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Business interaction is important for innovation performance but may be challenging in cross-border regions. The objective of this research was to investigate the relation between factors that define cross-border business interaction and innovativeness. From the cross-border regional innovation systems literature, we operationalized thirty-five factors which potentially influence cross-border business interaction; these factors concern availability of science and knowledge bases, socio-cultural proximity, accessibility, institutional set-up, and governance. We conducted a survey focusing on these factors and analyzed the data using Cronbach's alpha and linear regression. The cross-border interaction factors identified in the survey results served as independent variables and the differences in innovativeness levels in different European cross-border regions served as our dependent variable. This study confirmed that differences in innovativeness levels between countries can be related to factors hindering cross-border business interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an important livestock disease in Thailand, with outbreaks occurring every year. However, the effects of FMD control measures in Thailand have received little research attention. Epidemiological models have been widely used to evaluate FMD outbreak control, but such a model has never been developed for Thailand. We constructed a stochastic between-farm transmission model to evaluate FMD control measures. The epidemiological unit of the model was the farm, which could be in different states: susceptible, latent, undetected infectious, detected infectious and recovered. The between-farm transmission was calculated by the sum of distance-dependent transmission and trade network transmission using parameters derived from FMD outbreaks in 2016–2017. We used this model to simulate the outbreaks with and without the implementation of the following control measures: culling all animals on infected farms, ring vaccination, animal movement restrictions and isolation of infected farms. The control measures were evaluated by estimating the number of secondarily infected farms and the outbreak duration for each scenario. The model was simulated in two study areas located in the Lamphaya Klang subdistrict (high farm density) and the Bo Phloi district (low farm density). The effects of control measures differed between the two study areas. When farm density was high, rigid control measures were required to prevent a major outbreak. Among all options, culling the animals on infected farms resulted in the lowest number of infected farms and the shortest outbreak duration. In contrast, for an area with a low farm density, less stringent control measures were sufficient to control the usually minor outbreaks. The results indicate that different areas require a different approach to control an outbreak of FMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pork is one of the sources of food-borne salmonellosis in humans. In this paper, the cost-effectiveness of different control scenarios against Salmonella in the stages finishing, transport, lairage and slaughtering is explored. A stochastic simulation model was used for the epidemiological analysis and a deterministic model for the economic evaluation. Results showed that the cost-effectiveness of interventions in the finishing and slaughtering stages is the highest with respect to the reduction of the prevalence of contaminated carcasses. However, the cost-effectiveness is reduced in case not all farms or firms within a stage intervene to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Intensive broiler production systems are criticized by EU citizens because of their negative impact on animal welfare, the environment and human health. To inform the development of sustainable broiler production systems, this paper provides insight in the synergies and trade-offs between different external factors originating from broiler production systems by developing a new analysis approach. The approach was applied to the Dutch conventional, New Dutch Retail Standard and Extensive Indoor+ systems. The latter two systems have more stringent standards on animal welfare relative to the conventional system. Four external factors were considered, i.e. animal welfare (indicated by Welfare Quality Index score), ammonia emission (kg NH 3 /animal place/year), particulate matter emission (g PM 10 /animal place/year) and antibiotic use (defined daily doses animal). Results show that the shift from a fast-growing breed towards a slower-growing breed caused synergy by improving animal welfare and lowering antibiotic use. Furthermore, the reduction in protein content of the feed, and possibly the reduction in stocking density, caused synergy by enhancing animal welfare and lowering ammonia emission. System changes that stimulated activity, such as the reduction in stocking density, enhanced animal welfare but caused a trade-off with particulate matter emission. Although the New Dutch Retail Standard and Extensive Indoor+ system were characterized by a higher ammonia and particulate matter emission per animal place per year relative to the conventional system, experts estimated that these emissions were partially (New Dutch Retail Standard) or fully (Extensive Indoor+) offset at farm level via a lower stocking density. Overall, we conclude that future development of broiler production systems can exploit the synergy between animal welfare, antibiotic use, and ammonia emission and minimize the trade-off between animal welfare and particulate matter emission. The insights obtained from this paper can support the development of sustainable broiler production systems that minimize external factors originating from these systems. Unlabelled Image • Broiler production systems are criticized because of their negative impact on animal welfare and the environment. • Synergies and trade-offs between external factors originating from Dutch broiler production systems were analyzed. • Synergies were found between animal welfare and antibiotic use, trade-offs between animal welfare