SOMATIC CELLS ADDED TO VALUE BOOK REVIEW WHITEWASH The story of a weed killer, cancer and the corruption of science by Carey Gillam (Newsouth Books, $54.99, available now) Our is to become the laboratory of choice for Testing and Auditing Services in the following segments: > Food Testing – Microbiological & Chemistry > Nutritional Testing > Water & Environmental Analysis > Residue Analysis > Food Forensics Investigations > Food & Supply Chain Consulting > Pharmaceutical Testing – Microbiological & Chemistry > Regulatory & Third Party Food Safety Compliance Auditing > Food Testing – Microbiological & Chemistry > Water & Environmental Analysis > Food Forensics Investigations > Nutritional Testing > Residue Analysis > Food & Supply Chain Consulting > Pharmaceutical Testing – Microbiological & Chemistry > Regulatory & Third Party Food Safety Compliance Auditing Totally Independent – Truly Global info@eurofins.co.nz | www.eurofins.co.nz Totally Independent – Truly Global info@eurofins.co.nz | www.eurofins.co.nz Freephone: 0800 EUROFINS | 0800 387 63467 AUCKLAND | HAMILTON | WELLINGTON | CHRISTCHURCH Totally Independent – Truly Global info@eurofins.co.nz | www.eurofins.co.nz www.foodtechnology.co.nz 25 T E S T I N G Our mission is to become the laboratory of choice for Testing and Auditing Services in the following segments: > Food Testing – Microbiological & Chemistry > Water & Environmental Analysis > Food Forensics Investigations > Nutritional Testing > Residue Analysis > Food & Supply Chain Consulting > Pharmaceutical Testing – Microbiological & Chemistry > Regulatory & Third Party Food Safety Compliance Auditing Freephone:| 0800 387 63467 AUCKLAND | HAMILTON | WELLINGTON | CHRISTCHURCH Freephone: 0800 EUROFINS | 0800 387 63467 AUCKLAND | HAMILTON | WELLINGTON | CHRISTCHURCH FT265 An update of New Zealand’s ‘currency for cows’ will be updated this month to better reflect the dairy industry’s focus on efficient, high-quality milk production. Economic index Production Worth calculates the worth of all dairy cows as an estimate of their lifetime production ability, and helps farmers to pinpoint top performers and decide which cows to keep and which are most valuable. Four traits currently contribute to the PW calculation – milk volume, milk fat, protein and liveweight - but from this month, a fifth trait will be added - somatic cells. These are produced by a cow’s immune system to fight mammary inflammation or mastitis, and some cows are more prone to it than others. LIC general manager New Zealand Malcolm Ellis says somatic cells are an ongoing consideration for farmers, particularly as it has a significant impact on a cow’s health, production and reproduction. “A lot has changed in farming over the past 22 years,” he says. “BW (Breeding Worth) has undergone a number of reviews and updates in that time, but we thought it was time to take a closer look at PW in recognition of the important role it also plays on-farm. PW provides an ability to evaluate efficiency, more than just cow output, and it is a key driver in herd development and improvement off the back of more informed culling decisions. If we as an industry are not going to be milking more cows into the future then we will need to be milking good ones, and efficient lifetime conversion of grass to milk is critical to our sustainable success. Breed from the best and cull the poorer performers in an informed manner, that’s herd improvement.” This will be the first update for PW since it was introduced in 1996 by the forerunner to LIC, now a farmer-owned co-operative and the country’s leading supplier of artificial breeding services and herd management systems. Somatic cell was added into BW in 2005, and the update will be implemented with the animal evaluation run on February 19, which will also include the annual economic value update by New Zealand Animal Evaluation Limited (NZAEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of DairyNZ. Farmers could see some changes in the PW of their cows after the update, to reflect their animal’s current somatic cell count and history. Ellis says further work on PW will continue through 2018, to research how fertility and body condition score (BCS) traits could be added to the PW calculation as they too can significantly impact the performance of a dairy cow. If you have a particularly nervous disposition when it comes to food, this might not be the book to pick up for a late summer read. For everyone else attempting to grapple with the scourge of chemicals in food, this could be a life-defining read. Monsanto’s Roundup, says American journalist Gillam, is so pervasive that it’s in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil we grow food in and even increasingly in our own bodies. The world’s most popular weedkiller is used everywhere – back yards to golf courses, farmland to public leisure areas…and for decades it’s been touted as safe enough to drink. But is it? Gillam says no, citing research tying the chemical to cancers and a host of other health threats. “Whitewash reads like a mystery novel as Gillam skilfully uncovers Monsanto’s secretive strategies,” Erin Brockovich says on the front cover. It’s more than an expose about chemicals and hazards and influence. “It’s a story of power, politics and the deadly consequences of putting corporate interests ahead of public safety,” Gillam says. This book could help to make up your own mind. Bruce Graham from Globus Group will receive a copy of this book.
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