First of all a Happy New year to everyone – as I am writing this on 23rd December and the new year seems a way off yet. However I do hope everyone had a very good seasonal break, wherever you are and whatever denomination. 2010 was a busy year at the WPSJ editorial office, with many new systems coming on line along with their accompanying issues. We have now cleared the backlog of papers that were sent in via the old, direct email system, and many thanks go to Dr Shay Hill in my New Zealand office in this endeavour – and the many hours she spent making sure the old papers were finalised. So we now are completely operational regarding submitting papers online, even though many authors still try to submit the old way and have to be redirected, I’m sure we’ll all get used to it. Happily, submitting to the WPSJ is still a free service – unlike most journals nowadays. At the Editors office, we are very mindful of trying to encourage papers from other, less well represented areas, to keep a broad level of interest for our readers. We have also been discussing how best to incorporate more commercial work, to provide more relevant information for our commercial members, although the best vehicle for this has yet to be determined. I also managed to confuse a great many people by changing my name back to my maiden name – but everyone seems to be getting used to that too!

Many thanks to all who submitted papers in 2010 via the new system. We did have some glitches, as expected whenever one undertakes such a project, but we worked through them and hopefully the submission system works fine now. Our partners in setting this up were Cambridge University Press, and their help has been invaluable in this exercise.

As for 2011, it will be interesting to see how things work out for the poultry industry. Major issues still involve the poor harvests and associated feed costs that go hand in hand with such situations. Increasing media focus on how meat and eggs are produced and the role of supermarkets may also change some of the paradigms regarding production and ethics, However, as the various global economies are still facing problems, it’s hard to see how such considerations can be balanced against the need for a source of safe, cheap food by the general population.

So, it remains for me to say that I am very much looking forward to seeing you all at various meetings this year and receiving your review papers as well.

Dr Lucy Waldron

Editor

In 2008 as in previous four years, campylobacteriosis was the most frequently reported zoonotic disease in humans in the European Union (EU) with fresh poultry meat as one of the most important reservoir of human infection (EFSA, 2010a). The reduction of campylobacter prevalence and load in live poultry is believed to be one of the most effective ways of reducing the contamination of foodstuffs and the number of human campylobacter cases. On this purpose some European Member States adopted national campylobacter control or monitoring programs but a European strategy to reduce campylobacter is still missing. The first step in this direction has been a European Union-wide baseline survey carried out in 2008 at slaughterhouses to obtain comparable values of prevalence of campylobacter in broiler batches and on broiler carcasses for all Member States. Current pre-harvest strategies available to reduce campylobacter contamination in poultry production include the application of on-farm biosecurity measures, the decontamination of litter, and the supplementation of feed with compounds inhibiting campylobacter and the treatment of drinking water. Moreover, novel strategies, specifically targeting campylobacter control at pre-harvest level, are in progress, including administration of probiotics, vaccination, antibiotics used in combination with molecule able to prevent the emergence of antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial alternatives (i.e. bacteriophages, bacteriocins). This paper is an overview on pre-harvest control strategies.

There is a wide array of factors, of which feed formulation is one, that can drastically affect both the quality of the feed produced as well as the parameters associated with the production of the feed in the mill. It has long been the practice in commercial broiler production to pellet the feed. It has been accepted at this point that feeding a diet with high quality pellets leads to better performance compared to the same diet with low quality pellets or in mash form. On the other hand, producing a high quality pellet is not the typical result in a large feed mill. In large mills, great quantities of feed must be produced in a short time frame and this is usually accomplished by running the mill at a high production rate and pelleting the diet through a relatively thin die. This usually results in decreased conditioning time and contact with the die for the diet, and consequently a lower quality pellet results, mainly because these are the two primary locations for the physiochemical reactions such as starch gelatinisation and protein denaturation that cause pellet binding. In this review we will discuss research pertaining to the use of different grains, by-products, minerals, pellet binders and most notably feedstuff constituents and their effects on both physical pellet quality as well as feed manufacturing variables such as energy usage and production rate when the data is available. The main focus will be given to research performed within the last decade. However, we have placed no restrictions on the research referenced based on publication date as there is always quality research with pertinent findings that have stood the test of time.

The use of commercial exogenous enzymes in poultry diets is now a common practice. Broilers are predominantly fed pelleted diets; of the various unit operations in the production of pellets, grinding and conditioning are the components that can influence the efficacy of exogenous enzymes. The aim of this paper was to review the feed processing factors that influence the efficacy of exogenous enzymes in broiler diets. Recent studies have shown that the efficacy of exogenous enzymes is influenced by the degree of grinding. Available data suggest that enzyme responses on intestinal viscosity are more pronounced in feeds subjected to high conditioning temperatures. The issue of enzyme stability during conditioning and pelleting therefore becomes relevant and new enzyme technologies are being developed to overcome the high thermal processing issues. However, the effects of steam conditioning practices on enzyme stability have received less attention and need to be explored in future studies.

