Below is a CIEL Member Research roundup for 2020-21 Ruminants

Dairy

• Review of mastitis pathogens for diagnostic development

Veterinary diagnostics company Biotangents partnered with the Roslin Institute on a project to investigate the global prevalence of different mastitis pathogens and associated gene expression data to guide the development of a diagnostic test for international markets. CIEL’s support presented an opportunity for Biotangents to catalyse their idea for diagnostic development. Read more…

• Feed efficient alternatives to antimicrobials

AB Vista is an animal nutrition technology commpany and part of AB Agri – the agricultural division of Associated British Foods (ABF plc). In this CIEL-supported project, they teamed up with the University of Nottingham to develop innovative alternatives to antimicrobials that reduce endemic disease and will enhance the health, growth and development of livestock.

• Automated Calf Monitoring (ACaMo)

Sensor technology specialist IceRobotics Ltd teamed up with AFBI to exploit machine learning methods on information derived from sensors. The project aimed to inform the development of the first commercially available automated calf monitoring systems for farm use. Read more…

• Precision dietary protein for pubertal dairy heifers

This project looked to supporting lower protein use in livestock production by developing precision protein diets suitable for the UK livestock industry. The study assessed how greater precision in the type of protein offered to growing dairy heifers can be applied to reduce the protein concentration of heifer diets while maintaining their rate of development and subsequent milk yield.

• Mastitis AMP therapy

Livestock health & welfare specialists RAFT Solutions Ltd worked with researchers at Queen’s University Belfast to develop an effective, antibiotic-free antimicrobial formulation containing a combination of novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to treat bovine mastitis. AMPs could contribute to achieving solutions for treating multi-drug resistant bacteria, due to their fast and often non-specific puncturing action on the bacterial cell membrane, which also means that resistance will be much slower to develop. AMPs are attractive candidates for intramammary mastitis therapy given the low level of peptidases in the udder and teat canal, alongside high degradability – which means that they will be functionally effective but short-lived regarding food residues.

Beef

• The Beef Tool Kit to support & future-proof the beef industry

The aim of this CIEL-supported project was to develop and test an interactive portal and Decision Support (DS) network to help UK farmers improve the profitability of beef finishing. The DS framework developed and tested in this pilot project will enable beef farmers to benchmark against fellow contemporaries with regard to animal liveweight gain, nutrition analysis, soil health, grassland management, precision grazing and economic efficiency.

• Algorithm for determining the relative risk of dairy-sourced beef calves as they enter beef rearing unit

Buitelaar Productions UK Ltd and the University of Nottingham partnered to develop computer algorithms that could provide a better understanding of the potential risks for calves entering a beef-rearing farm. A better assessment of risk for dairy bred calves entering a rearing unit will lead to more targeted health treatment focused on animal need and so improve welfare, reduce antimicrobial use and lift average performance, leading to a more sustainable production system. Read more…

Sheep

• EWEBenefit – Efficiency with environmental benefits through optimising sheep genetics

Drawing on the genetic analysis expertise of SRUC, this CIEL-supported project led by AHDB centred on developing a new approach to UK sheep genetic evaluations for maternal breeds of sheep. The aim was to fast-track genetic gain through the development of new breeding values, indexes and producer friendly support tools. The new approach will enable rapid turnaround of data so decisions can be made more quickly, and the analysis of new traits that will enhance not just the efficiency of productivity, but also animal welfare and environmental impact.

All ruminants

• Grazing tolerant red clover for future livestock farming

Red clover is a source of bioavailable high-quality protein for ruminant livestock but doesn’t have the persistency of white clover. This project, a collaboration between grass seed specialists Germinal and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University, contributed to the longer-term development new strains of red clover capable of mirroring white clover’s longevity.

Concludes Member Research roundup 2020-21 ruminants.

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