Research

Project Details:
Ziel des Projektes ist das Vorkommen von Anti-Sperma-Antikörpern und Leukozyten im Samen einer Population von Warmblutzuchthengsten zu untersuchen. Weiterhin sollen die Auswirkungen von Anti-Sperma-Antikörpern und Leukozyten auf die Spermaqualität der betroffenen Hengste und die Entwicklung belegungsinduzierter Entzündungsreaktionen bei Stuten erforscht werden.

Cooperation Partners:

Niedersächsisches Landgestüt Celle

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch die Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung., 46.000 EUR

Project Details:
The reduction of the salt content is a regularly discussed topic in recent years, which should be considered by the food processing industry, for example through a reduction or the replacement of sodium chloride with other substances such as potassium or magnesium chloride. In addition to the sensory properties that are mainly perceived by consumers, however, technological and microbiological parameters are also important. The aim of this study is therefore to produce raw sausages and cooked cured meats both with reduced sodium chloride concentrations and with the addition of potassium and magnesium chloride and to analyse both the sensory and other parameters. The aim is to show which (minimum) concentrations of sodium chloride or salt substitutes can be used to produce products that are acceptable for consumers in terms of food quality and, in particular, safety.

Funding: Technische Informationsbibliothek Hannover (TIB); FKZ 56000016-39/TiHo, 3.505 EUR

Project Details:
The topic of "mobile slaughtering" is currently moving into the focus of the meat industry, as this particularly meets the aspects of regionality and animal welfare. It can be assumed that animals are subjected to more stress during conventional slaughtering, especially during transport to the slaughterhouse, than when they are gently stunned and slaughtered in their usual environment. So-called "mobile slaughtering" is subject to special and partly new legal backgrounds with associated official approval procedures. Within the framework of the project, a teaching unit for veterinary students on the subject of "mobile slaughtering" is to be created as a supplement to and comparison with conventional slaughtering. The teaching unit will address legal backgrounds, animal welfare as well as food quality and safety. In addition, further teaching material (presentations, legal texts, etc.) will be created, prepared and made available to the students on the TiHo-Moodle learning platform together with the teaching unit. The teaching unit can be used by all students of veterinary medicine in the German-speaking countries via the portal twillo. In addition, it is tangential to the field of agriculture (agrarian sector), the butcher and butchery sector, as well as other veterinarians who are already active in the public veterinary sector and come into contact with the associated licensing procedures. Likewise, the teaching unit enables the interested consumer community to gain insight into this field.

Project Details:
Holding and managing pigs currently faces diverse adjustments regarding animal welfare, castration, tail docking and housing in crate stands. Farmers discuss this in different blogs and expert forms in the internet. In this study expert opinion in the internet are assessed to evaluate the experts? knowledge regarding the themes named aboved. Citations shall be compared with current evidence base scientific knowledge. Differences shall be described and discussed in order to developed tight-fit training and education.

Project Details:
The preventive effect of a prebiotic feed on the occurrence of tail biting in pigs is investigated. Situations in which tail biting occurs are characterized in terms of clinical signs, colostrum supply in the preceding phase of life, and concentration of inflammatory and stress parameters in blood and saliva in the rearing phase. The aim of the study is to clarify whether improved intestinal health through feeding prebiotics has a preventive effect against tail biting and whether the sum of all negative influencing factors including stress experienced since birth, which may be reflected in laboratory diagnostic parameters (acute phase proteins, stress markers), lead to the occurrence of tail biting after a so far undefined threshold has been exceeded.

Cooperation Partners:

Jakob Aundrup, Schweinegesundheitsdienst der Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen

Project Details:
Comparison of different methods for typing of App

Cooperation Partners:

Henning Lindhaus

Project Details:
The persistence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) on the tonsils facilitates the spread of the pathogen in pig populations. Microbiological-cultural detection of the pathogen from tonsils has proven to be difficult because the diverse commensal colonization by other bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus suis) often overgrows App during culturing. The use of selective media leads to higher sensitivity of bacteriological diagnostics, but nevertheless, the success rate compared to molecular biological tests (PCR) is not satisfactory.
In most cases, acute outbreaks of porcine pleuropneumonia occur in persistently infected pigs under the influence of trigger factors. In vitro, the influence of stress hormones, such as cortisol and catecholamines on the growth behavior of the pathogen will be investigated. Possibly, catecholamines and cortisol can be used under in vitro conditions to improve the growth behavior of A. pleuropneumoniae.

