It is mainly high levels of androstenone and skatole in adipose tissue that is the reason behind boar-taint, which is an unpleasant odor and taste from the meat of adult male boars. The purpose of this literature study is to provide an overview of current knowledge about the physioloical functioning of androstenone. There are several studies showing androstenone´s function as a pheromone, and that it is an important part of communication and mating behavior between pigs. Androstenone is produced in the testes of the boar and transported via the bloodstream to the salivary glands where it is excreted with the saliva. Sows sense the pheromone, not via the vomeronasal organ as previously considered, but via the olfactory mucosa.

Cattle used for meat production can be held outside all year round and due to the legislation they should have access to shelters or other buildings for protection against the elements giving them a dry and clean bedding. There are different opinions concerning their need of protection and the question about necessity of shelters for cattle is of current interest due to a less profitable economy in meat production and the investment costs for shelters. The aim of this study was to acquire more knowledge about the natural behaviour of cattle concerning their use of shelters. The basis of the study was a series of questions regarding when animals choose to stay in shelters, if shelters were used less when they had access to protecting vegetation, how temperature and weather conditions affected the use of shelters and the influence of distance between shelter and feed. Behavioural studies was conducted at five different farms where six groups of suckler cows and heifers of following breeds and crossbreeds were observed; Aberdeen Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Scottish Highland Cattle, Simmental and the Swedish breeds SKB and SRB.

This thesis examines the organization Empower and their members, who consist of sex working women in Thailand. The purpose is to explore the more liberal point of view of prostitution and how the female members perceive Empower. Furthermore the study investigates if the organization can improve the sex workers empowerment. The study also delineates how these women reflect on their professional role as a sex working woman and whether the women relate to feminine discourses. The study is implemented in Chiang Mai, Thailand during the fall of the year 2010 and is based on qualitative methods like interview, focus group, observations and text analysis.

Pets like dogs and cats have a considerable importance for humans and research demonstrate a variety of positive economic and social effects in society due to our pet companions. The presences of pets are increasing on a global scale with correlation to economic development in low- and middle income countries. For example dogs have doubled in India over a five year period. The feed industry for dogs and cats is also the fastest growing sector in the food industry and certain pets have a significant animal protein intake which, depending on the choice of resources may provide a high ecological footprint. Examples of environmental effects with distribution and manufacturing of pet food are increased greenhouse gas emissions, waste, use of water and energy.

The use of forage maize has increased over the last years. The aim of this litterateur review was to summarize a part of the research that has been conducted on forage maize for growing cattle, including cultivation and conservation of the maize. The forage maize is planted in April or the beginning of May when the temperature in the soil is between 6 and 10°C. Maize needs high temperatures and much water. Maize is harvested in the autumn when the dry matter (DM) is more then 30% or the plants have been exposed to the first frost in the autumn.

Sweden?s animal legislation was adopted in 1988 and is one of the most rigorous legislations in the world. Despite this, Sweden import beef from countries where animal legislation is not in accordance to the Swedish legislation. The meat consumption in Sweden has, just like the importation of beef, increased while Sweden?s own beef production has decreased.

Griskött är det kött som konsumeras mest i Sverige, och en allt större del av köttet som konsumeras täcks av import. Utomhusproduktion av grisar skiljer sig mellan olika länder vad gäller både förekomst och utformning. Produktion utomhus likställs ofta med ekologisk produktion, vilket inte alltid är fallet eftersom det även finns konventionell utegrisproduktion. Det finns utomhushållna flockar som bidrar till det konventionellt producerade grisköttet i vissa europeiska länder, framförallt i Storbritannien och Frankrike. Moderna framsteg som elektriska stängsel, terrängfordon, öronbrickor i plast och förbättrade hyddor där suggorna kan grisa har bidragit till en mer konkurrenskraftig och lätthanterlig utomhusproduktion. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att få en ökad kunskap om konventionell produktion inomhus och utomhus genom att jämföra de två produktionssystemen med avseende på reproduktivitet och produktivitet.

