Bird flu back in Abuja, 7 states - FG alerts.

Bird flu back in Abuja, 7 states - FG alerts.The Federal Government yesterday alerted the public on the outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and seven states. Gideon Mshelbwala, the Director of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, issued the alert at a meeting with state Commissioners of Agriculture in Abuja. Mr. Mshelbwala listed the states affected by the outbreak to include Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa, Plateau, FCT and Kaduna, which reported a case in May 30. He said the disease had spread across 26 states of the federation and the FCT since it started in 2008, affecting 800 farms in no fewer than 123 local government areas.more

Dangote to Spend U.S.$1 Billion On Rice Cultivation.

Dangote to Spend U.S.$1 Billion On Rice Cultivation.The Dangote Group shone at the just concluded 2017 Gateway Trade fair which was held in Abeokuta, emerging as the second most patronised exhibitor, just as the Group disclosed that it was investing N10 billion dollars in rice cultivation in five states to boost food self-sufficiency. To mark its Day at the Fair, a subsidiary of the Group, Dangote Cement, gave out several tools and implements to the block makers in Ogun State in appreciation of their patronages. Tools such as wheel barrowers, shovels, umbrellas and hand gloves were donated to block makers who assembled from different areas of the state.more

Nigeria's agricultural sector attracts Spain.

Nigeria's agricultural sector attracts Spain.The Embassy of Spain in Nigeria on Thursday announced that Nigeria’s current efforts at developing her agricultural sector had started attracting the interest of more Spanish companies. The Embassy’s Chief Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Mr Pablo Segrelles, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the Spanish companies were ready to offer new technologies to Nigeria. “Spain has leading companies in agricultural development. We are looking at introducing technologies for increasing Nigeria’s agricultural yields. more

The best broiler chicken performance can be antibiotic-free.

The best broiler chicken performance can be antibiotic-free. Antibiotic growth promoters are losing popularity in the USA, where consumers increasingly demand meat from animals fed antibiotic-free diets. New feeding trials with a specialty protein from HAMLET PROTEIN suggest that producers can overcome the antibiotic-free challenge and improve their profits at the same time. The specialty protein in question is HP AviStart – a highly digestible soy protein for broiler starter feeds, produced by enzymatic co-processing of soybean meal and yeast. Southern Poultry Research, based in Athens, Georgia, USA, conducted two performance trials, each one using 2,400 broilers, which were fed either a control or test starter diet for the first 14 days after hatching. Weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated at key points during the growth period up to 42 days. While the first trial investigated the effect of HP AviStart in purely antibiotic-free starter diets based on soybean meal, the second compared HP AviStart with the commonly used antibiotic growth promoter BMD – or, by its full name, bacitracin methylene disalicylate. In both trials, HP AviStart was seen to be an efficient alternative to antibiotic-dependent diets. How does it work? The digestive tract is highly immature at hatching and unless feed is easy to digest, many nutrients will pass through the tract unabsorbed. The producers of HP AviStart gently minimized the anti-nutritional factors naturally present in soy protein and, in doing so, remove the barriers to nutrient absorption. This means the chicks get the full benefit of the protein in their feed thus stimulating the development of their gut and a lifetime of healthy growth. Download research here

Antibiotic- free fish.

Antibiotic- free fish.Companies within the poultry industry have done well in promoting their products that were raised without antibiotics, while those who process pork and beef are following suit. But have you ever wondered why one major protein sector has not yet taken the opportunity to market an antibiotic-free product? Antibiotic- free fish:Once one fish company markets an antibiotic-free product, other fish companies will be apt to do the same. According to Dr. David Funderburke, chief operating officer of Cape Fear Consulting, The reason the marketplace has not yet seen any fish companies promoting a raised without antibiotics fish product, is because of the way the majority of U.S. fish consumers perceive the industry. While more than half of all fish products sold at retail in the United States come from fish farms, most consumers do not know that. Funderburke explained that consumers think all of the fish comes straight out of the ocean, and the ocean is all clean and healthy and free of antibiotics. Funderburke believes that all it will take is one fish company to introduce a raised-without antibiotics product, and its competitors will soon respond with a similar promotional campaign. source

New study shows that flat faced dogs have a higher risk of dystocia.

New study shows that flat faced dogs have a higher risk of dystocia. Any female giving birth can be affected by difficulties, and this applies to dogs just as it does humans. New research finds that flat faced brachycephalic dogs are the most likely breed types to encounter problems when giving birth. Compared with other crossbred bitches, French Bulldogs are 15.9 times more likely to have difficulty giving birth (dystocia). This finding forms part of a research project called VetCompass, which is led by the Royal Veterinary College, and has shed new light onto the risks associated with giving birth in dogs in the UK. VetCompass collects anonymized clinical information on over 6 million companion animals under veterinary care in the UK. This paper is the latest of over 25 VetCompass studies published so far and was a collaboration with clinicians from the Vets Now nationwide network of emergency veterinary clinics. The study investigated bitches presented with difficulty giving birth from among almost 20,000 bitches attending 50 Vets Now surgeries. Researchers found that out of 20,000 bitches receiving emergency veterinary care, 3.7 per cent of these were treated because of difficulties encountered giving birth. The most commonly affected breeds were the French Bulldog (15.9 times more likely), Boston Terrier (12.9 times more likely), Chihuahua (10.4 times more likely) and Pug (11.3 times more likely) more

How to convert egg shells to crockery.

How to convert egg shells to crockery. Disposable crockery made from eggshells could turn egg processing waste into a valuable commodity.

Eggshells are normally somewhat of an annoyance if found on your plate, but what if they formed the plate itself, or even the cutlery? 

 The idea is not quite as strange as it may sound. Martina Zupan, a fourth-year product design student at the U.K.’s Edinburgh Napier University, has come up with a way of making eggshells into a range of disposable tableware which she calls her “Collegtion.”  

 The making of products from egg shells is a waste to wealth project as many landfills are filled with tons each year. 

A study shows that U.K. alone produces more than 75,000 tons of eggshell waste each year.

 At least 17,000 tons of waste eggshell was disposed of in landfill last year and, leaving sustainability to one side, this represents a cost to egg processors or anyone else having to dispose of eggshell waste in this way. 

 The processing of egg shell to other products have been explored in various industries such as agriculture,building, fashion,creative design and art work. Read How to convert egg shells to crockery. more