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Mullan S, Nogueira SSC, Nogueira-Filho S, Zanella A, Rooney N, Held SDE, Mendl M. Farming non-typical sentient species: ethical framework requires passing a high bar. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS 2024; 37:10. [PMID: 38803823 PMCID: PMC11127879 DOI: 10.1007/s10806-024-09928-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
More widespread farming of species not typically used as livestock may be part of a sustainable approach for promoting human health and economic prosperity in a world with an increasing population; a current example is peccary farming in the Neotropics. Others have argued that species that are local to a region and which are usually not farmed should be considered for use as livestock. They may have a more desirable nutrient profile than species that are presently used as livestock. It may also reduce the pressure from hunting on other wild species, and cause less environmental damage than exotic species. We propose a sentiocentric utilitarian framework that could be used to decide whether species that are local, but generally not used as livestock, should be farmed. To illustrate the use of our decision-making framework, we employ two contrasting neotropical case studies: the Spotted Paca (Cuniculus paca) and the Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). We argue that it may be acceptable to use non-sentient species that are typically not farmed as livestock. However, research should determine whether farming them offers human, environmental or sustainability benefits. In addition, we recommend that if invertebrate species are considered for farming, research should be conducted to determine the likelihood that they are sentient. Finally, given the ethical failings of current livestock farming practices, we argue that a high bar must be met if 'new' species that are sentient are to be farmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siobhan Mullan
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Selene S. C. Nogueira
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rod. Jorge Amado, Km 16 - Salobrinho, Ilhéus, BA 45662-900 Brazil
| | - Sérgio Nogueira-Filho
- Departamento de Ciências Agrárias E Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rod. Jorge Amado, Km 16, Salobrinho, Ilhéus, BA 45662-900 Brazil
| | - Adroaldo Zanella
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, University of São Paulo, R. Duque de Caxias, 225, Caixa Postal 23, Pirassununga, SP 13635-900 Brazil
| | - Nicola Rooney
- Bristol Vet School, University of Bristol, Langford, Avon, BS40 5DU UK
| | | | - Michael Mendl
- Bristol Vet School, University of Bristol, Langford, Avon, BS40 5DU UK
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Kumar P, Abubakar AA, Verma AK, Umaraw P, Adewale Ahmed M, Mehta N, Nizam Hayat M, Kaka U, Sazili AQ. New insights in improving sustainability in meat production: opportunities and challenges. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2023; 63:11830-11858. [PMID: 35821661 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2096562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Treating livestock as senseless production machines has led to rampant depletion of natural resources, enhanced greenhouse gas emissions, gross animal welfare violations, and other ethical issues. It has essentially instigated constant scrutiny of conventional meat production by various experts and scientists. Sustainably in the meat sector is a big challenge which requires a multifaced and holistic approach. Novel tools like digitalization of the farming system and livestock market, precision livestock farming, application of remote sensing and artificial intelligence to manage production and environmental impact/GHG emission, can help in attaining sustainability in this sector. Further, improving nutrient use efficiency and recycling in feed and animal production through integration with agroecology and industrial ecology, improving individual animal and herd health by ensuring proper biosecurity measures and selective breeding, and welfare by mitigating animal stress during production are also key elements in achieving sustainability in meat production. In addition, sustainability bears a direct relationship with various social dimensions of meat production efficiency such as non-market attributes, balance between demand and consumption, market and policy failures. The present review critically examines the various aspects that significantly impact the efficiency and sustainability of meat production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavan Kumar
- Laboratory of Sustainable Animal Production and Biodiversity, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Livestock Products Technology, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
| | - Abubakar Ahmed Abubakar
- Laboratory of Sustainable Animal Production and Biodiversity, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Akhilesh Kumar Verma
- Department of Livestock Products Technology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Pramila Umaraw
- Department of Livestock Products Technology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Muideen Adewale Ahmed
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nitin Mehta
- Department of Livestock Products Technology, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
| | - Muhammad Nizam Hayat
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ubedullah Kaka
- Department of Companion Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Awis Qurni Sazili
- Laboratory of Sustainable Animal Production and Biodiversity, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Halal Products Research Institute, Putra Infoport, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
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Jones KR. Update of Cestodes Parasitizing Neotropical Hystricomorphic Rodent. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:885678. [PMID: 35573400 PMCID: PMC9106386 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.885678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
