Globally, huge amounts of foods are wasted and lost, which can be brought back to the food chain by converting them to animal feed. A FAO e-conference addressed challenges and opportunities in realising this transformation. The discussions strongly advocated the need to revise the FAO’s definition of food loss and waste (FLW) in the context of using food as feed, identified non-food parts and situations (e.g. natural calamities) wherein FLW can be converted to feed, and identified roles of various stakeholders from academia, NGOs to food and feed industries. This will provide guidance to the use of FLW as feed.

Genetic associations of visual scores and hip height are important information for selection decisions. In this study the relationship between conformation, precocity and muscling scores with hip height at yearling and at maturity were estimated. Our study reports higher genetic correlation between conformation score and hip height than other scores and hip height. In beef cattle population not selected for precocity and muscling scores and with larger cows, the females’ hip height can be considered in the selection process.

The glucose metabolism in the mammary tissue (MT) is controlled by genes whose nutritional regulation is poorly documented. In this study the effect of under- and overfeeding on the expression of genes related to glucose metabolism in goat MT was determined. A significant reduction on mRNA of β- (1, 4) galactosyltransferase and α-lactalbumin in the MT of underfed goats, compared with the overfed, was observed. In conclusion, the feeding level affects glucose utilisation and not glucose transportation in the MT of goats.

Feed use efficiency and greenhouse gas production by cattle are key sustainability traits in beef production. This study quantified associations between enteric methane production, feed efficiency and growth of cattle differing in genetic merit for feed efficiency. While faster growth was associated with less methane produced per kilogram feed and per kilogram liveweight gain, selection for feed efficiency was not assured of reducing these traits.

Date pulp (DP) is an important by-product of the date palm industry that can be used as a proper feed source for small ruminants. Therefore, the effect of different levels of DP in sheep nutrition was studied. This study showed that DP at 14% can be used as an alternative feed resource in sheep nutrition, especially in semiarid areas.

The effect of fresh pasture forage quality, cattle class and physiological state on methane production from cattle are currently not considered in the calculation of the New Zealand greenhouse gas inventory. These parameters were found to have minor effects on methane emissions in cattle fed fresh pasture in respiration chambers. Dry matter intake alone was the strongest single predictor for total daily methane production and explained 91% of variation.

High grain costs added to the availability of by-products is pushing the dairy industry to look for feed alternatives that may maintain performance and health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of partial replacement of corn with crude glycerin in the starter feed for dairy calves. Crude glycerin can be used as an alternative energy source and replace corn up to 10% in the starter feed for liquid-fed dairy calves without affecting growth, rumen development or metabolism.

Yeast products are widely used as feed additives in ruminant diets. Yet, their effects on methane production and energy and nitrogen utilisation have rarely been investigated simultaneously. This experiment reported that the dietary addition of an active dried yeast product at 30% or 60% dietary concentrate levels had no effect on feed intake, milk production, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen utilisation efficiency by dairy cows. Yeast supplementation tended to decrease energy retention and increase methane per unit of feed intake.

Cereal grains are fed to grazing cattle to increase productivity. Added grain may have a negative impact on digestion and change lipid content and composition of beef. In this trial, cattle grazing oats pasture received a supplement composed of whole oats grain. Supplementation increased rate of weight gain without impairing digestibility. Although small changes in beef lipid profile were detected, beef quality measurements all remained similar to that of unsupplemented grazing steers. Supplementing grazing cattle with unprocessed oats can improve productivity, sustain digestibility of grazed forage and quality of beef.

The increasing competition for feed between man and livestock necessitates the need to identify alternative non-conventional feedstuffs for livestock. Knowledge on accurate inclusion levels of leguminous leaf meals as alternative protein sources for pigs is scant. Changes in blood serum parameters and abdominal organs are useful diagnostic tools to assess the wellness of pigs. Understanding responses in physiological indicators to varying leaf meal inclusion levels enables nutritionists to identify appropriate levels that allow a balance between performance and animal wellbeing as well as alleviating the demand for conventional soybean as a pig feed ingredient.

The effect of supplementing copra meal-based diets with different enzyme products on pig growth was studied. The level of 150 g copra meal/kg diet is optimum for pigs but Allzyme or mannanase supplementation is beneficial at higher levels. These findings can be used to reduce cost of pork production in regions where copra meal is readily available.