Funding: Ministerium für Energiewende, Landwirtschaft, Umwelt, Natur und Digitalisierung, 225.774 EUR

Project Details:
The population of the native grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) developed well after their protection and subsequent recolonisation of the Wadden Sea. The positive trend of the population poses a challenge from the management perspective. There is an increasing requirement of suitable habitat, which is commonly associated with enhanced conflict potential. A special kind of conflict exists on the Heligoland Dune, where the largest grey seal colony occurs in German waters. Individual animals habituated to human presence due to spatial density and the continuous close contact between humans and animals and therefore do not display the expected escape reflex anymore. This involves an increased risk potential for swimmers, especially in the water. This study aims to test specific management measures in order to create a swimming area safe for people and to implement them officially if successful. On that account, an acoustic method shall be tested, which has not been used for that purpose yet and is based on the so called startle reflex. In contrast to conventional acoustic devices scaring off seals unspecifically, a very specific signal will be used, which has got no extensive negative effects on target and also non-target species in theory. The study investigates if the application of this system has got the desired efficiency and causes no evident negative effects in this special context.

Results:

Within the framework of the project work already carried out, it has not yet been possible to achieve the targeted goals, as unexpected problems have arisen during data collection in the field. Considering the importance of this system for the community of Helgoland, as well as for the acceptance of grey seals by the inhabitants and guests of Helgoland, it would be important to complete this started experiment. Through a desired project extension, an objectively evaluable data basis should be created, wherewith the acoustic deterrence system can be evaluated.

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz, 166.732 EUR

Project Details:
The area of responsibility of advisors is determined and recommendations are given on how responsible advice can be implemented in practice. A concept and material for further training courses will be developed which, on the one hand, clarify the responsibility of advisors and, on the other hand, also convey the animal ethical aspects of advice.

Results:

The provision of advice to farms plays an important role in establishing animal welfare measures in livestock farming. One of the aims of the project was to identify the interrelationships of responsibility in advisory services. To this end, the areas of responsibility were first determined, e.g. in the design of the advisory process or in the decision and implementation of the advisory content.

As values can influence the guidance process, it is always important for guidance practitioners to be clear about their values, whereby it is also important to differentiate between their own values and those of the employer. Critical reflection is an important tool for this. Significant values were identified during the project.

A framework was also created with regard to animal welfare/animal protection, which shows the responsibility of advisors. In the course of this, it was possible to outline the approaches that animal welfare advice must pursue in order to meet the requirements for good advice and to be able to provide sustainable approaches for greater animal welfare.

When discussing animal welfare/animal protection, there are always conflicts of objectives.

It is very important for the success of an advisory service that these conflicting goals are identified.A decision-making cascade developed in the project is intended to provide a remedy here, which is intended to encourage reflection throughout the advisory activity.

The project developed a training program that has already been successfully tested in practice. It dealt with the thematic blocks entitled "Consultancy in the knowledge system of agriculture", "Fundamentals of animal ethics", "Responsibility and scope for responsibility in consultancy", "Values and requirements for ethically "good" consultancy", "Animal welfare and animal protection in consultancy" and "Conflicting objectives and the decision-making cascade".

The extremely large number of advisors from both official and private advisory services who attended the event showed the great interest in this topic in the run-up to the event and thus also the need to address it among advisors.

The project has thus succeeded in defining the area of responsibility of counselors and providing them with recommendations on how responsible counseling can be implemented. The training program clarifies the responsibility of advisors and highlights the importance of advice for animal welfare and animal protection.

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz, 166.732 EUR

Project Details:
Der Verantwortungsraum von Berater/Innen wird bestimmt und Empfehlungen an die Hand gegeben, wie eine verantwortungsbewusste Beratung konkret umgesetzt werden kann. Es werden Konzept und Material für Fortbildungsangebote entwickelt, die zum einen Verantwortung von Berater/innen verdeutlichen und zum anderen auch die tierethischen Aspekte in der Beratung vermitteln.