Project List
A. Cheryl Ashworth leads the ‘Being Fit for Life’ strand of the Scottish Government (Research Environment and Rural Affairs Department) Work Package 2.4: ‘Livestock Welfare’. This strand includes 8 projects, as follows:
1. Implementation of lamb vigour measure(s) in breeding programme(s). Led by Dr Cathy Dwyer (SAC).
2. The impact of pregnancy nutrition on fetal competency and design of a nutritional regime for optimal neonate survival. Led by Dr John Rooke (SAC).
3. Genetic and environmental influences on the behavioural and physiological correlates of piglet survival. Led by Dr Susan Jarvis (SAC).
4. Assessment of the desirability and feasibility of selecting for reduced aggression in pigs. Led by Dr Simon Turner (SAC).
5. Quantifying the relationships between temperament and maternal care in beef cattle. Led by Dr Simon Turner (SAC).
6. Consultation on the ethical implications for selecting for animal temperament. Led by Dr Rick D’Eath (SAC).
7. Assessing the long-lasting effects of noxious early experiences on welfare, health and productivity in pigs. Led by Dr Susan Jarvis and Dr Kenny Rutherford (SAC).
8. Guidelines for supplementing nutrition of pregnant ewes in extensive husbandry systems to reduce long-term adverse effects on reactivity. Led by Dr Hans Erhard (MLURI).
B. Empirical PE models evaluating the environmental and trade impacts of improving pig neonatal survival. (with Drs L. Toma and S. Jarvis, SAC). Funded by the Scottish Government.
C. Effect of selection for lean tissue growth on muscle fibre characteristics in lambs, and the implications for welfare. (with Dr Cathy Dwyer SAC and Professor Charlotte Maltin, QMS). Funded by BBSRC and QMS.
D. Genetics of litter size and fetal loss in pigs (with Professors Alan Archibald and Chris Haley). Funded by BPEX.
E. Improvement of piglet survival using simultaneously quantitative and molecular genetic information. (with Professor Rainer Roehe and Dr Lutz Bunger, SAC). Funded by the EU.
F. Effects of feed toxicants on porcine embryo development in vitro. (with Dr Aristotelis Lymberopoulos, National Agricultural Research Foundation, Greece. Funded by NAGREF.