7,500 Years of Cheese Making in Europe
M Djuric, Dairy Science Editor Compelling evidence of cheese-making has been uncovered in prehistoric pottery sieves found in the Kuyavia region in Poland by researchers from Great Britain, Poland and the United States. The study has just been published online in Nature journal on 12 December 2012. An abundance of milk fats was detected in these specialized…
Pandemic influenza: lessons learned from 2009-10
Pandemics appear to have occurred throughout history, the first being recognized in 1580. Reviewing previous pandemics can give an indication of what might be expected, however nothing is certain - it is impossible to predict the next pandemic virus or its impact, as demonstrated by the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic.
Dog share?
“Can we have a pet for Christmas?” is something I hear a lot each December. The answer, much to my children’s disappointment, is always no. In addition to the fact that we are often told that Christmas is not the best time to introduce a new animal into a household [e.g. see PetRescue.Com article: No…
Voices from the woodlands
2012 has been an interesting year for those concerned with woods and forests. We’ve seen the outputs from the Independent Panel on Forestry and we’ve had the British Woodlands Survey - not to mention ash dieback. A recent conference gave voice to those woodland workers, owners, and managers who took part in the survey, providing a fresh…
The 2012 UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 18) – the outcome
As it has become a tradition with the UN climate talks each year, a decision or final agreement wasn’t reached until after the official end. The meeting was meant to close on Friday, 7th December 2012, but final agreements were only reached and made public on Saturday 8th.
The 2012 UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 18) – My highlights of the first week
The United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 18) has been taking place in Doha, Qatar, for a week now (please see my previous blog). Much hope, albeit no optimism, is being pinned on these events, as scientists warned recently that the planet is heading for catastrophic levels of warming, of as much as 4-6…
Debate over Infectious Salmon Anaemia Virus in Wild Fish
Miroslav Djuric, DVM Infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) is a pathogen of marine-farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). However, ISAV can be transmitted experimentally to fish in fresh water. Outbreaks are restricted to Atlantic salmon but other salmonids may harbour the virus and act as reservoirs. ISAV remains an emerging fish pathogen because of the asymptomatic…
Global Milk Production Increasing at Fast Pace
By Miroslav Djuric, Editor (Dairy Science Abstracts) Global milk production in 2012 is forecast to reach 760 million tonnes, according to a new report published in the Food Outlook by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). This would represent an annual increase of 3%, largely due to the increased production in Asia, Oceania…
The 2012 UN Climate Change Conference in Qatar (COP 18)
View of the Qatar National Convention Centre, venue of the Meeting (photo courtesy of the Qatar National Convention Centre.) The 2012 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 18) opened today, 26th November 2012 in Doha, Qatar, at the Qatar National Convention Centre, and will continue until the 7th December. Key issues to be dealt with will…
Global Meat Production Continues to Rise – Pork and Poultry Meat Are the Most Popular
Pork is still the most popular meat globally, followed closely by poultry meat. Global production of pork in 2011 was 109 million tons, accounting for 37% of the total meat, while poultry meat production reached 101 million tons, according to a recent report from the Worldwatch Institute These data represent a 0.8% annual decrease in pork…