Ethical Issues Associated With Sheep Fly Strike Research, Prevention, and Control

Fly strike is a painful conditioncaused by live maggots eating at the flesh of sheep.Remedies for this disorder are traumatic, with sheepundergoing painful mulesing and tail dockingoperations to protect against flystrike. In an attemptto find control solutions and to understand thedisorder, Australasian researchers increase sheepsuffering by conducting experiments that artificiallyinduce fly strike. Some of these experiments have noapplication in prevention and control of fly strike.Many others could be modified or replaced with lesspainful techniques.Anecdotal evidence through communication withorganic farmers suggests that fly strike is largelypreventable if farmers keep sheep healthy and inspectthem regularly. Some organic farmers have largelyeliminated fly strike from their farm. Investigationson fly strike control using non-intrusive techniquesare also progressing in Australasia and the UnitedKingdom.Since it is possible to conduct useful research andto run profitable farms with little or no fly strike,much of the current management, research and policy onsheep farming is ethically questionable even to thoseholding the moderate view that animals can be used forhuman purposes providing suffering is kept to aminimum. Sheep farmers will need to take animalwelfare problems into consideration. Greatercommunication among researchers needs to be encouragedto prevent unnecessary duplication of experiments.International trade regulations will also need toallow trade barriers based on animal welfareconcerns.     

Farm tourism in England's peak national park

Summary The careful integration of tourism/leisure activities with agriculture is proving of increasing economic value to farming communities whilst providing also the means to safeguard and conserve rural environments and landscapes. The recognition of this value is reflected in the number of grants available in Europe to assist and encourage farmers to diversify their farming activities to embrace tourism and leisure. This paper describes a number of schemes which have been promoted in the Peak National Park (UK) to encourage farmers to attempt such diversification. Their value in conserving a valuable and valued landscape is discussed.Haydon Morris was until recently Senior Planner at the Peak National Park, and is currently Development Manager for the Cumbria Tourist Board. He may be contacted at the Board's Offices; Ashleigh, Windermere, LA23 2AQ, UK.Dr Michael Romeril is Conservation Officer for the Island of Jersey. His address is; Planning Office, South Hill, St. Helier, Jersey, G.B.     

Plutonium solubility in sediment pore waters

Using in situ porous cup samplers, dissolved Pu concentrations have been measured over a year in the pore waters from two contrasting sites in the valley of the River Esk, North West England. In saltmarsh sediments, dissolved Pu represents approximately 1 part in 10(6) of the total inventory. The Pu concentration in solution is in the range 1.1-3.5 mBq l-1, varying by a factor of 3 in the course of the year. Most of the changes in dissolved Pu coincide with changes in dissolved Fe and Mn concentrations, with Pu being low in the summer months when Fe and Mn are high. Nevertheless, there are a number of factors which make it unclear as to whether these patterns might be related to seasonal redox changes in the saltmarsh. At the highly organic, reducing reedbed site, the proportion of Pu in solution is typically around 1 part in 10(3), proportionately much higher than in the saltmarsh, giving concentrations ranging between 9.0 and 28.5 mBq l-1, and are apparently maintained by complexation to dissolved organic matter. There is no obvious seasonal pattern at the reedbed site nor is there any relation to any of the dissolved species measured (Fe, Mn, Na, DOC).     

Effect of Chlorination on the Gill Lipids of the Mussel Mytilus edulis (L)

Experiments are described which involve the chlorination of standard solutions of lipids and populations of the mussel, Mytilus edulis (L). The object was to test the hypothesis that chlorine will bind to unsaturated lipids. Evidence is presented that chlorine and aqueous chlorinated species rapidly and readily form addition compounds with unsaturated lipids in vivo as well as in vitro. The relevance of these findings to possible environmental effects of chlorination is discussed.     

Daily mortality in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and size-classified particulate matter

Time-series of daily mortality data from May 1992 to September 1995 for various portions of the seven-county Philadelphia, PA, metropolitan area were analyzed in relation to weather and a variety of ambient air quality parameters. The air quality data included measurements of size-classified PM, SO4(2-), and H+ that had been collected by the Harvard School of Public Health, as well as routine air pollution monitoring data. Because the various pollutants of interest were measured at different locations within the metropolitan area, it was necessary to test for spatial sensitivity by comparing results for different combinations of locations. Estimates are presented for single pollutants and for multiple-pollutant models, including gaseous pollutants and mutually exclusive components of PM (PM2.5 and coarse particles, SO4(2-) and non-SO4(2-) portions of total suspended particulate [TSP] and PM10), measured on the day of death and the previous day. We concluded that associations between air quality and mortality were not limited to data collected in the same part of the metropolitan area; that is, mortality for one part may be associated with air quality data from another, not necessarily neighboring, part. Significant associations were found for a wide variety of gaseous and particulate pollutants, especially for peak O3. Using joint regressions on peak O3 with various other pollutants, we found that the combined responses were insensitive to the specific other pollutant selected. We saw no systematic differences according to particle size or chemistry. In general, the associations between daily mortality and air pollution depended on the pollutant or the PM metric, the type of collection filter used, and the location of sampling. Although peak O3 seemed to exhibit the most consistent mortality responses, this finding should be confirmed by analyzing separate seasons and other time periods.     

EPA and business: Who is the customer,who is the supplier?

By focusing on regulated businesses as “customers,” the EPA is bringing a new way of thinking to the negotiating table that is producing creative, workable solutions. The author, who was instrumental in initiating the adoption of TQM in the Environmental Protection Agency, discusses how it can be used in negotiation to resolve impasses between EPA and business and meet the needs of both.     