and PM 10 emission. • We conclude that future broiler production systems can exploit synergistic effects and minimize the trade-offs. • Insights can support the development of sustainable broiler production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the epidemiological and economic consequences of control measures is fundamental to design effective foot and mouth disease (FMD) control measures. One approach to obtaining this information is through bioeconomic modelling. In this study, a bioeconomic model was used to evaluate FMD control in two different study areas in Thailand: a high farm density area predominantly consisting of dairy farms and a low farm density area with mixed farm types. The bioeconomic model consists of an epidemiological part and an economic part. For the epidemiological part, a stochastic between-farm transmission model was constructed with transmission parameters estimated from FMD outbreaks in Thailand. The outputs from the epidemiological model, i.e. the number of infected farms, the number of affected farms and the outbreak duration, are used as inputs for economic model to calculate the economic consequences. We applied the simulation model with four FMD control measures: culling the animals of infected farms, ring vaccination, animal movement restrictions and isolation of infected farms. Furthermore, we included effect of farmers' compliance to asses its effect on control measures. The simulated FMD outbreaks in the low farm density area were small, thus control measures did not greatly affect the size of outbreaks and, therefore, did not have a positive economic return. In contrast, in the high farm density area, FMD outbreaks were large without control measures. All measures reduced the size of the outbreaks but resulted in different total costs. In terms of outbreak control, culling infectious farms was the best option, but its total cost was higher than ring vaccination or isolation of infected farms. In terms of cost-effectiveness, ring vaccination was the best measure. If farmers' compliance were low, all control measures would be ineffective, resulting in high total cost of the outbreak. The cost distribution between compliant and non-compliant farms showed that non-compliant farms paid more than compliant farms, except for the ring vaccination scenario. The results emphasize the economic significance to customize control measures specific to the area's conditions and highlight the importance of farmers' compliance when designing control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Animal welfare (AW) in conventional Dutch broiler production (i.e., production systems that only satisfy the legal minimum requirements) has been under critique for decades. Then, suddenly, in 2014–2015, AW was improved for the entire Dutch fresh meat market for broilers. A study was conducted regarding the main reasons and decisive factors of this transition. It was found that important factors in bringing-about this transition were: (1) The availability of a cost-efficient alternative to conventional concepts, (2) a basic willingness to change within the entire value chain (including consumers), (3) initiating and triggering actions by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), (4) decisive initiatives by retailers and (5) simultaneous introduction of the new concept and replacement of the conventional concept (i.e., depriving the consumer of a cheaper choice alternative). It was concluded that, if these decisive factors were present, considerable improvements with regard to AW could be obtained in a relatively short period of time. This information can be of use for value chains of other species (e.g., pork) and countries outside the Netherlands. Since the 1970s, animal welfare (AW) in Dutch broiler production has been criticized by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the general public. Despite the development of production concepts aimed at improving AW, the conventional concept, which satisfied only the minimum legal requirements, remained by far the most dominant one in the Dutch fresh broiler meat market. Then, quite suddenly, in 2014–2015 (i.e., within less than two years), a new broiler concept with increased AW was introduced, which included a slower growing animal, more space, and an improved light regime. This alternative completely replaced the by then conventional concept. The aim of this study was to investigate the origin, causes, and driving forces of this sudden change. Popular and scientific literature, as well as interviews with key players in this transition process, were used to re-construct the chronology of events and draw the main and decisive findings. The latter include: (1) The availability of a cost-efficient alternative to conventional concepts, (2) a basic willingness to change within the entire value chain (including consumers), (3) initiating and triggering actions by NGOs, (4) decisive initiatives by retailers and (5) simultaneous introduction of the new concept and replacement of the conventional concept (i.e., depriving the consumer of a cheaper choice alternative). The result was a real transition of the Dutch fresh meat market without negative purchasing responses of the consumers. It was concluded that, although the Dutch fresh broiler meat market only included 30% of total domestic production, the existence of the abovementioned decisive factors could bring about an important change in favor of AW within a short period of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External shocks, such as disease occurrence, can be very disruptive in complex food producing value chains. To analyze this, a vertically linked dynamic partial equilibrium model was used to analyze market effects of outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in The Netherlands. Various shock inducing scenarios were analyzed, e.g control strategy, demand shocks and trade bans. The results showed that in densely populated poultry areas (1) market effects usually outweigh direct control costs, (2) vaccination could help mitigating total disease costs, particularly if (3) channeling to industrial processing is included. Moreover, large, and