This review aims at identifying cestodes that are present in hunted rodent species in the neo-tropical region. The rodent species that was investigated were the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, Linnaeus, 1766), lappe (Cuniculus paca, Linnaeus, 1766), agouti (Dasyprocta leporina, Linnaeus, 1758), chinchilla (Chinchilla chinchilla, Lichtenstein, 1829), Trinidad spiny rat (Proehimys trinitatus, Allen and Chapman, 1893), nutria (Myocastor coypus, Molina, 1782), and vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus, Desmarest, 1817). These rodent species are utilized for their meats in many rural communities in the Caribbean and South America. These rodents belong to the hystricomorphic group. Raillietina demerariensis Daniels, 1895 was commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract of D. leporina, C. paca and P. trinitatus. Similarly, in the liver, muscle and subcutaneous tissue the metacestodes on Echinococcus vogeli Daniels, 1895 and Echinococcus oligarthrus was found in the lappe and agouti. The capybara was found to have the most species of cestodes in its gastrointestinal tract when compared to the agouti and lappe. However, metacestodes were not recorded in the tissues of the capybara. This surprising feature shows the effect of the difference in feeding habits between the capybara and the agouti and lappe. The literature reviewed in this study includes scientific publications on cestodes and metacestodes of Hystricomorphic rodents. An exhaustive search was performed using the digital repositories in Google Scholar, Scielo, Redalyc, Scopus and Pubmed. Literature searched spanned the years 1970-2021. Cestodes of zoonotic significance were E. vogeli and E. oligarthrus, with humans becoming infected when consuming eggs of contaminated food and water. The agouti and lappe act as intermediate host in the life cycle of E. vogeli and E. oligarthrus, the definitive host (canids and felids) become infected by consuming of tissue infected with metacestodes. Humans become infected through the ingestion of eggs from the definitive host where cystic lesions develop in the liver, lungs and other abdominal organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kegan Romelle Jones
- Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Mt. Hope, Trinidad and Tobago
- Department of Food Production, Faculty of Food and Agriculture, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
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Systemic Bacterial Infection in a Captive Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina Linnaeus, 1758). ScientificWorldJournal 2022; 2022:8300247. [PMID: 35281747 PMCID: PMC8906969 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8300247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) is a neotropical rodent which has the potential to be domesticated. As such, some research studies have been done on the biology of this animal. Recently, these animals are being kept in captivity as a source of animal protein. Animals which are kept in captivity may present diseases that would not have been reported in the wild due to lack of observation or the lack of occurrence. The aim of this short communication is to report a case of systemic bacterial infection that affected the lungs and liver of a captive agouti. Bacterial analysis revealed that the infection was caused by Escherichia coli. Bacterial infections have been reported in the mammary tissue as well as the skin of the agouti, but to the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of systemic infection in the agouti affecting several organs. This case was seen in a nine-month-old male agouti that was being housed at the University of the West Indies Field Station (UWI, UFS). The animal showed no apparent sign of disease except for lethargy and subsequently died before any treatment was administered. These findings showed that the agouti may have been under some stress (nutritional or environmental) which predisposed this animal to this infection. Future work has to address the nutritional requirements for the growing agouti as well as some treatment options for managements of similar cases in the future.
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Jones KR. Trichuris spp. in Animals, with Specific Reference to Neo-Tropical Rodents. Vet Sci 2021; 8:15. [PMID: 33494133 PMCID: PMC7909510 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci8020015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Trichuriasis is the clinical disease of animals infected with the parasite of the genus Trichuris. This review attempts to present information on Trichuris spp. infestation in neo-tropical rodents that are utilized for meat consumption by humans. Neo-tropical rodents utilized for meat production can be divided into two categories: those that have been domesticated, which include the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), and those that are on the verge of domestication, such as the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), lappe (Cuniculus paca/Agouti paca), and agouti (Dasyprocta leporina). This document reviews the literature on the species of Trichuris that affects the rodents mentioned above, as well as the clinical signs observed. The literature obtained spans over sixty years, from 1951 to 2020. Trichuris spp. was found in these neo-tropical rodents mentioned. However, there is a dearth of information on the species of Trichuris that parasitize these animals. The capybara was the only rodent where some molecular techniques were used to identify a new species named T. cutillasae. In most cases, Trichuris spp. was found in combination with other endoparasites, and was found at a low prevalence in the lappe and guinea pig. The presence of Trichuris spp. ranged from 4.62-53.85% in the agouti, 4.21-10.00% in the lappe, 50% in the capybaras, and 1-31% in guinea pigs. Further work must be done towards molecular identification of various Trichuris spp. present in these rodents, as well as the clinical effect of infection on the performance of agouti, lappe, capybara, and guinea pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kegan Romelle Jones
- Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences (DBVS), School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS), University of the West Indies (UWI), Mt. Hope Campus, Trinidad and Tobago;
- Department of Food Production (DFP), Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA), University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago
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