- or nine-week periods. The model uses Monte Carlo simulation and financial performance analyses run for a 120-year period. An Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 15.5% is predicted for the six-week system which remains viable under a 'worst case' scenario (IRR of 12.6%). Factors which affect financial performance most (decreasing in magnitude) are prices achieved for broilers, costs of brooding houses, chicks, arks, feed and timber prices. The main anticipated effects of biological interactions on financial performance (increased ranging on feed conversion and excess nutrient supply on tree health) were not supported by analysis. Further research is particularly warranted on the welfare benefits offered by the tree component and its relation to price premia.

Vitamin E supplementation, cereal feed type and consumer sensory perceptions of poultry meat quality

Lipid oxidation leads to meat spoilage and has been reported to cause adverse changes in the flavour and texture of poultry meat. Vitamin E has been found to be effective in delaying lipid oxidation. The aim of this study was to determine whether the vitamin E supplementation of chicken feed influences the consumers' perception of the quality of chicken meat under normal display and storage conditions. Untrained consumers (n 32) evaluated cooked breast meat from chickens (both corn fed and wheat fed) supplemented with 75 250 or 500 mg/kg vitamin E and after storage at 4° C for 4 and 7 d. Factorial analysis found an interaction between vitamin E treatment and storage day upon the perceived juiciness (P = 0.023) and tenderness (P = 0.041) of the chicken meat. Perceptions of quality relative to vitamin E level were more evident on day 4 than day 7. When the two cereal types were compared, the time-related subgroup effects were observed only in meat from corn-fed chickens supplemented with either 75 or 250 mg/kg, which was perceived to be juicier (P = 0.018) and more tender (P = 0.020) than that supplemented at the 500 mg/kg level. These results imply that the two lower concentrations of vitamin E have some advantages over 500 mg/kg, but for optimal consumer acceptance of corn-fed chicken meat, we suggest that 250 mg/kg vitamin E should be added to corn-fed poultry feed. There was no evidence to suggest any advantages in changing the current amount of vitamin E (75 mg/kg) used to rear wheat-fed birds.