in some cases opposing differences in market effects between the various stakeholders could be observed. The result suggest a number of important policy factors that should be considered in HPAI control, e.g. the poultry density, the production structure and differentiation of stakeholders, the dependency on international trade and the potential capacity of industrial processing of eggs. General implications for other food producing value chains are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bluetongue (BT) is a vector-borne disease of ruminants caused by bluetongue virus that is transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides spp.). In 2006, the introduction of BTV serotype 8 (BTV-8) caused a severe epidemic in Western and Central Europe. The principal effective veterinary measure in response to BT was believed to be vaccination accompanied by other measures such as movement restrictions and surveillance. As the number of vaccine doses available at the start of the vaccination campaign was rather uncertain, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the Dutch agricultural industry wanted to evaluate several different vaccination strategies. This study aimed to rank eight vaccination strategies based on their efficiency (i.e. net costs in relation to prevented losses or benefits) for controlling the bluetongue virus serotype 8 epidemic in 2008. Methodology/Principal Findings: An economic model was developed that included the Dutch professional cattle, sheep and goat sectors together with the hobby farms. Strategies were evaluated based on the least cost - highest benefit frontier, the benefit-cost ratio and the total net returns. Strategy F, where all adult sheep at professional farms in the Netherlands would be vaccinated was very efficient at lowest costs, whereas strategy D, where additional to all adult sheep at professional farms also all adult cattle in the four Northern provinces would be vaccinated, was also very efficient but at a little higher costs. Strategy C, where all adult sheep and cattle at professional farms in the whole of the Netherlands would be vaccinated was also efficient but again at higher costs. Conclusions/Significance: This study demonstrates that a financial analysis differentiates between vaccination strategies and indicates important decision rules based on efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to societal concerns, the European Union set up goals to address the negative impact of intensive broiler production on animal welfare, the environment and human health. This paper aimed to 1) explore combinations of system changes that perform best in terms of farm income, animal welfare, emissions of ammonia (NH 3) and particulate matter (PM 10) and 2) are robust to changes in society's expectations relating to animal welfare and environmental sustainability. The prevailing system in the Dutch broiler market was used as a baseline for evaluating system changes. Animal welfare, NH 3 emissions and PM 10 emissions were the three external factors chosen for this evaluation. Farm income was quantified by the net return to labor and management (NRLM). Expert knowledge elicitation was used to identify system changes that were likely to be implemented in the baseline system. Combinations were made by selecting system changes from each of the chosen external factors. A deterministic model was used to calculate the effect of each combination of system changes on net return to labor and management. The performance of each combination was evaluated by estimating a benefit-of-the-doubt composite indicator. Results show that 8 out of 70 combinations indicated a better outcome and were more robust to potential changes in society's expectations relating to animal welfare and environmental sustainability. These combinations included two or more of the following system changes: 'lower density' (30 kg/m2), '2 types of enrichment', and 'daylight'. Furthermore, these combinations included 'tube heaters' for the abatement of NH 3 emissions, and 'negative air ionization system' or 'ionization filter' for the abatement of PM 10 emissions. To compensate for the decrease in NRLM associated with these practices and abatement techniques, a price premium was required that ranged between 4.8 and 18.5 eurocents/broiler. We conclude that combinations including animal welfare related system changes (lower density, enrichment and/or daylight), tube heaters and an ionization technique performed best and were robust to changes of societal expectations of these external factors. The insights obtained from this paper can support decision making in improving the sustainability of current broiler production systems. [Display omitted] • The European Union set up goals to improve the sustainability of broiler production. • This paper aimed to explore the performance of combinations of system changes in broiler production. • The performance of each combination was evaluated by developing a benefit-of-the-doubt composite indicator. • Combinations including an air ionization system for PM 10 reduction and tube heaters for NH 3 reduction performed best. • The insights can support decision making in improving the sustainability of current broiler production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest health threats globally. In addition, the use of antimicrobial drugs in humans and livestock is considered an important driver of antimicrobial resistance. The commensal microbiota, and especially the intestinal microbiota, has been shown to have an important role in the emergence of AMR. