Best-fitted regression models for profitability of two egg-type commercial pullets.

This study is focused on describing the most important factors which have a great influence on profitability of egg production of two commercial layer flocks under Egyptian conditions, LSL white and brown. The data for each flock has been collected from seven governorates including the Delta and Upper Egypt zones over the period 2005-2012. General linear procedure was generated to get both least square means and separation of means. Application of stepwise regression was carried to predict the most important factors that affect egg production profitability in US dollar. White egg layers had significantly higher net profit per hen than the brown egg type, being as 12.2 vs. 12.1 cents for the white and brown type egg layers, respectively. Closed houses and battery systems were the preferred systems for the white-egg genotype where pullets achieved significantly higher egg income over feed coast by 15.9 and 14.9 cents for closed and battery system, respectively compared to 10.9 and 11.5 cents for the LSL brown one, respectively. Open houses and floor systems were profitable for brown-egg genotype by recording a significantly higher profitability as 13.3 and 12.7 cents, respectively copmared to 8.7 and 9.7 cents for the white-egg genotype.Both white and brown-egg types had recorded significantly higher net profitability under delta zone rather than upper Egypt by 2.2 cents and 2.1 cents, respectively. Application of the stepwise regression procedure was to predict the net profit (Y) from three independent variables, egg weight (X1), egg price (X2), and hen housed egg production (X3). Generally, LSL white layers, egg price (X2) had the highest share in profitability by 44.24% compared to hen housed egg production (X3) that share 29.98%. For LSL brown layers, egg weight (X1) is the most important factor accounting for the profitability in cents. Its relative importance to the profitability is 57.24% followed by egg price (X2) 21.25%. Hen housed egg production (X3) had very little share 0.14%.

National general truck drivers' strike and food security in a Brazilian metropolis.

OBJECTIVE: We analysed the impact of the national general truck drivers' strike on the availability, variety and price of foods sold by a food supply centre. DESIGN: Descriptive study using secondary data to examine the percentage change in the mean price of fruits, vegetables and eggs before, during and after the strike. The strike in Brazil lasted 10 d from 21 to 30 May 2018. The drivers were on strike in order to make diesel oil tax-free and to obtain better working conditions. SETTING: The food supply centre, named CEASA-Minas Grande BH, was located in the metropolitan area of a Brazilian city. PARTICIPANTS: We examined twenty types of foods. RESULTS: After 10 d, there was a ~30 % reduction in the availability of all types of foods and prices increased. Foods with the highest price increases included cabbage (233·3 %), potatoes (220·0 %), papaya (160·0 %) and oranges (78·6 %). At the end of the strike, we observed reductions in the price of eggs, fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers; however, some foods remained more expensive than before the strike, including chayote (203·2 % higher), cucumber (66·7 % higher) and potatoes (60·0 % higher). CONCLUSIONS: The general truck drivers' strike was correlated with a reduction in the availability of food and, consequently, increases in price and possibly restrictions on access. The strike demonstrated the dependence of metropolises on road transportation and the conventional market. We speculate that initiatives aiming to shorten the food supply chain and promote food sovereignty and resilience of the supply circuits could be important.

Are views towards egg farming associated with Brazilian and Chilean egg consumers' purchasing habits?

In many industrialised countries, public rejection of intensive animal production systems has led to the development of legislation and industry actions that have resulted in significant changes in animal care at the farm level. However, little is known about the views of citizens from emerging countries regarding animal production. The aims of this study were to explore the views of Brazilian and Chilean consumers towards egg farming, and to investigate if these views are associated with participants' eggs purchasing habits and reported willingness to pay (WTP) more for eggs produced in the conditions they perceive as important. In an open question, participants (n = 716) were asked to describe an ideal egg production farm and explain their reasons. This was followed by closed questions asking egg purchasing habits, willingness to pay for eggs produced in the conditions they perceive as important and demographic information. Participants main concerns were with animal welfare, naturalness, hygiene, production, and ethical aspects, which many associated with improved health, sensory, and nutritional quality of the eggs. The views of participants towards an ideal egg production farm were associated, to some extent, with type of egg purchasing habits and WTP a premium for organic or free-range eggs. Our results suggest a demand for more natural, animal friendly egg production systems; furthermore, they indicate a disconnect between lay citizens' expectations and industry practices, given that intensive confined systems typically fail to supply many of the expected characteristics.

The Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply project: An introduction.

In the United States, empirical information on the sustainability of commercial-scale egg production is lacking. The passage of state regulations specific to hen housing created urgency to better understand the effects of different housing systems on the sustainability of the egg supply, and stimulated the formation of a coalition, the Coalition for a Sustainable Egg Supply (CSES), to conduct research on this topic. The CSES is a multi-stakeholder group with 27 members, including food manufacturers, research institutions, scientists, restaurants, food service, retail food companies, egg suppliers, and nongovernmental organizations. A commercial-scale study was developed to better understand the effect of 3 housing systems (conventional cage, enriched colony, and cage-free aviary) on 5 areas related to a sustainable egg supply. These 5 sustainability areas represent effects on people, animals, and the environment: animal health and well-being, environment, food safety, worker health and safety, and food affordability. Five teams of scientists, each associated with a sustainability area, conducted an integrated field study at a commercial site in the upper Midwest through 2 flock cycles in 3 housing systems. This paper provides a brief overview of the CSES project to serve as an introduction for the papers that follow in this volume of Poultry Science.

Trends in greenhouse gas emissions from consumption and production of animal food products - implications for long-term climate targets.

To analyse trends in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from production and consumption of animal products in Sweden, life cycle emissions were calculated for the average production of pork, chicken meat, beef, dairy and eggs in 1990 and 2005. The calculated average emissions were used together with food consumption statistics and literature data on imported products to estimate trends in per capita emissions from animal food consumption. Total life cycle emissions from the Swedish livestock production were around 8.5 Mt carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) in 1990 and emissions decreased to 7.3 Mt CO2e in 2005 (14% reduction). Around two-thirds of the emission cut was explained by more efficient production (less GHG emission per product unit) and one-third was due to a reduced animal production. The average GHG emissions per product unit until the farm-gate were reduced by 20% for dairy, 15% for pork and 23% for chicken meat, unchanged for eggs and increased by 10% for beef. A larger share of the average beef was produced from suckler cows in cow-calf systems in 2005 due to the decreasing dairy cow herd, which explains the increased emissions for the average beef in 2005. The overall emission cuts from the livestock sector were a result of several measures taken in farm production, for example increased milk yield per cow, lowered use of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers in grasslands, reduced losses of ammonia from manure and a switch to biofuels for heating in chicken houses. In contrast to production, total GHG emissions from the Swedish consumption of animal products increased by around 22% between 1990 and 2005. This was explained by strong growth in meat consumption based mainly on imports, where growth in beef consumption especially was responsible for most emission increase over the 15-year period. Swedish GHG emissions caused by consumption of animal products reached around 1.1 t CO2e per capita in 2005. The emission cuts necessary for meeting a global temperature-increase target of 2° might imply a severe constraint on the long-term global consumption of animal food. Due to the relatively limited potential for reducing food-related emissions by higher productivity and technological means, structural changes in food consumption towards less emission-intensive food might be required for meeting the 2° target.

Market potential for guinea fowl (Numidia meleagris) products.