Niagara region farmers' markets: local food systems and sustainability considerations

This article presents the findings of a survey of farmers' markets customers in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada. The recent growth of farmers' markets in North America and the association of these markets with local food systems development provoke examination to gain insights into consumer motivations for patronizing these markets, and to then reflect on their potential role within locally oriented and sustainable food production systems. The survey carried out on customers of three Niagara region farmers' markets corroborates previous studies that noted that socioeconomic and cultural factors such as the importance of food freshness, support of local farmers and the local farm economy, and social interaction—embeddedness—are key expressions of people's support and interest in farmers' markets. This work serves to heighten our understanding of consumer attitudes toward direct marketing via farmers' markets, yields useful speculation about these markets and their roles in sustainable local food systems progress, and also raises critical questions about such customer patronage and associated farmers' markets potential in local food system development.     

Moist olive husks addition to a silty clay soil: influence on microbial and biochemical parameters

To investigate the effects of moist olive husks (MOH-residues) on soil respiration, microbial biomass, and enzymatic (o-diphenoloxidase, beta-glucosidase, dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase) activities, a silty clay soil was incubated with 0 (control), 8 x 10(3) (D), 16 x 10(3) (2D) and 80 x 10(3) (10D) kg ha-1 of MOH-residues on a dry weight basis. Soil respiration and microbial biomass data indicated that the addition of MOH-residues strongly increased microbial activity proportionally to the amounts added. Data of qCO2 suggested that the respiration to biomass ratio of the microbial population was strongly modified by MOH-residues additions during the first 90 days of incubation. The qCO2 data suggested a low efficiency in energy yields from C oxidation during the first 2 months of soil incubation. qFDA seemed to be relatively unaffected for treatments D and 2D as compared to the control, but was significantly lowered by the application of 10D, showing the lowest hydrolytic activity of microbial biomass in this treatment up to 360 days of incubation. o-Diphenoloxidase activity was delayed, and this delay was extended with the addition of larger quantities of MOH-residues. Alkaline phosphatase, beta-glucosidase and dehydrogenase activities were in line with the findings on microbial biomass changes and activities. The biological and biochemical data suggest that the addition of a large quantity of MOH-residues (80 x 10(3) kg ha-1) strongly modifies the soil characteristics affecting the r- and K-strategist populations, and that these changes last for at least the 360 days of incubation. The data also suggest that application rates exceeding 16 x 10(3) kg ha-1 are not recommended until the agro-chemical and -physical functions of the soil are further studied.     

CO2-enrichment and nutrient availability alter ectomycorrhizal fungal communities

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF), a phylogenetically and physiologically diverse guild, form symbiotic associations with many trees and greatly enhance their uptake of nutrients and water. Elevated CO2, which increases plant carbon supply and demand for mineral nutrients, may change the composition of the EMF community, possibly altering nutrient uptake and ultimately forest productivity. To assess CO2 effects on EMF communities, we sampled mycorrhizae from the FACTS-I (Forest-Atmosphere Carbon Transfer and Storage) research site in Duke Forest, Orange County, North Carolina, USA, where Pinus taeda forest plots are maintained at either ambient or elevated CO2 (200 ppm above ambient) concentrations. Mycorrhizae were identified by DNA sequence similarity of the internal transcribed spacer ribosomal RNA gene region. EMF richness was very high; 72 distinct phylotypes were detected from 411 mycorrhizal samples. Overall EMF richness and diversity were not affected by elevated CO2, but increased CO2 concentrations altered the relative abundances of particular EMF taxa colonizing fine roots, increased prevalence of unique EMF species, and led to greater EMF community dissimilarity among individual study plots. Natural variation among plots in mean potential net nitrogen (N) mineralization rates was a key determinant of EMF community structure; increasing net N mineralization rate was negatively correlated with EMF richness and had differential effects on the abundance of particular EMF taxa. Our results predict that, at CO2 concentrations comparable to that predicted for the year 2050, EMF community composition and structure will change, but diversity will be maintained. In contrast, high soil N concentrations can negatively affect EMF diversity; this underscores the importance of considering CO2 effects on forest ecosystems in the context of background soil chemical parameters and other environmental perturbations such as acid deposition or fertilizer runoff.     

Contaminant Retention Potential of Forested Filter Strips Established as SMZs in the Piedmont of Georgia1

Abstract: It is common practice in the United States and elsewhere to maintain vegetated filter strips adjacent to streams to retain contaminants in surface runoff. Most research has evaluated contaminant retention in managed agricultural field strips, while relatively few studies have quantified retention in forested filter strips, particularly for dissolved contaminants. Plot‐scale overland flow experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of natural forested filter strips established as streamside management zones (SMZs) for retaining phosphorus (P), atrazine, and picloram transported in runoff. Retention was evaluated for five different slope classes: 1‐2, 5‐7, 10‐12, 15‐17, and 20‐22%; two cover conditions: undisturbed forest floor (O horizon intact) and forest floor removed by raking; and two periods with contrasting soil moisture conditions: summer‐dry and winter‐wet season. Surface flow was collected at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 10 m within the filter strip to evaluate changes in solution concentration as it moved through the O horizon and the surface soil horizon mixing zone. On average, a 10 m length of forested SMZ with an undisturbed forest floor reduced initial solution concentration of total dissolved P by 51%, orthophosphate P by 49%, atrazine by 28%, and picloram by 5%. Percentages of mass retention through infiltration of water plus concentration reductions in runoff were 64% for total dissolved P, 62% for orthophosphate P, 47% for atrazine, and 28% for picloram for undisturbed forest floor conditions. Lower retention occurred following forest floor removal, particularly for P. Average dissolved P retention was 16% lower following forest floor removal. For undisturbed sites, differences in retention were more closely related to forest floor depth than to slope or antecedent soil moisture. These results indicate that forested SMZ filter strips provide a significant measure of surface water protection from dissolved P and herbicide delivery to surface water.