Based on papers presented at a symposium held in 2005 in South Africa, this book brings together the academic writings on modelling concepts, problems and applications of models and looks at the development, usefulness and limitations of models in pigs and poultry.

Modelling is a useful tool for decision making in complex agro-industrial scenarios. Containing a selection of the papers presented at the International Symposium of Modelling in Pig and Poultry Production 2013, this book brings together the best and most recent academic work on modelling in the pig and poultry industry, with a particular emphasis on nutrition. It reviews basic modelling concepts, descriptions and applications of production models and new methods and approaches in modelling.

To meet growing demand, the FAO has estimated that world poultry production needs to grow by 2-3% per year to 2030. Much of the increase in output already achieved has been as a result of improvements in commercial breeds combined with rearing in more intensive production systems. However, more intensive systems have increased the risk of transmission of animal diseases and zoonoses. Consumer expectations of sensory and nutritional quality have never been higher. At the same time consumers are more concerned about the environmental impact of poultry production as well as animal welfare. Drawing on an international range of expertise, this book reviews research on poultry breeding and nutrition. The first part of the book reviews how advances in genetics have impacted developments in breeding. Part 2 discusses ways of optimising poultry nutrition to ensure quality and sustainability in poultry meat production. Chapters review the use of feedstuffs and ingredients such as amino acids, enzymes and probiotics as well as feed formulation and safety. Achieving sustainable production of poultry meat Volume 2: Breeding and nutrition will be a standard reference for poultry and food scientists in universities, government and other research centres and companies involved in poultry production. It is accompanied by two further volumes which review safety, quality and sustainability as well as poultry health and welfare.

Understanding voluntary feed intake of pigs enables the precise formulation of pig feeds, ensuring the ingestion of sufficient but not excessive amounts of nutrients to optimise performance. This reference textbook, based on scientific results covers all aspects of feed intake in pigs. It contains up-to-date reviews by renowned scientific experts on different aspects affecting voluntary feed intake and diet selection in pigs. Different physiological factors involved in feed intake regulation, ranging from the sensorial evaluation of feeds, to the hormonal and metabolic regulation of feed intake and the impact of pig health are discussed. The book also deals with aspects such as genetic background of the animals, feeder design, feed manufacturing technology and the use of models to predict feed intake. This book is intended for academics, researchers, students and industry professionals involved in the field of pig nutrition and pig production.

This book is about resource allocation matters with the aim to further development thoughts and models on resource allocation applied to livestock production. It contains 18 chapters divided into 4 parts which discuss resources and resource allocation patterns, trade-offs, metabolic constraints to resource allocation and the process of homeorhesis with a special emphasis to homeorhesis during heat stress; the relationship between food intake and resources allocated to body maintenance, growth, reproduction and the immune response; the consequences of high production efficiency in pigs, poultry and dairy cattle and the consequences of improved production by means of biological engineering and options to include resource allocation matters in the breeding objective, animal welfare and in resource allocation modelling.

Most of the 70 billion animals that are farmed in the world are transported at least once in their lives. For improved animal welfare, sustainability, and profitability it is important that everyone involved in the transportation process takes responsibility for doing a good job. This may require legislation and assurance schemes backed up by inspections and driven by consumer awareness and demand. All aspects of the transportation process, including preparation for transport, handling during loading and unloading, handler and driver training, stocking density on the transport container, journey length, and weather have an effect on animal welfare, meat quality, health after transport, and even mortality during transit. These topics are covered in the papers and reviews in this book together with related aspects such as consumer perceptions of animal transport, cleaning of transport coops, and consideration of on-farm slaughter to obviate the need for transport to an abattoir. The book adds to the knowledge of farm animal transport and highlights areas for future research and improved practice.