The use of pasture-based systems for poultry production is growing due to consumer demand for specialty ‘natural’ and ‘welfare-friendly’ meat and eggs. This paper discusses the various meanings of the term ‘pastured poultry’ and defines the different pasture-based poultry production systems. Considerations of poultry welfare standards provided through the specific system are also discussed. Production topics such as poultry genetics, outdoor access and pasture management are presented together with potential problems. Finally, various aspects of sustainability are analysed to estimate the environmental, economical and social benefits promoted by the pasture-based poultry production systems.

The article investigates the importance of values of the perceived brand name from the external point of view perceived by the sample of consumers. Based on the stratified survey and the quantitative research the relationship between country of origin (COO), marketing mix elements and the perceived brand name value was noted. The emphasis is placed on establishing an impact of COO on the perceived brand name value and its impact on the latter compared to the selected marketing mix elements. The article presents the structural model of a conceptual relationship between the COO and the perceived brand name value. A measuring instrument and procedures used to check reliability and validity of the structural model of the product's perceived brand name value were developed. The conceptual model and the relationships within the model were evaluated by a modelling that used linear structural equations on the selected sample of respondents, which enabled verification of the conceptual model by empirical data.

Under current practices, broiler parent stock (broiler breeders) encounter several welfare problems, such as feed restriction and injury during mating. Intensive selection for production traits, especially growth rate, is associated with increased nutritious requirement and thus feed consumption, but also reproductive dysfunctions and decreased sexual activity in broiler breeders. A resulting serious welfare problem is the subsequent severe feed restriction which is applied during rearing, in order to prevent health problems and to achieve better egg production. This severe feed restriction has negative effects on bird welfare as it causes chronic stress resulting from hunger. Recent research has focused on management practices to alleviate the negative effect of this feed restriction. Using both a more fibrous feed and an appetite suppressant seems most successful. There are welfare concerns involved in the mating of broiler breeders. In many countries mutilations (beak trimming, despurring and toe clipping) are carried out in male broiler breeders as a standard procedure to prevent excessive damage to the hens during mating. It has been reported that broiler breeder males show low libido but, at the same time, may be aggressive and show rough behaviour during mating, which can cause severe injuries to the hens, although some injuries may be caused by over-mating hens. Current studies aim to develop management practices to reduce hen injury due to over-mating and improve the sexual behaviour in both males and females. In the last part of the review, an examination of how breeding companies are taking welfare into consideration in their commercial selection scheme is made. In practice, although for example reduced mortality and some health criteria are included in selection programs and some alternative breeds as used, other welfare issues remain, such as feed restriction during rearing.

Dermanyssus gallinae is the most economically important ectoparasite of laying hens in Europe. Control of D. gallinae is already hampered by issues of pesticide resistance and product withdrawal. With the prohibition of conventional cages in 2012 and the resulting switch to more structurally complex housing which favours red mite, the importance of managing this pest is expected to increase. Integrated Pest Management (IPM), as often employed in agricultural pest control, may be a way to address these issues where a combination of different novel control methods could be used with/without conventional management techniques to provide a synergistic and more efficacious effect. Work at in our laboratory has shown that essential oils, including thyme and garlic, may act as effective D. gallinae repellents and acaricides, whilst preliminary vaccine studies have demonstrated a significant increase in mite mortality in vitro using concealed antigens. Work elsewhere has considered predators and fungi for D. gallinae control and other husbandry techniques such as manipulating temperature and lighting regimes in poultry units. This paper will review the available and emerging techniques for D. gallinae control and discuss which techniques might be suitable for inclusion in an integrated management programme (e.g. synthetic acaricides and diatomaceous earths).

Adding value to eggs, being a very old concept in foods, is practiced for supplementing nutritive values along with provision for ease of handling too. Some of the value-added egg products include tea/century eggs (for extended shelf life of egg products); low cholesterol eggs (preferred by health conscious customers); and ‘super’ eggs produced through use of either herbal supplements, inclusion of drugs, manipulation of dietary protein and energy content, poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), or additional vitamins and minerals in the poultry diet. These are considered helpful in reducing the risk of heart diseases and in some cancerous conditions.

