About 25% of European livestock intake is based on permanent and sown grasslands. To fulfill rising demand for animal products, an intensification of livestock production may lead to an increased consumption of crop and compound feeds. In order to preserve an economically and environmentally sustainable agriculture, a more forage based livestock alimentation may be an advantage. However, beside...

Intensification and specialisation of agriculture in developed countries enabled productivity to be improved but had detrimental impacts on the environment and threatened the economic viability of a huge number of farms. The combination of livestock and crops, which was very common in the past, is assumed to be a viable alternative to specialised livestock or cropping systems. Mixed crop-livest...

This issue of the ILAR Journal focuses on livestock models in translational medicine. Livestock models of selected human diseases present important advantages as compared with rodent models for translating fundamental breakthroughs in biology to useful preventatives and therapeutics for humans. Livestock reflect the complexity of applying medical advances in an outbred species. In many cases, t...

Foreword Livestock production is the predominant industry in Tibet Autonomous Region of China with significant numbers of yaks, cattle, horses, sheep and goats raised under various production systems. Little is known about the mineral and trace element status of these animals although it is suspected that they may be at risk from iodine and selenium deficiency. This report is the outcome of a c...

It has now been 15 years since the first cloned sheep was born using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). This technique provides a unique tool for preservation of valuable individuals, livestock propagation, genetically modified animals, production research of biomedicine and conservation of endangered species. In this review, research of the SCNT in livestock and endangered species, includin...

Based on production guidelines, organic livestock farming has set itself the goal of establishing environmentally friendly production, sustaining animals in good health, realising high animal welfare standards, and producing products of high quality. By striving for these goals, organic livestock farming meets the demands of an increasing number of consumers who are critical of conventional pro...

Climate change is seen as a major threat to the survival of many species, ecosystems and the sustainability of livestock production systems in many parts of the world. Green house gases (GHG) are released in the atmosphere both by natural sources and anthropogenic (human related) activities. An attempt has been made in this article to understand the contribution of ruminant livestock to climate...

Global food security will require the production of more food using resources including land more efficiently, and with less waste. This goal must be achieved within the context of climate change and while ensuring minimal adverse environmental impact from both crop and livestock production. Disease, especially infectious disease, is a main constraint of biologically efficient livestock product...

The 2 1 st century challenges for genetic improvement are as they have always been and as they will always be for any century: lkeep it simple; 2harness the theory and the practice of selection into the shaping of an ideal that is economically meaningful within the context of the specific production and marketing environments; 3creatively and effectively combine the available stocks in the shap...

Greenhouse gas (GHG; methane and nitrous oxide) emissions from enteric fermentation and manure management of Indian livestock were estimated from the last two Indian livestock census datasets (2003 and 2007) using IPCC Tier 2 (2006) guidelines. The total annual GHG emissions from Indian livestock increased in 2007 compared to the year 2003 with an annual growth rate of 1.52% over this period. T...