Since this previous International Symposium, much has happened.

"In 2000 the book Robotic Milking, reflecting the proceedings of an International Symposium which was held in The Netherlands came out. At that time, commercial introduction of automatic milking systems was no longer obstructed by technological inadequacies. Particularly in a few west-European countries, systems were being installed at an increasing rate. However, it was recognised that the changeover from 'traditional' to automatic milking affected the farming operation, herd management and control of milk quality profoundly and that many of the implications were still unknown. So, new challenges in various fields of dairy farming and new research areas emerged. Since this previous International Symposium, much has happened. In general automatic milking has been adopted as a realistic alternative for milking in the 'traditional' milking parlour. Systems have gradually been improved and, maybe even more importantly, farmers have become more familiar with their potential and limitations, both technically and in herd management. The number of farms milking with an automatic milking system has worldwide increased to more than 2.200 by the end of 2003 . From 2000 to now, the level of scientific knowledge on various aspects and consequences of automatic milking has increased largely as well because of research efforts all over the world. A significant share of these efforts has been made within the framework of a EU-granted project on the implications of the introduction of automatic milking on dairy farms. Some seven research institutes and six industrial companies from six countries joined their expertise and experience in order to facilitate a widespread adoption of automatic milking without undesirable side effects. This book reflects the knowledge on automatic milking generated all over the world in the last few years. Its contents can therefore be regarded as the present state of knowledge in the field of automatic milking, for a better understanding."

Milk has played a major contribution to the human diet in many different countries across the world since the dawn of time. The dairy cow was domesticated over 6000 years ago, she was the object of worship in the Middle East 2000 years before Christ, and milk and milk products are mentioned more than 50 times in the Bible. Milk and dairy products have become a major part of the human diet in many countries. It is not surprising therefore, that over many years considerable attention has been paid to improving the quality of milk. We have worked to improve the yield, the compositional quality and the hygienic quality, and have striven to minimise the level of contaminants which can find access to this, perhaps our most natural, unrefined and highly nutritious foodstuff. The chain of people involved in the milk industry extends from milk production-farmers, veterinarians and farm advisors-through transport to processing-quality controllers, manufacturers-and on to retailers, legislators, nutritionists, dairy educators and consumers. All will be interested in the quality parameters of milk which are reg ularly measured for commercial reasons, for trade, for legal requirements and for reasons of nutrition.

This book presents a comprehensive view of emerging smart technologies in various food processing sectors. Specifically, it covers smart technologies applied in food production, food manufacturing, food packaging, storage, distribution, and food supply chain. Contributing authors are the key scientists with diverse backgrounds in either industry or academia. The book contains four parts with four chapters each, presenting recent smart technologies developed in their respective areas. Part I primarily focuses on the recent smart food production innovations such as precision agriculture, vertical farming, automation, robotics , livestock technology, modern greenhouse practices, artificial intelligence, and block chain that dramatically increase the quality of raw materials for the food industry. Part II provides the current knowledge and developments related to the recent smart technologies in manufacturing pertaining to various food sectors, non-thermal food preservation technologies, and 3D printing, developed for the food manufacturing industries that improve the organoleptic and nutritional quality, enhance chemical and microbial safety, as well as cost-effectiveness and convenience of processed foods. Part III covers smart technologies to ensure food safety in the supply chain, with monitoring and surveillance of food contamination, use of IoT and blockchain for food traceability and neural network approach for risk assessment. Part IV provides expert opinions on using smart technologies for minimizing waste and maximizing co-product recovery in food processing; upcycling technologies in food and sustainable value stream mapping in the food industry. This book will be a useful resource to graduate/undergraduate students and researchers in advanced food technology, practicing technologists/engineers in the food and related industries, food packaging industry, entrepreneurs and other scientists and technologists in smart and sustainable processes who seek information on design and development of these processes.

"Precision Livestock Farming presents the latest scientific results from worldwide research, field studies and practical application. The book contains peer-reviewed papers that were presented at the 2nd European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming.The major topics in the book are animal welfare; food quality (including traceability of origin) and environmental pollution (including treatment of animal waste). The wide range of research topics reported will be a valuable resource for researchers, advisors, teachers and professionals in agriculture long after the conference has finished."