In vitro batch culture systems are popular for the screening and testing of fermentation kinetics and end products from a large number of substrates. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is little information comparing different batch culture systems and their effect on rumen fermentation pathways and methane production. This study compared in vitro fermentation kinetics and end products from two different in vitro batch culture systems. It was concluded that results from both systems are not numerically comparable for gas, methane and volatile fatty acids production data.

Offering livestock dietary choice could increase livestock productivity by enabling animals to regulate their own feed intake, balance nutritional requirements and regulate rumen function. Research at Hamilton, Victoria, has shown that lambs show clear dietary preferences for different pasture species and this affects intake and grazing behaviour. Offering pasture species in different combinations and proportions could therefore be used as a mechanism for altering livestock grazing behaviour and subsequently increasing livestock productivity.

Offering livestock choice between different combinations of pasture species enables animals to regulate their own feed intake, balance nutritional requirements and regulate rumen function. Research at Hamilton, Victoria, has shown that lambs show clear dietary preferences for different pasture species but that ultimately livestock productivity was determined by the amount of legume present in the diet. The use of legumes in prime lamb systems, is therefore a key determinant of system productivity.

Haemonchus is responsible for the death of more goats than any other parasite and since development of resistance to anthelmintic chemicals this parasite has put goat production in jeopardy. We provided better nutrition as this has been suggested as a mechanism for improving the immune response of goats against this parasite. A single infective dose did not cause pathogenic effects in mature does and reduced the number of parasite eggs found in the goats’ faeces.

A model of lice prevalence was used to examine the value of fencing to avoid sheep straying, used in conjunction with other lice management options. The model showed that fencing was cost-effective only if it targeted the most critical boundaries. It was concluded that improved biosecurity against straying of sheep is best considered as a reinforcement of more effective eradication methods.

The study aimed to identify groups of smallholding family dairy producers in southern Brazil, who are responsible for 90% of the milk produced in the region. Main group differences included land and herd size and milk productivity, feeding management, use of external inputs and milking infrastructure and hygiene. These results highlight the need to develop specific strategies and policies to allow these different types of producers to coexist in the dairy production chain.

Dairy production of cows grazing pasture can be increased by feeding them cereal-based supplements, but the economically rational amount to be fed depends on the production response. Data from 24 supplement feeding experiments were statistically analysed to derive accurate mathematical formulae that predict response. These production-response formulae are ready to incorporate into software for use by farmers and their advisers.

Uniformity of production is an important goal in animal breeding. Oestrus synchronisation is used to increase uniformity of days from calving to first service in dairy cows. Reducing the residual variance of days from calving to first services by genetic selection is another option to increase uniformity.

Zilpaterol and soybean oil effects on lipid composition and meat quality from ewe hair lambs were studied. Ewe lambs were fed with a high concentrate diet. Zilpaterol supplementation to ewes increased the carcass yield, but not the meat quality. Meat quality was not modified by soybean oil supplementation. New strategies to nutritionally improve lamb meat lipid profile should be explored.

A novel strategy was constructed for balancing the demand of the consumer for pale coloured meat and the welfare of calves for veal production. Restricting iron intake for the final 60 days of a 180-day growth trial did not affect the meat quality and slaughter performance except for improving the meat percentage. This strategy could apply to improving the welfare of calves for the production of veal worldwide.

Crambe (Crambe abyssinica hochst) is an oleaginous plant and has emerged as an alternative biodiesel crop, particularly in South America, but also in North America, Europe and Africa. Although several research groups are currently evaluating crambe byproducts as food for farm animals, the fatty acid profile of meat from these animals has not yet been evaluated. Here, we describe a clear negative effect of increasing replacement of soybean meal protein with crambe cake protein on the profile of fatty acid of the lamb meat, which would render it unsuitable for human consumption.

Textural greasy wool handle is assessed on-farm in breeding programs to improve the quality of wool produced. The effectiveness of this assessment was scrutinised using three different assessment methods. Results indicate the assessment of textural greasy wool handle was the most repeatable when assessed on loose solvent scoured wool samples followed by loose greasy wool samples and finally on live animal assessment. Breeding programs that include textural greasy wool handle with a high emphasis may achieve greater gains when assessing in a more repeatable format.