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) also play a central role in facilitating the acquisition and spread of AMR genes. We isolated Escherichia coli (n = 627) from fecal samples in respectively 25 poultry, 28 swine, and 15 veal calf herds from 6 European countries to investigate the phylogeny of E. coli at country, animal host and farm levels. Furthermore, we examine the evolution of AMR in E. coli genomes including an association with virulence genes, plasmids and MGEs. We compared the abundance metrics retrieved from metagenomic sequencing and whole genome sequenced of E. coli isolates from the same fecal samples and farms. The E. coli isolates in this study indicated no clonality or clustering based on country of origin and genetic markers; AMR, and MGEs. Nonetheless, mobile genetic elements play a role in the acquisition of AMR and virulence genes. Additionally, an abundance of AMR was agreeable between metagenomic and whole genome sequencing analysis for several AMR classes in poultry fecal samples suggesting that metagenomics could be used as an indicator for surveillance of AMR in E. coli isolates and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broiler producers operate in a highly competitive and cost-price driven environment. In addition, in recent years the societal pressure to improve animal welfare (AW) in broiler production systems is increasing. Hence, from an economic and decision making point of view, the cost-efficiency of improvement in AW obtained from a certain production system is of great importance. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to analyze the contribution of four different production systems to overall AW and the cost-efficiency of increased AW at the farm level. Cost-efficiency was calculated as the ratio of the change in the level of animal welfare and the change in the level of production costs compared to the level of conventional system (i.e., legal minimum standards). The level of AW was measured by the Welfare Quality index score (WQ index score) calculated on the basis of data collected in 168 flocks in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Italy within the Welfare Quality® project. On the basis of system attributes, three main segments of production systems are distinguished, i.e., conventional, middle-market and top-market systems. The middle-market and top-market systems use a slow growing breed. Stocking density ranges from 25 to 31 kg/m 2 in middle-market systems and from 21 to 27.5 kg/m 2 in top-market systems. In the middle-market systems, a covered veranda is provided to the chickens, whereas in the top-market systems chickens have access to an outdoor range. Results show that the middle-market systems, such as Volwaard and Puur & Eerlijk systems, had the highest WQ index score (736), whereas the conventional system had the lowest (577). Moreover, the WQ index score of extensive outdoor (733) and organic systems (698) was below that of the middle-market systems. The major system attributes that differentiate between production systems are broiler type, stocking density and outdoor access. Three system attributes contributed most to AW in all systems, i.e., broiler type, stocking density and length of the dark period. With respect to production costs, broiler chickens kept in conventional system were produced at the lowest costs, followed by the middle-market, the extensive outdoor, and the organic systems. With regard to cost-efficiency, when shifting from conventional to an alternative system, middle-market systems (i.e., Volwaard and Puur & Eerlijk; 8.37) outperformed the extensive outdoor (3.90) and organic systems (1.03). Overall, it can be concluded that the middle-market systems could be attractive for farmers due to their high cost-efficiency and the flexibility to revert to the conventional system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Intensive broiler systems using fast-growing broiler strains at relatively high stocking density (higher than 38 kg/m2) are being criticised in Western countries because of risks for animal welfare. To address this criticism, alternative middle-segment production systems were introduced in North-West Europe in the 2000s. These middle-segment systems contain indoor housed slower-growing broiler strains housed at stocking densities ≤38 kg/m2 and claim to have increased animal welfare at a limited increase in production costs. In this study we aimed to analyse the level of animal welfare and production costs of these middle-segment production systems in different parts of the world (the Netherlands, United States and Brazil). Results show that in the Netherlands, United States and Brazil a change from conventional towards these middle-segment systems provides a considerable increase in animal welfare at a relatively small increase in production costs, i.e., has a high cost-efficiency. Overall, it can be concluded that in general middle-segment production systems entail a considerable increase in animal welfare at a relatively small increase in production costs and therefore offer good global prospects for a cost-efficient improvement of broiler welfare. In the 2000s, the idea of a so-called middle-segment arose in North-West Europe to address the criticism on intensive broiler production systems. Middle-segment systems being indoor housing of slower-growing broiler strains at a stocking density ≤38 kg/m2. Previous literature showed that Dutch middle-segment systems entail a relatively large gain in animal welfare at a relatively low increase in costs, i.e., have a high cost-efficiency. The question is to what extent these findings are applicable to other countries. Therefore, the aim of this study is to gain insight in the global prospects of middle-segment systems by exploring the cost-efficiency of these systems in other parts of the world. A set of representative countries, containing the Netherlands, United States and Brazil were selected. Cost-efficiency was defined as the ratio of the change in the level of animal welfare and the change in production costs. The level of animal welfare was measured by the Welfare Quality (WQ) index score. Data was collected from literature and consulting experts. Results show that in the Netherlands, United States and Brazil a change from conventional towards a middle-segment system improves animal welfare in a cost-efficient manner (the Netherlands 9.1, United States 24.2 and Brazil 12.1). Overall, it can be concluded that in general middle-segment production systems provide a considerable increase in animal welfare at a relatively small increase in production costs and therefore offer good prospects for a cost-efficient improvement of broiler welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]