Public concerns over animal welfare have increased scrutiny of the early separation of calves from cows. Overall, women are generally more supportive of practices allowing prolonged cow–calf contact, potentially due to their greater empathy in terms of animal welfare. This study examines how gender affects Brazilian livestock advisors' attitudes toward promoting dairy welfare practices, particularly cow–calf contact systems. By analyzing gender-based differences, this research highlights how advisors’ perspectives may influence the adoption of welfare practices aligned with public expectations. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of gender on Brazilian livestock advisors’ attitudes towards their role in promoting dairy cattle welfare. Through an online questionnaire featuring a three-point Likert scale, we investigated topics related to general dairy cattle welfare and the role of advisors in mediating between societal demands and dairy production practices. The effect of gender on the Likert-scale responses was analyzed using an Ordinal Regression Analysis. The results from the Likert scale are presented as the percentages of participants for each Likert-scale option and the predicted mean values ± standard deviation. The participants (n=176) were predominantly male (59%) and aged between 18 and 35 years (58%). In general, 81% of the participants acknowledged the influence of public pressure on dairy farming practices (Likert 2.74±0.5), and the majority (71%) stated that farmers are consistently provided with information on animal welfare practices (Likert 2.65±0.6). Almost all of the participants (91%) felt fully responsible for helping to address animal welfare issues (Likert 2.89±0.4). There was a trend (p=0.06) of men self-reporting a higher knowledge (Likert 2.76±0.6) of animal welfare compared to that in women (Likert 2.6±0.7). Conversely, the women showed more positive attitudes (Likert 2.54±0.7; p=0.009) than men (Likert 2.22±0.8) toward discussing systems that allow cow–calf contact. In conclusion, while men tend to perceive themselves as more knowledgeable about animal welfare, they are less inclined to engage in discussions about cow–calf contact.

A central problem in animal ethics concerns the weighting of nonhuman pains. In one view, we should not cause any nonhuman pain without a very good reason. In a competing view, we should balance nonhuman pain against human benefits. I assume here, for the purpose of argument, that the competing view is correct. To balance things, we need to know what each one weighs. There are four challenges to knowing the weight of animal pain: motivation, scope, content, and method. In this paper, I survey each challenge while trying to imagine a cow’s and a shrimp’s pains.

This paper begins with an introduction and then discusses four challenges:

1. Motivation: Imagining is difficult;
2. Scope: Not all animals feel pain;
3. Content: Their pains may not be like ours;
4. Method: Perhaps the arts can help.

The introduction asks, why is it important to imagine another species’ pain? But I do not spend much time on this one. While scientists once assured us that no nonhumans were truly sentient, that tune changed decades ago. The scientific problem now is not to determine which vertebrates feel pain, but how best to measure (Mogil, 2019; Mogil et al., 2020), prevent (Dawkins, 2021; Marian Stamp, 2006; Rollin, 1998, 1989) and treat it (Public Health Service, 2010; for a contrary view: Murray, 2008). Pain is subjective; as Nagel might put it, there is something it is like to be in pain (Nagel, 1974).

Since pain hurts, since animals mind it, and since we cause a lot of it, causing pain raises ethical questions. I assume that we ought to do what we can to minimize the pain we cause others. That said, we are typically not motivated to prevent pain unless we somehow feel it. In the fourth section, Method, I suggest that the creative arts may help us both understand and feel other species’ pains.

In recent decades, growing interest in interspecies dynamics has sparked significant debate in the social sciences, challenging the traditional human/animal dichotomy. This shift, driven by the achievements of the animal rights movement advocating for the elimination of production cages, raises important questions on how to relocate livestock into environments that respect its needs. A key aspect of this transformation is the rise of animal sanctuaries, which have notably expanded in Italy, inspired by North American models. These sanctuaries prioritize animals' intrinsic agency, in contrast to the controlled breeding systems typical of agricultural settings. As living laboratories, many sanctuaries opt for sterilization to prevent overpopulation, raising ethical concerns about bodily autonomy and reproductive rights. While intended to prevent exploitation, this approach prompts reflection on whether sterilization itself violates animal autonomy or is necessary to prevent further harm. These dilemmas highlight the existing tension between promoting animal well-being and respecting their bodily integrity. Moreover, the concept of reproductive rights for animals, traditionally reserved for humans, challenges conventional ideas of autonomy and consent in multispecies communities. By addressing these complex issues, sanctuaries offer a valuable platform for rethinking ethical human/animal relationships and exploring how to best respect animal agency within frameworks of care.