However, the focus of this review is to concentrate on the production of salted eggs and the process of brining. Sales of salted eggs have been quite encouraging for on its own merits. People in many parts of the globe, prepare and market salted eggs as part of their preservative/extra value but very little scientific information has been available regarding the standardised brining technology and storage quality of salted chicken eggs. Apart from this, no information has been available on the hatching performance of salted eggs, subsequent growth performance of progeny, broiler chick quality and their immune-competence against disease. In view of the requirement for information, it was deemed imperative to consolidate the relevant information to determine future research needs.

For approximately the past ten years, the European poultry sector has faced both competition from new poultry-exporting countries and growing societal concerns about animal welfare, food safety, and environmental impacts of production systems. On a global scale, poultry production increased nearly 4% per year during that period. Although it increased slightly in the European Union (EU) as a whole, largely owing to the integration of new EU member states, in some EU countries such as France it decreased by up to 20%. This caused concern among public and private stakeholders, especially poultry farmers, about the future of poultry farming in their countries. To help French stakeholders design strategies for the future, a technical institute (ITAVI) and a research institute (INRA) conducted a scenario-building exercise. Based on interviews with stakeholders and an 18-month-long series of discussions by a panel of poultry experts, four future scenarios were developed. Rather than simply extending current trends, they took into account uncertainties such as potential shifts in European policies and regulations, consumer attitudes, and stakeholder strategies. The main economic, social, environmental, and food-safety lessons of this exploration are presented here from a European perspective. More specifically, the implications of these scenarios for future research are highlighted. Although no scenario envisages strong production growth by 2025, all emphasise the importance of multidisciplinary research to characterise the quality and sustainability of poultry production, which in turn can improve its competitiveness.

A Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) model was used to evaluate impact of the 2004 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks on Japan's import demand for shell eggs and processed egg products. Egg imports were divided into three classes; shell eggs, dried egg products, and non-dried egg products. The demand for these three products were estimated (conditional on total egg imports) and tested for structural changes caused by changes in Japan's policies toward egg imports. Analysis shows structural change in two of the three classes of egg imports; shell eggs and dried egg products, measured by changes in their estimated coefficients of own and cross-price elasticities. In the post-HPAI period, shell and dried egg products became better substitutes for each other and their demand became more own-price elastic. Results showed a rising import demand for the safer dried egg products, with a simultaneous weakening demand for non-dried egg product and shell eggs. The findings of the CBS model are in concurrence with Japan's post-HPAI statistical data, reporting a rising import-share of dried eggs from 48% in the pre-infection 4th quarter 2003 to 62% in 4th quarter 2009, and declining shares of non-dried and shell eggs from 46% to 34% and from 6% to 3%, respectively.

The following paper was constructed from research assessing the socio-economic impacts of the Avian Influenza (AI) outbreaks encountered between October 2005 and March 2006 on the Turkish village chicken producers, using data obtained from an interview survey on 64 families in six different provinces of Turkey where the outbreak was recorded. The research revealed that: 1) the villagers’ protein consumption was dramatically reduced as most of them could not afford or didn't prefer to purchase chicken products. 2) The income from chicken sales (on average, it accounted for 33% of total income of those selling birds and eggs) disappeared. Moreover, the gender implication of it was notable as the income from chicken sales was generally used by the housewives. 3) 55% of the families stopped consuming chicken products due to the AI fear. However, 97% of them re-started consumption after 9 months of the AI outbreaks. 4) 65% of the families stated that they believe the crisis was artificially manipulated by the commercial chicken firms with the collaboration of the media to wipe out the backyard chicken production. 5) The respondents generally found the government's disease control efforts, organization and timeliness of compensation payments successful. However, 54 of the respondents stated that the amount of compensation payment was insufficient.

Many different methods measuring meat quality traits are available which are based on different principles, and instruments and/or probes. In view of the complexity of meat processes after slaughter and quality trait determination, it is not surprising that the results obtained in different studies and laboratories are not always in agreement. For comparison of results it is therefore necessary to keep strictly to measurable specifications, which is why standardisation is indispensable. The Working Group 5 Poultry Meat Quality group of the WPSA European Federation has been asked to produce a document which would serve as a common base methodology that would permit comparison between research projects carried out by different groups, based on international research programmes. This paper represents the first step of this work including chemical (moisture, total lipids, proteins, ash, fatty acid composition, cholesterol, susceptibility to oxidation, amino acids, collagen and pigments) and physical traits (pH, R-value, colour, water holding capacity, texture and sarcomere length). For the evaluation of chemical composition, there are standard methods available which are largely adopted in the majority of published papers. However, there is still a need to standardise methods for determining the physical traits to facilitate comparisons between studies and to provide reference values.

The World’s Poultry Science Journal is indebted to Prof J.A. Castello, Prof D.K. Flock, Dr D. Grastilleur, Dr S. Cherepanov and Prof N. Yang for the translations of these summaries.