The food and drink industry in Northern Ireland, with 50,000 people, is the single biggest private sector employer and the bedrock of the Northern Ireland economy. Technology and knowledge transfer from research organisations to the food industry is imperative to its continued success. The development of new skills and technologies by NI’s food industry professionals will help keep their companies at the forefront of innovation.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michelle Gildernew MP MLA, recently warned herdowners about the dangers of importing livestock from bluetongue infected countries. In response to the unprecedented introduction of bluetongue virus to northern Europe in 2006, scientists at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) initiated a DARD-funded surveillance programme to determine the geographical and seasonal distribution of biting midges (Culicoides spp.) that may potentially be involved in transmission of bluetongue virus should it reach the island of Ireland.
Although dairy farming has made excellent progress in recent years with the Holstein-Friesian cow, it is now generally accepted that breeding programmes with a primary focus on yield have inadvertently resulted in increased levels of infertility and reduced health and longevity. Crossbreeding has been suggested as one option by which some of these difficulties can be overcome.
Minister Michelle Gildernew MP, MLA has visited the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) laboratories at Stormont, to see how their work contributes to the fight against brucellosis.
Assessment tools to determine the variability of nutrient composition in cattle slurry for on-farm decision support
A new PhD research project has been initiated to evaluate the environmental implications of livestock grazing a range of differing Less Favoured Area (LFA) environments in Northern Ireland.
Climate change has been attributed to greenhouse gas emissions namely carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC). Figure 1 illustrates that methane is the predominant gas from beef production systems and contributes 70% of total emissions. Nitrous oxide from the spreading and storage of inorganic and organic fertiliser and the deposition of dung and urine during grazing contributes 30% of total emissions. Carbon dioxide is produced during the production and transport of feeds and fertilisers, but CO2 is also absorbed by grassland and forests (carbon sequestration). The cumulative effect of these gases on climate change is called the carbon footprint. Relative to other food products such as poultry/eggs/pigs and milk products, beef and sheep meat has a much higher carbon footprint. In view of the requirements of the UK Climate Change Committee where an 8.5% reduction in GHG emissions from Agriculture has been stipulated, the challenge facing beef producers is to reduce GHG emissions and carbon footprint. The aim of this report is to summarise data from modelling exercises undertaken at AFBI Hillsborough to evaluate the impact of adopting mitigation strategies on carbon footprint of beef production.
As a result of the unusually wet summer weather in 2008 and 2009, preceded by mild winters in 2007-08 and 2008-09, conditions on Northern Irish sheep and cattle farms have recently been particularly favourable for the reproduction and spread of mud snails and thus for the propagation of liver flukes which develop within them.
In the last few years, following unusually wet summer and autumn seasons, we have recorded a substantial increase in the incidence of stomach fluke infections in cattle and sheep throughout Northern Ireland. This increase has been most evident during post-mortem examinations on bovine carcasses, but the parasites have also been frequently noted in the rumens of sheep seen at the Veterinary Sciences Division (VSD) of AFBI at Omagh and Stormont.
AFBI’s Veterinary Sciences Division wishes to advise sheep farmers of the likely risk of Nematodirus worm infection in young lambs this spring.
Digital dermatitis (DD) is a world-wide problem in dairy herds. It is not only a serious welfare issue, but it also has serious financial implications. Each cow with DD will cost the farmer approximately £82; for example, in an average 100-cow dairy herd with a DD prevalence of 25% this can add up to a cost of over £2,000 per year.
Minister Michelle Gildernew MLA has announced the appointment of four new members and the re-appointment of two existing members to the Board of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
In order to assess the potential of on-farm anaerobic digestion in Northern Ireland, AFBI commissioned an on-farm digester at its Hillsborough site in March 2008. AFBI has now published results from the first year of operating the digester. The initial phase of the research programme has been to benchmark the performance of the anaerobic digester using dairy cow slurry as the sole feedstock.
The practical, novel and efficient nature of the Pig Grading Information System (PiGISTM) has been further recognised in the Republic of Ireland at the recent Irish Times All-Island Innovation Awards.
While every dairy farmer should aim to provide his herd with excellent quality grass throughout the grazing season, this is not always easy to achieve. One of the main difficulties that many farmers face is to identify if the quantity of grass that they have available for grazing is on target to meet their herds’ requirements. To help overcome this difficulty, the ‘Grass Wedge’ has been developed to clearly demonstrate grass supply across the grazing area. A grass wedge graph will feature each week within the GrassCheck bulletins during 2010, and the aim of this article is to explain the basics of what a grass wedge is, and what it shows.
Background: Eutrophication is the term used to describe the over enrichment of rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters with nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus. Within Northern Ireland we have good water quality with respect to nitrogen, but many of our rivers and lakes are classified as ‘eutrophic’ due to their very high phosphorus levels. This has created a significant problem for Northern Ireland in that we have not been able to meet the water quality standards required by the European Union. As a result of high phosphorus levels within our waterways, the whole of Northern Ireland has been designated as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ).
Historically, Landrace was one of the main terminal sire breeds of slaughter generation pigs in Northern Ireland. With the onset of PMWS (Postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome) in Northern Ireland, Pietrain and Tempo genetics became popular choices due to their reported ability to increase the survivability of pigs in herds afflicted with PMWS.
The 2010 DARD Recommended Lists of Cereal Varieties for Northern Ireland has been published recently. There are few changes from 2009 to the spring and winter barley recommended lists for 2010. The winter oat list also remains much the same although there are two new provisional recommendations on the spring oat list – Canyon (Saaten Union) and Rozmar (Trevor Cope Seeds). The winter wheat list is most markedly changed with two new provisional recommendations – Ketchum (Syngenta) and Panorama (Nickersons), and three varieties being outclassed. Oakley has been removed from the list.
