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JSAR and SRB Joint Symposium 2005, Shizuoka, JAPAN
Towards 'Clean, Green and Ethical' Animal Reproduction
Purpose of this Joint Symposium
Our animal industries are becoming increasingly influenced by societal constraints that are inevitably leading to changes in the marketplace: consumers worldwide are beginning to demand products that are “clean, green and ethical”. In Japan for example, BSE, mouth-foot disease, and illegal activities by Japanese butchers have led consumers to question the practices of all members of animal industries. We can begin with producers - they need to adopt practices that minimise or completely avoid chemical and hormonal treatments of animals, and avoid practices that compromise the welfare of their animals. Indeed, in many countries, regulatory authorities have already imposed these conditions on local producers, importers and exporters. However, clean, green and ethical practices need not be difficult or costly - they should arise from a better understanding of the physiology and behaviour of the animals and therefore improve productivity and profitability.
To prepare for this future, our industries need a long-term vision with clear goals, supported by research and development programs that will lead to these goals. In this international seminar, we will be discussing new research that should promote the development of such a vision. There will be a focus on the management of reproduction because, to a large extent, the productivity and profitability of our meat and milk industries depend on reproductive performance.
The first area of discussion will be advanced in electronics that are improving ultrasound. Ultrasound may not seem to fit preconceived ideas of a green technology, but they are non-invasive and non-hormonal and they can provide important information about the status of the reproductive process in breeding animals. Dr. Akio Miyamoto has recently been using the power of color ultrasound and they have made discoveries that were not feasible using only black-and-white imaging. The second speaker is Dr. Graeme B. Martin who has been promoting the use of “clean, green, and ethical reproductive management”. His basic ideas were developed for small ruminants but many of them can be transferred to cattle after a few more studies. The third and fourth presentations are focused on nutrition, because nutritional management is an integral part of Martin's proposal and because nutrition is often the biggest cost in animal production. We therefore invited Dr. Hiroya Kadokawa to bring us up to date about leptin, a cytokine-hormone secreted by adipose tissue that affects reproductive function in sheep and dairy cows, and Dr. Jeremy G. Thompson to bring us up to date on the impact of the nutrition of the oocyte and embryo on subsequent development in ruminants. Next, we will hear a talk about the goal for reduced use of medicines for dairy cattle in Japan by Dr. Ken Nakada. He will discuss the relationships between changes in nutritional, immunological, and reproductive parameters during late lactation and drying-off periods, and subsequent postpartum reproductive performance from the point of view of a veterinary scientist. Finally, before beginning a general discussion, we will hear from Dr. Scott McDougall who will discuss dairy cattle reproduction from the perspective of a seasonal, pasture-based production system in New Zealand, so we can compare the industries of the two countries.
Program
Welcome address
President of Japanese Society of Animal Reproduction (JSAR)
Dr. Eimei Satoh (Tohoku University, Japan)
Opening address
Society for Reproductive Biology (SRB)
Dr. Graeme B Martin (University of Western Australia, Australia)
Purpose of the symposium on “Clean, Green and Ethical Animal Reproduction”
Dr. Taku Nagai (National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, Japan)
Session 1
Chaired by Dr. Scott Mcdougall (Animal Health Center, New Zealand) and Dr. Keiichiro Maeda (Nagoya University, Japan)
1. New observations using color ultrasound scanning that were not possible with imaging only in black and white. Will color ultrasound be the new tool for reproduction management?
Dr. Akio Miyamoto (Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Japan)
2. Natural methods for increasing reproductive efficiency in small ruminants.
Dr. Graeme B Martin (University of Western Australia, Australia)
3. Leptin, a molecular link between nutrition and reproductive function in ruminants.
Dr. Hiroya Kadokawa (National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, Japan)
Session 2
Chaired by Dr. Graeme B Martin (University of Western Australia, Australia) and Dr. Hiroya Kadokawa (National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, Japan)
4. The impact of nutrition of the oocyte and embryo on subsequent development in ruminants.
Dr. Jeremy G. Thompson (University of Adelaide, Australia)
5. The dairy cow knows her problem best: searching for a breakthrough for reproduction problems in Japan.
Dr. Ken Nakada (Rakuno Gakuen University, Japan)
6. Dairy cattle reproduction in a seasonal, pasture-based production system in New Zealand.
Dr. Scott McDougall (Animal Health Centre, New Zealand)
General Discussion
Chaired by Dr. Graeme B Martin and Dr. Akio Miyamoto
Closing address
Dr. Masugi Nishihara (The University of Tokyo, Japan)
Invitation to the next joint symposium (20-23 August 2006, Gold Coast, Australia)
SRB, Dr. Graeme B Martin (University of Western Australia, Australia)
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1999-2005 by the Japanese Society of Animal Reproduction