Livestock Production Science 66 (2000) 93
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Preface
th
European meat and milk producers are constantly Commissions sessions at the 50 Annual Meeting of
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being met with new challenges regarding efficiency the EAAP in Zurich, Switzerland in 1999. This
of production and animal welfare. This is due to special issue of Livestock Production Science
con-economic pressure and environmental concerns, as tains selected reviews and short communications
well as to the ‘‘ethical’’ attitude of consumers to from these sessions.
intensive production systems. In the near future, the Contributions in the first session deal with the
use of antibiotic ‘‘growth promoters’’ are to be ontogeny of the gastrointestinal tract (GI), its
func-restricted in the EU. Use of diets containing no tion in the perinatal period, and its regulation by
antibiotics will probably lead to a higher incidence of nutrition, hormones, spermine and milk-borne
diarrhoea, and in general result in decreased growth growth factors. Furthermore, nutritional and
hormon-rate and poorer efficiency. This will in turn lead to al aspects of growth in neonates are presented.
increased animal waste per kilogram of animal Contributions of the second session deal with the
product produced. To meet these challenges, in- principles, hormonal regulation, selection and
nutri-creased knowledge of the nutrition of the newborn tive aspects of cell division, and the influence of cell
animal, regulation of neonatal growth and develop- division on udder and muscle development, and meat
ment of gastrointestinal function are needed. Another and milk production.
key aspect in maintaining high growth rate and high We acknowledge and thank all the authors for
efficiency is cell division. In meat animals, the rate their contribution to the session and to this special
of myoblast division prenatally and satellite cell issue. Furthermore, we appreciate very much the
division postnatally are related to muscle growth and contribution of the referees who took part in the
efficiency. Furthermore, the rate of muscle cell review process. We acknowledge The Swedish
Insti-division may be related to the technological quality tute (Visbyprogrammet) for support of the first part
of meat and the consumer perception of meat. of the special issue. The editors wish to thank Ewa
Similarly, in dairy animals, cell division before Sal«ek for technical help with some of the
manu-puberty, and during pregnancy and early lactation are scripts. Finally, we thank the Editor-in-Chief and the
important for milk yield and efficiency. Editorial Board of Livestock Production Science for
Because several studies on the above items have the opportunity to publish some of the contributions
been carried out in recent years, the subjects ‘‘Phys- of the EAAP sessions.
iological and nutritional aspects of growth and
development in newborn animals’’ and ‘‘Cell divi- S.G. Pierzynowski,
sion and protein synthesis for growth in animal N. Oksbjerg
tissue’’ were selected by the Presidents of the W.J. Enright
EAAP’s Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition
