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Item Pasture access and eye temperature in dairy cows(Taylor & Francis, 2022-04-13) Crumpa, Andrew; Jenkinsa, Kirsty; Bethellb, Emily J.; Ferris, Conrad; Arnotta, Gareth; Sustainable LivestockPasture access can benefit dairy cows’ behavior, health, and welfare, but herds are increasingly housed indoors full-time. Recent infrared thermal-imaging (thermography) studies suggest that higher eye temperatures may be a physiological indicator of chronic stress. We, therefore, hypothesized that, compared to cows with pasture access, cows housed indoors full-time would have higher eye temperatures. In a two-phase crossover experiment, 29 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows experienced 18 days of overnight pasture access and 18 days of full-time indoor housing. We measured each animal’s eye temperature 16 times (eight/phase). During Phase One, cows with pasture access had higher eye temperatures than cows housed indoors full-time (contrary to our hypothesis). However, during Phase Two, cows with pasture access had lower eye temperatures than cows housed indoors full-time. It is, therefore, unclear whether eye temperature reflected disparities in dairy cow welfare between different housing treatments.Item Antiviral activity of a novel mixture of natural antimicrobials, in vitro, and in a chicken infection model in vivo(Springer Nature, 2020-10-06) Balta, Igori; Stef, Lavinia; Pet, Ioan; Ward, Patrick; Callaway, Todd; Ricke, Steven C.; Gundogdu, Ozan; Corcionivoschi, Nicolae; Animal Health and WelfareThe aim of this study was to test in vitro the ability of a mixture of citrus extract, maltodextrin, sodium chloride, lactic acid and citric acid (AuraShield L) to inhibit the virulence of infectious bronchitis, Newcastle disease, avian influenza, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and bovine coronavirus viruses. Secondly, in vivo, we have investigated its efficacy against infectious bronchitis using a broiler infection model. In vitro, these antimicrobials had expressed antiviral activity against all five viruses through all phases of the infection process of the host cells. In vivo, the antimicrobial mixture reduced the virus load in the tracheal and lung tissue and significantly reduced the clinical signs of infection and the mortality rate in the experimental group E2 receiving AuraShield L. All these effects were accompanied by a significant reduction in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and an increase in IgA levels and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in both trachea and lungs. Our study demonstrated that mixtures of natural antimicrobials, such AuraShield L, can prevent in vitro viral infection of cell cultures. Secondly, in vivo, the efficiency of vaccination was improved by preventing secondary viral infections through a mechanism involving significant increases in SCFA production and increased IgA levels. As a consequence the clinical signs of secondary infections were significantly reduced resulting in recovered production performance and lower mortality rates in the experimental group E2.Item A Review of UK-Registered and Candidate Vaccines for Bovine Respiratory Disease(MDPI, 2021-11-27) Lemon, Joanne; McMenamy, Michael; Animal Health and WelfareVaccination is widely regarded as a cornerstone in animal or herd health and infectious disease management. Nineteen vaccines against the major pathogens implicated in bovine respiratory disease are registered for use in the UK by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). However, despite annual prophylactic vaccination, bovine respiratory disease is still conservatively estimated to cost the UK economy approximately £80 million per annum. This review examines the vaccine types available, discusses the surrounding literature and scientific rationale of the limitations and assesses the potential of novel vaccine technologies.Item Occupational Injury and Working Days Lost in Northern Ireland’s Farming Sector(Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2020) Angioloni, Simone; Jack, Claire; McCarry, RonanAgriculture is one of the most hazardous sectors in terms of occupational injuries resulting in 29 more working days being lost. This paper employs a dataset of 7,500 Northern Irish farms 30 over the period 2015-2019 to investigate what factors affect the number of working days lost 31 in agriculture. Results indicate that public policies aimed to improve farm safety should focus 32 on dairy farms, young workers, family members different from the main farmer, and 33 dangerous working practices related to machineries and vehicles. Besides, results indicate 34 that more than 18,000 workdays are lost every year in Northern Irish farms.