Swedish beef production has during the past year decreased while the consumption has increased. It´s imported beef that takes market shares. The purpose with this degreeproject is to investigate if the restaurants in Sweden are using imported or Swedish beef and the reason for their choice. The purpose is to find out if there is something the Swedish beef producers can change to increase Swedish beef in restaurants. My expectation is that the demand for Swedish beef will increase in restaurant and later even among consumers. I have interviewed ten chiefs in different restaurants and asked them the following questions: Is it the price, quality or something else that influences your choise? Does it matter to their customers if they serve Swedish or imported beef? How is the marketing of Swedish beef? It appeared both Swedish and imported beef on the restaurants.

The purpose of this literature study was to describe the seasonal reproduction in sheep and the presence of genetic variation in fertility traits. Methods to induce oestrus are described and the possibilities to change the reproduction season through breeding are discussed. Sheep have a pronounced seasonality in their reproduction. Mating season starts in the fall and the lambs are born during the spring because this is the most beneficial time. The market request for lamb meat has increased and therefore it is desirable with ewes that could get pregnant all year round.

En stor del av jordbrukets växthusgasutsläpp kommer från nötköttssektorn. Dess produktion påverkas i Sverige och EU av EU:s jordbrukspolitik. En större del av jordbrukssubventionerna var tidigare kopplade till produtionen vilket gav incitament att öka produktionen. 2003 infördes en reform med gårdsstöd som var frikopplat från produktionen. I uppsatsen studeras litteraturen kring hur nötköttsproduktionen påverkas av gårdsstödet, och utifrån detta görs egna beräkningar om förändringar i växthusgasutsläpp.

Mussel meal is a potential source of protein, with a good composition of amino acids, for laying hens and broiler chickens, and may replace the use of fish meal in organic poultry production. Lead and cadmium are heavy metals which occur in the environment and can be accumulated in mussels. When poultry are exposed to heavy metals, the metals are absorbed in the small intestine and distributed in the body in the form of ions, complexes or bound to proteins. In poultry, lead accumulates in bone tissue, liver and kidneys, while cadmium accumulates in liver and kidneys. Generally very low concentrations of these heavy metals occur in muscles of broilers which have been exposed to feed contaminated with cadmium or lead.

Ethiopia is the country with most livestock per capita on the continent of Africa. There are 34.5 million cattle that are used for drought, meat- and milkproduction and 85% of the population rely on agriculture for their survival in some way. Milk is produced in four main systems, through pastoralism in the lowlands, in mixed crop-livestock systems in the highlands, in and near big cities with only one or two cows, and in intensive farming systems. There are 17 cattle breeds in Ethiopia and some of them are more suitable for milk production than others. Several environmental and economic problems arise from livestock holding in the country, for example overgrazing, low production due to feed shortage, low quality of the avaible feed and non-existing breeding programs.

Electrical stunning is the method that has been used in Sweden to stun broilers prior to slaughter. However, for reasons of animal welfare and meat quality, research has been made in the EU to develop new stunning methods. Gas stunning is now regarded as the best alternative. In this study literature has been reviewed with focus on different gas stunning systems and observations have been made at two different slaughterhouses regarding animal welfare before, during and directly after stunning. At one slaughter plant carbondioxide was used in a two-stage system where the birds were standing on a conveyer belt during the stunning procedure.

Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka aktuella mediedebatter om köttkonsumtion ur ett djuretiskt perspektiv. Studien bygger på teorin om karnism och kritisk diskursanalys. Artikelsökningen gjordes genom Mediearkivet Retriever och avgränsades till de fyra största tidningarna i Sverige, Aftonbladet, Dagens Nyheter, Expressen och Svenska Dagbladet, från 2014 fram till idag. Det empiriska materialet bestod av 25 artiklar och ur dessa framkom fem diskurser: köttnormsdiskursen, djurrättsdiskursen, hälsodiskursen, marknadsdiskursen och miljödiskursen. Diskurserna gick ofta in i varandra och hade ofta fler än ett perspektiv.

Hepatitis E virus, HEV, is a frequent causative agent behind, especially waterborne, infections in developing countries such as India. However, during the last years the number of non-travel-associated infections in industrialised countries, for example US, Germany and Sweden, has increased. The symptoms vary from mild with nausea to icterus and it can even be lethal. There are four different genotypes of HEV and many studies consider HEV infection to be a zoonosis. Scientists have by using phylogenetic analyses found great genetic similarity between strains isolated from humans, pigs and food, such as pork and liver, especially among viruses belonging to genotype 3.