The survey evaluated the market potential for guinea fowl (GF; Numidia meleagris) products in the city of Harare, Zimbabwe. Questionnaires were administered to traders/producers (n = 17), retailers (n = 12), cafeteria industry (n = 33) and consumers (n = 1,680) to establish their perceptions on guinea fowl products. The average household size was 6 ± 2. Each trader sold 10 ± 6.30 keets (mean ± standard error), 33 ± 15.05 growers, 20 ± 12.69 breeders and 20 ± 10.1 crates of 30 eggs per month. Each household consumed 2.5 ± 1.39 kg of GF meat and 3 ± 0.65 dozens of GF eggs per month. Retailers purchased 52 ± 44.42 crates of GF eggs and 41 ± 30.50/kg of GF meat whilst cafeteria purchased 33.6 ± 14 crates of GF eggs and 65.5 ± 33.52 kg of GF meat per month. Growers for breeding were the major product for sale by traders (94.1%) at a price of US$7.50 ± 1.74/bird. Different industries were offering different prices for guinea fowl products because of their scarcity on the market. The mean purchase price per crate of 30 guinea fowl eggs sold to the retail and cafeteria were US$3.00 ± 0.58 and US$4.50 ± 0.50, respectively. The mean purchase prices for GF meat was lower (P < 0.05) for retailers (US$2.5 ± 0.81/kg) than cafeteria (US$3.67 ± 0.83/kg). The challenges faced by producers in the marketing of guinea fowl products included poor supply due to the absence of good road networks to connect source areas and the market, perishability of dressed chickens due to power cuts and poor publicity. Overall, the study showed that there is greater market potential for guinea fowl products and farmers can channel their products through traders, cafeteria and retail industries.

Spatial and temporal distribution of fish eggs and larvae in a subtropical coastal lagoon, Santa Catarina State, Brazil

This study investigated the variation in abundance, distribution and composition of ichthyoplankton in a lagoon in southern Brazil through the year and at different stations within the lagoon. Ibiraquera Lagoon is a shallow coastal lagoon connected to the sea by a semi-permanent sandbar. Ichthyoplankton samples were collected monthly from December 2003 to December 2004, with a 200 µm mesh net using horizontal surface hauls. A colder, drier period was detected, contrasting with warm months during which salinity varied depending on rainfall and whether the sandbar was open or closed. The mean abundance of ichthyoplankton over the study period was 459.6 ± 76.2 (SE) eggs · 100 m-3 and 63.6 ± 7.9 (SE) larvae · 100 m-3, and they were present during all months. Significantly higher abundances of eggs and larvae were observed during warm months. The community was dominated by the family Engraulidae followed by Clupeidae, Gobiidae and Mugilidae. Engraulidae and Clupeidae were present throughout the year, with greater abundances in months with higher temperatures. Some coastal fish species spawn in Ibiraquera Lagoon, mainly near to the sandbar, demonstrating that the lagoon is a spawning area for coastal stock. We recommend the establishment of environmental procedures to promote the conservation of Ibiraquera Lagoon and its ichthyoplankton community.

A abundância, distribuição e composição do ictioplâncton foram investigadas em uma lagoa no sul do Brasil durante um ano e em diferentes estações dentro da lagoa. A lagoa de Ibiraquera é uma lagoa costeira rasa, conectada ao mar através de uma barra semi-permanente. As amostras de ictioplâncton foram coletadas mensalmente entre dezembro de 2003 e dezembro de 2004, com uma rede cônico-cilíndrica de 200 µm de malha em arrastos horizontais e de superfície. Foi detectado um período frio e seco em contraste aos meses quentes e com variação na salinidade em função das chuvas e da barra estar aberta ou fechada. A abundância média do ictioplâncton, durante o período de estudo, foi de 459,6 ± 76,2 (SE) ovos · 100 m-3 e 63,6 ± 7,9 (SE) larvas · 100 m-3, e ocorreram em todos os meses. As abundâncias de ovos e larvas foram significativamente maiores nos meses quentes. A comunidade foi dominada pela família Engraulidae seguida pelas famílias Clupeidae, Gobiidae e Mugilidae. As famílias Engraulidae e Clupeidae ocorreram principalmente nos meses com maiores temperaturas. Alguns peixes costeiros desovam dentro da lagoa, principalmente próximo a barra, evidenciando que a lagoa é uma área de desova para o estoque costeiro. Recomenda-se o estabelecimento de ações ambientais que promovam a conservação da lagoa de Ibiraquera e da comunidade ictioplanctônica.