Thirty-six New Zealand White rabbits at six weeks of age were kept at the animal house of PMAS-UAAR for 42 days and divided into 0 groups (T1 (Control), T2 (200 mg/Kg body weight), T3 (300 mg/Kg Body weight), T4 (300 mg/Kg Body weight)), and red Korean ginseng extracts were use).Two lightning regimes (L1, normal daylight length hours; L2, 18 hours) were applied. Sampling was performedfor growth performance, carcass properties and etiology. Mean higher live body weight (1.273 Kgs), higher feed intake (38.47 gms) and higher feed conversion ratio (3.25) were noticed in T4, while the lowest values were in control (1.215 kg, 26.65 gms, and 4.78). The highest growth rate was noted in T4, the mean carcass weight was higher in control (5.35), and the lowest carcass weight was in T3 (4.17). Rabbit fur quality, comfort factor and fur diameter were higher in T2 under L1, but spin fineness and medulations were higher under T4 with L2. The loss of rabbit meat through the drip was higher in the control group and lowest in T3. The loss of rabbit meat from cooking was higher in T2 (22.76) and the lowest was in T3 (18.59). The T4 rabbits showed aggression and less efficiency while the T2 rabbits showed friendly, social behaviour with good instincts. Ginseng supplementation at a concentration of 300mgimproves performance and etiology in NZW rabbits.

Introduction: In order to meet the world's poultry meat demand, it is necessary to produce birds with fast growth characteristics and high carcass yield. For scientists and the breeders improving the meat quality is one of the most important aim. The studies on native breeds is essential to evaluate the value of these breeds. Many researchers have reported studies comparing gender and slaughter weights, meat yield, and quality in poultry such as chickens, but Gerze genotype. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the gender effect on the carcass and meat quality traits in Gerze native chicken. The animal material was consist of 20 male and 20 female Gerze native chickens. One-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate the data. Results: As a results, we found cold carcass weights as 1012.60±22.95 g and 702.76±20.33 g for male and female chickens with statistically significant difference (p<0.01). The gender effect was found statistically insignificant (p>0.05) for all color values on pectoralis major and gastrocnemius muscles. There were no differences between the genders (p>0.05) for freezing loss, drip loss, cooking loss, and water holding capacity. Results also showed that there were no statistical differences between the genders (p>0.05) for hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience. Conclusion: Results showed that there were no differences between male and female Gerze native chickens for meat quality traits.

Animal production, cattle in particular, has been pointed out as a major source of pollution, namely in greenhouse gas emissions and water contamination with nitrogen. Indeed, it is because of this that livestock sectors, such as dairy farming, have been the target of incentives by the Dutch government (EUR 700M in total) to compensate farmers who voluntarily close livestock sites. Regenerative agriculture (RegenAg) has the potential to provide the sustainability that the dairy industry craves, and depends on, to ensure its long-term maintenance.

Tech4RegenAg is a project that aims to demonstrate the beneficial effects of RegenAg in soil health and milk quality. Also, recommendations will be presented to policymakers that effectively regulate RegenAg at the European level. The demonstration of these benefits will be carried out in commercial farms in order to illustrate this potential in “real-life” settings, and in various contexts. The soil microbiome and physical–chemical properties will be analysed in relation to the accumulation of metabolites in the milk, which reflect its healthy and nutritious profile. Consumer studies will be carried out in order to determine the consumer’s perception of regenerative agriculture and the best way to convey the benefits of RegenAg-produced milk and/or other dairy products within the framework of different marketing strategies.

The project will actively engage various stakeholders, including farmers, policymakers, academics, NGOs, and start-ups that are active participants in the RegenAg movement. Tech4RegenAg will harness their knowledge to maximize impact and create awareness to its importance, in order to comply with the ambitions set out by the European Green Deal, and to promote healthy and sustainable food production.

Background

Honey is an apicultural product consumed for its high nutritional value and beneficial properties. This sustainable food is considered also a useful bio-indicator of environmental pollution. Among various contaminants, the presence of toxic metals in honey, as a consequence of antrophic activities, can alter its mineral profile. The aim of this study was to determinate the mineral content in honey, analyze the residual levels of toxic metals according to EU Regulations, and evaluate essential microelement intake through its consumption.

Methods

Honey samples of different floral origins (wildflower, citrus, chestnut, honeydew, erika), collected in apiaries of Calabria (Italy), were digested with HNO₃ (70%) and H₂O₂ (30%) and submitted to ICP-MS analysis for the determination of toxic metals and metalloids (Cd, Pb, As), and essential microelements (Cu, Zn, Se, Fe, Mn, Co). Data were significant at values P<0.05 and P<0.01.

