Wageningen agricultural university organizes postgraduate M.Sc. animal science and aquaculture programmes
First international Eilat conference on "Camelids: science and productivity".
Milk and milk products
The major objective of these programmes is to impart advanced knowledge, modern approaches in scientific research, analytical skills and critical attitudes so that successful graduates can develop animal production or aquaculture in their own countries.
The Animal Science programme is based on the premise that livestock development is constrained by technical aspects as well as by infrastructural, ecological and socioeconomic factors. There are four specializations: Animal Breeding, Animal Production Systems, Animal Nutrition and Grassland and Forage Science.
Most of the world's fish supply originates from capture fisheries. A stagnation of fisheries production has resulted in an encouraging increase in aquaculture. The greatest scope for growth of aquatic production is in the warm waters of the tropics. This is reflected in the Aquaculture programme, which has two specializations: Animal Level, including fish reproduction, fish nutrition and growth and fish health control; and System Level including aquacultural and fisheries management
The Wageningen M.Sc programmes begin each year in September and require 17 months for completion. The core of the programmes is the thesis research.
The entry requirement is a first degree B.Sc or equivalent in agricultural or biological sciences. Applicants will be requested to sit for a competitive entrance examination in their countries of residence.
Requests for further information and application forms can be directed to: Office for Foreign Students, Wageningen Agricultural University, PO Box 453, 6700 AL Wageningen, the Netherlands.
This conference will be held in Eilat, Israel, from 15 to 19 December 1996 Its aim is to bring together scientists and camelid experts from all over the world who will provide up-to-date information about the latest research that directly affects productivity to the governments of those countries that have camelids as well as to the donor agencies who support applied research
Some of the topics to be discussed include reproduction. diseases and treatments, management and nutrition, lactation and camelid products. exercise and sport, product technology, meat, milk and wool, diagnostics and clinical pathology and surgery. A workshop will be conducted on mobile clinical pathology.
The official language of the conference is English.
For further information contact the conference Secretariat: Dan Knassim Ltd. PO Box 1931, Ramat GLUT 52118, Israel, Tel. 972 3 6133340 Fax 972 6133341
The following was repotted in the November/December 1995 issue of the FAO publication Food Outlook.
Milk production. Provisional FAO estimates suggest that world output of milk from cows, buffaloes, camels, sheep and goats will remain unchanged in 1995, at 529 million tonnes. Production in the developed countries is anticipated to decline further as a result of lower output in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and eastern Europe. Output is expected to rise by 2 percent in the developing countries however, from 181 million tonnes in 1994 to 185 million tonnes in 1995, representing 35 percent of the world total World prices for dairy products have risen substantially over the past 12 mouths. Price increases have been linked to stagnation in milk production in Europe and Oceania and to low stock levels. High prices are expected to be maintained during 1996 and this could limit import demand by some developing countries.
Milk prices. Prices for all dairy products have strengthened over the past 12 months. The principal factors at play have been strong international demand, the lack of any substantial increase in export supplies and the weakening of the United States dollar against some European currencies. As a result of increased world prices, both the European Community and the United States have reduced the amount of subsidy paid per tonne of dairy product exported.
Outlook for 1996. Milk output in 1996 is expected to remain close to the 1995 out-turn as production declines in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and eastern Europe continue to be outweighed by increases in the developing countries as a whole, as well as in Oceania and the United States Supplies of dairy products on the international market should remain limited and current prices for most dairy products are expected to be maintained. Public stocks of milk products are expected to remain at modest levels.
As a consequence of sharply increased prices for most dairy products, it can be expected that some developing countries will have difficulty meeting the cost of imports Thus, imports of dairy products may decline in the lower-incomme countries in Africa, the Near East and South Asia. In many countries, higher international prices wild offer an incentive to increase domestic production in the medium term, although prices to consumers may rise at the same time. However, in countries that depend heavily 011 imports, domestic milk production may not be able to rise quickly enough to compensate for a substantial drop in external supplies, and this would imply a decline in milk consumption.
