This overview discusses how precision sheep management could be utilised in the Australian sheep industry to improve production efficiency and reduce animal welfare concerns due to low monitoring frequency by stockpeople. The concept of precision sheep management is described. This is a system in which sheep are managed as individuals or small groups rather than as a (whole) flock. Precision sheep management utilises the application of radio frequency identification technology, enabling producers to better monitor sheep in extensive situations, and contribute to improved efficiency of management and sheep welfare. Examples of combining radio frequency identification with other technologies such as walk-over-weighing and Pedigree Matchmaker are discussed. These technologies provide producers with tools to improve the cost effectiveness of, and labour efficiency associated with, collecting data on individual animals. The combined technologies should also improve consistency and reliability of information, enhancing decision-making by producers, for example, from regular monitoring of biometric variables such as liveweight, or calculating breeding values to enable superior genetic comparisons over time.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a deadly disease of pigs which spread through southeast Asia in 2019. We investigated one of the first outbreaks of ASFV in Lao People's Democratic Republic amongst smallholder villages of Thapangtong District, Savannakhet Province. In this study, two ASFV affected villages were compared to two unaffected villages. Evidence of ASFV-like clinical signs appeared in pig herds as early as May 2019, with median epidemic days on 1 and 18 June in the two villages, respectively. Using participatory epidemiology mapping techniques, we found statistically significant spatial clustering in both outbreaks (p < 0.001). Villagers reported known risk factors for ASFV transmission – such as free-ranging management systems and wild boar access – in all four villages. The villagers reported increased pig trader activity from Vietnam before the outbreaks; however, the survey did not determine a single outbreak source. The outbreak caused substantial household financial losses with an average of nine pigs lost to the disease, and Monte Carlo analysis estimated this to be USD 215 per household. ASFV poses a significant threat to food and financial security in smallholder communities such as Thapangtong, where 40.6% of the district's population are affected by poverty. This study shows ASFV management in the region will require increased local government resources, knowledge of informal trader activity and wild boar monitoring alongside education and support to address intra-village risk factors such as free-ranging, incorrect waste disposal and swill feeding.

Milk production from Asiatic swamp buffalo is a new enterprise in Laos. As yields are limited, provision of high-quality cow-calf molasses nutrient blocks containing 10% urea (UMNB10) may improve productivity. A trial in a recently established commercial buffalo dairy examined dietary supplementation of lactating buffalo cows with UMNB10, with three groups of nine cows in mid-lactation randomly selected. Two groups received ad libitum access to UMBs with the remaining group free of block supplements. All animals were daily fed fresh Napier grass (30 kg), corn (750 gm), rice bran (1.45 kg), plus accessed fresh Mulatto grass. Daily milk production (DMP) and body condition score (BCS) were recorded for the 2 months of access to UMB. Average DMP for the two supplemented groups were 1.02 and 0.96 L, compared to 0.78 L for the control group, suggesting improved milk productivity of 31 and 24% from accessing UMB. Partial budget analysis identified a strong incentive for use of the molasses blocks, with a net profit of USD 408 and USD 295 over a 30-day period for the supplemented groups. A multi-intervention livestock development strategy that includes a combination of nutritional and health interventions has been proposed for scale-out to assist smallholder livestock farming efficiency in developing countries. The use of high-quality molasses blocks may be a simple motivator for these communities to increase the efficiency of large ruminant production, improving rural livelihoods, food security, and potentially, reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) from ruminant-derived foods.

Context: Spirulina platensis (SP) has been found to be an important dietary supplement for boosting animal growth performance, having a high protein content (60–70% on a dry-matter basis) with minimal toxicity. Aims: The effect of Spirulina platensis (SP) supplementation on the growth and performance of two Omani goat breeds (Jabbali and Sahrawi) was investigated. Methods: Thirty-six 11-month-old bucks from two Omani goat breeds were studied for 70 days at the Livestock Research Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, Oman. Each breed was divided into three groups (n = 6) and fed one of the following three rations: (1) control (CON): concentrate with 14% crude protein and 11.9% energy (MJ/kg DM); (2) Treatment 1 (T1): the same concentrate with 2 g/head.day SP; and (3) Treatment 2 (T2): the same concentrate with 4 g/head.day SP. Weekly growth, performance and body conformation data collected included live bodyweight (BWT), body condition score (BCS), average daily gain (ADG), chest girth (CG), wither height (WH) and body length (BL). Key results: The Jabbali breed had a higher feed conversion ratio for T1 and T2 than did the Sahrawi breed. During the trial, no differences in total DM intake were found between treatments for either breed. T1 and T2 SP supplementation levels significantly (P < 0.05) improved the BWT and ADG of the Sahrawi breed compared with the CON group. Analysis of all traits indicated a significant (P < 0.05) effect of feeding spirulina on all the studied traits except WH and BL. ANOVAs for fixed effects in this study (dam age and kid birth type, i.e. single, twin or triple) were not significant (P > 0.05) for any of the studied traits. However, the breed effect was highly significant (P < 0.001) on BWT, ADG, BCS and treatment effect was significant (P < 0.05) on CG traits. Conclusions: Spirulina platensis could be used as a supplement feed to improve growth, performance and morphological traits in Omani goat production. Feeding spirulina to kids led to increased growth, herd performance and buck selection facilitation at an earlier age. Implications: These findings will benefit Omani goat producers in managing productivity and product quality.