Production, Management and the Environment: Dairy and Livestock Management.

The article presents abstracts of various papers related to animal handling that were presented during the symposium held on July 27, 2005 in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was organized by the American Dairy Science Association, the American Society of Animal Science, and the Canadian Society of Animal Science. One of the papers discussed is "Comparison of Cattle Identification Costs Using Conventional or Electronic Systems in Spain," by C. Saa, M.J. Milan, G. Caja and J.J. Ghirardi. Regulation EC 1760/2000 established a mandatory system of identification and registration for cattle in the European Union based on double ear tagging, an individual passport, and a national database. A decision on the use of electronic identification is foreseen in the regulation but no information is available on the cost impact of the decision. Another paper discussed is "Economic Study of Milk Production in Iran," by A. Karbasi and A. Sarvari. Milk is one of the most essential foods in stabilizing a nation's food supply. Securing a stable milk supply is also important for development of a country's livestock sector and related industries. In addition, milk has a special place in diets of Iranian families, due to the economic impact of employing people in traditional and industrial livestock sectors.