Soyabean meal is the main source of protein in diets for pigs and poultry due to its high crude protein content and its good profile of amino acids. However, as soyabean meal must be imported, home grown protein sources such as lupins have been considered as alternatives.
Every pig farmer knows how variable the birth weight of pigs can be. A common perception is that the runt pigs at birth are the runt pigs at weaning and finish. At AFBI Hillsborough the birth and wean weight of every pig born is recorded and this information from 13,158 pigs weaned from 1,344 sows across 96 farrowings (January 2003 to April 2008) was analysed in a student project funded by Devenish Nutrition Ltd.
There have been a number of European Directives passed in an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and although the pig industry is not the only contributor to environmental pollution, these Directives have implications for pig producers.
Dairy cows require protein for growth, milk production, pregnancy, and to support many internal body processes. In addition, dietary protein is a key driver of food intake and milk production. Within Northern Ireland the overall protein content of dairy cow diets is normally approximately 18% (dry matter basis). However, there is currently considerable interest in the use of lower protein diets for dairy cows. The reasons for this are as follows:
The analysis of grass silage for 2009 by the Hillsborough Feeding Information System (HFIS) Service is nearing completion. To date we have analysed over 8,000 forage samples with results indicating the quality to be relatively lower for a third year running.
At least 80% of the sow herd in Northern Ireland is artificially inseminated. The traditional method of insemination involves the use of a sponge catheter which delivers semen into the cervix of the sow. Sows are normally inseminated twice within each heat to ensure a successful conception. Recently a new type of catheter was introduced – the Deep Intrauterine (DUI) catheter which delivers the semen into the uterine horn and closer to the egg. Manufacturers claim that only one insemination is required using this catheter to achieve conception. However, success would greatly depend on accurate and timely heat detection and subsequent insemination.
Four separate samples of bees sent to the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute laboratory in Belfast tested positive for the Nosema ceranae parasite. The samples were initially examined by light microscopy for Nosema spores and then N. ceranae presence confirmed by molecular techniques to detect species-specific DNA.
The challenge for maize growers in N. Ireland is always to get the crop through to a full 30% DM maturity. Some years this is easily done but too often it is a struggle against late springs and cool wet summers. Early sowing and the use of plastic mulch, where appropriate, all help, but if the variety is incapable of coping with our marginal conditions, then no amount of TLC will ensure a successful outcome.
Farmers in the Falkland Islands now have extra information to identify the best forage plants for their grazing system. A new Pasture Plant Guide that describes some native and introduced species is now available. Meat and wool production in the Falkland Islands is pasture based and the performance of livestock is directly related to the utilisation of improved varieties of grasses and sustainable utilisation of indigenous pastures.
Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, among others, have contributed to an increase in the earth’s atmospheric temperature, an occurrence known as global warming. The increasing emissions of these trace gases are largely due to human activity.
Cereal grains are the main energy source in pig diets but as producers know only too well, prices can fluctuate frequently causing increases in diet cost and lowering profitability. There is no one feed ingredient which can completely replace cereal as an energy source but it is worthwhile to consider ingredients which could be used as a partial replacement. Glycerol is a by-product of biofuel production and it may be used as an energy source in diets for pigs but there is limited research on its optimum level of inclusion or on the effect of performance and meat quality.
The potential for trees to capture and store carbon as a mitigation measure towards climate change was presented at a joint AFBI / CAFRE seminar at Loughry Campus recently. Current research and technology transfer programmes at both AFBI and CAFRE which are investigating a range of tree and biomass systems for Northern Ireland conditions were presented.
The analysis of grass silage for 2009 by the Hillsborough Feeding Information System (HFIS) Service is nearing completion. To date we have analysed over 8000 forage samples with average results indicating the quality to be relatively lower for a third year running. Once again the weather played a major role in the ability of farmers to harvest grass in suitable ground and overhead conditions with all areas across the country suffering at some time during the season.
Local and international food producers and technologists came together at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI),for a two-day seminar exploring the new High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology and the improved commercial opportunities for their individual food sectors.
The innovative software solution for the Northern Ireland pig industry, the Pig Grading Information System or PiGIS™, was recently given recognition when it received an award in the Food Chain Marketing category of the UK Food & Farming Awards.
Improved varieties and quality seed are vital for productive crop and grass production. Breeders, seed merchants and testing organisations all play a role in ensuring that farmers are provided with the most appropriate varieties for use in Northern Ireland. AFBI Crossnacreevy, with its extensive variety evaluation programmes, produces and provides relevant up-to-date information on varieties of cereals, potatoes, grass, clover and maize. Recently the AFBI Crossnacreevy Plant Testing Station launched the new Cereal Recommended List for 2010.
On 1 January 2007 the whole of Northern Ireland was designated a Nitrates Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) under the EU Nitrates Directive. This has had a number of implications for dairy farmers, including ‘closed periods’ for fertiliser and manure spreading, the requirement to have 22 weeks of slurry storage capacity, and the introduction of a stocking rate limit.
Climate change has been attributed to greenhouse gas emissions which are principally carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC). The total amount of each of these gases is multiplied by a factor to convert to CO2 equivalents (CO2e) or carbon footprint.
Dr Sydney Neill, Deputy Chief Executive in the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), has been awarded an OBE in the New Years’ Honours list.