Results

The result showed the presence of minerals analyzed (> LOD) in all samples, with the highest levels of Pb (range 0.0792 - 0.1250 mg/kg) among toxic metals and a normal range of essential microelements. From a toxicological assessment, in most of the samples, Pb levels exceeded the MRLs (0.1 mg/kg) fixed by EU Regulation 2023/915, corresponding to significant percentages of Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI). Considering the nutritional and health aspect, instead, the concentration of essential micro-elements in honey represented a good percentage of Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).

Conclusion

This study documented the presence of toxic metals in honey analyzed and Pb levels higher than MRL, posing possible risk to consumers. The content of essential micro-elements, however, provided an adeguate nutritional intake through honey consumption. Therefore, the study of mineral profiles can be a valid method of monitoring the environmental pollution of areas where beekeeping farms are sited, and of assessing the quality and safety of honey for consumer health.

References

EU Regulation 2023/915

Marine animals are threatened by heavy metals, representing a risk for their populations near ports and other polluted environments. At the same time, the heavy metals that have accumulated in species exploited by fisheries represent a risk for seafood consumers as a result of bioaccumulation and biomagnification processes. When these metals enter an ecosystem, they can accumulate in the tissues of living organisms. As smaller organisms are consumed by larger predators, the concentration of heavy metals increases at each trophic level, potentially reaching dangerous levels in humans who are at the top of the food chain. This bioaccumulation and biomagnification phenomenon underscores the importance of monitoring and regulating heavy metal emissions to protect both the environment and public health. In this study, we have created a map of heavy metal risks associated with seafood animal species consumed in the SW Bay of Biscay region of Asturias (Spain) based on the scientific literature available. The region of Asturias is well known for its long tradition of coal mining and strong industrialization periods, especially in the Avilés region. Differences between species and fishing areas, with some products surpassing safe concentration limits, highlight the current heavy metal threat for both marine animals and consumers in this region.

To enhance the taste of dry dog food pellets, dog food attractants (DFAs) have been developed and added to many formulations to improve flavor and other sensory properties, ultimately boosting acceptance by dogs.

The objective of this study was to identify the key aroma and flavor compounds in DFAs that significantly enhance the flavor of dog food. A thermal desorption unit, combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography--time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOF/MS), was used for the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Volatile compounds in three commercial dog pellet food samples from unknown brands were fed to three Thai Ridgebacks and successfully identified through qualitative analysis. This was done by comparing experimental mass spectrometry (MS) data and first-dimensional retention index (¹I) values with those from the NIST 2022 database and existing literature using GCxGC. The process resulted in a total of 320 identified peaks

Using the thermal desorption extraction technique, the major VOCs identified in the dog pellet food included pentane (sweet, gasoline-like odor), o-cymene, acetophenone (sweet, pungent taste and orange odor), hexanal (fresh grass odor), and 2-formylbenzoic acid, with peak areas ranging from 7.56×10⁷ to 4.59×10⁸. Hexanal, identified as a key volatile compound in dog food, was found to have a positive correlation with dog food consumption.

These findings provide valuable insights into the use of comprehensive 2D GCxGC-TOF/MS for the qualitative analysis of VOCs in dog pellet food samples in future studies.

In conclusion, odor plays a crucial role in a dog's food preferences, and understanding how technological innovations focusing on key aroma compounds influence a dog's food intake is essential for health and nutrition considerations. The production of appetizing dog food that is fully consumed can help reduce food waste, which would otherwise contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and unnecessary resource use, thereby increasing its perceived value.

In recent years, the interest in venison and organic food has increased. This is a result of the increased awareness of the impact of nutrition on health and is also associated with the dissemination of information about the harmful effects of some components of mass-produced food and about epidemics that have affected farm animals in recent years. The aim of this study was to compare the meat quality of loin and leg cuts from red deer kept in the organic farm system. The animal housing and feeding system complied with the Organic Agriculture Act and EU Regulation 2018/848. Six hinds and six stags of the same age and body weight of 150 kg ± 5.2 kg were randomly selected for the study. Leg and loin samples were taken to assess the quality of the meat. The meat quality was assessed using standard methods. The data were analyzed using the Statistica program. Two-factor analysis of variance was used to compare differences between mean values. The differences were considered statistically significant at p<0.05. The loin had a higher cholesterol content than the leg. There were no significant differences in the content of protein, fat, saturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids between the analyzed cuts. The loin was characterized by a significantly higher content of zinc and iron and a lower content of calcium and magnesium, compared to the leg. Compared to the meat of the females, the meat from the male red deer had a significantly higher iron content. The content of components determined in meat provides information about the similarities and differences in the chemical profile of important culinary elements in venison. This knowledge can help in the selection of cuts with high nutritional value and pro-health properties, meeting the requirements of the prevention of lifestyle diseases.