Dec 5, 2012 - In her Prologue to the book, Dr. Carmen Gallo writes that the relation ... transcendence, from a very practical perspective, offering clear, concrete ... Director of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zoology at the UNAM, two.
ANIMAL WELFARE BOOK
O
n December 5th 2012 in Mexico
City, the second edition of the book, Animal Welfare, Productivity and Meat Quality, was presented by Dr. Daniel Mota‐Rojas, a leading member of the Mexican Academy of Science and principal editor of the work. The gala event took place in the context of the First Iberian‐American Congress on Animal Welfare in Mexico and the 6th Workshop on Animal Stress, held at the Universidad del Valle de México, also in Mexico City. During the ceremony, Dr. Mota began by thanking the Director of the BM Editores Publishing House, Dr. Juan Manuel Bustos, and his outstanding team of collaborators for the invaluable support he received during the publication process; emphasizing that their confidence and support played a fundamental role in assuring that the first edition of Animal Welfare aroused the interest of various other international publishing houses that expressed their interest in publishing the second edition. The firm that eventually edited the second edition was the prestigious Elsevier international. Professor Daniel Mota Rojas. Director, Editorial Committee, Animal Welfare, Productiviy and Meat Qulity, Editorial Elsevier.
The ceremony was attended by some 350 guests, including authors, honored invitees, the book’s Godfathers, colleagues and students of Veterinary Medicine interested in the topic of animal welfare.
Attendees, First Iberian‐American Congress on Animal Welfare in Mexico, and the 6th Workshops on Animal Stress
In his presentation, Dr. Mota highlighted the participation of 56 authors and leaders in the field from 10 different countries including, England, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Uruguay, Chile, Spain, Argentina and Germany. He also mentioned that the Prologue to this second edition was written by Dr. Carmen Gallo, the distinguished Chilean leader in the field of Animal Welfare in Spanish America, while in the first edition this honor had fallen to Dr. Aline Schunemann de Aluja, an Emeritus Professor at the Univeridad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Dr. Héctor Orozco, Professor at the UVM, served as Moderator at the Book Presentation
In her Prologue to the book, Dr. Carmen Gallo writes that the relation between animal welfare and meat quality has been elucidated in many texts in English that contain, primarily, the results of research and experiments conducted in Europe, while development of this field in Spanish has been but modest, especially in Latin America, and based largely on regional information.
This text constitutes a grand contribution in this regard, as i t presents results of research based on the reality of our nations [and] signals our concern to achieve international standards in the area of the welfare of production animals. The first edition of the book has enjoyed wide distribution and filled a gap in Spanish language texts on this topic. The second, 2012, edition is renewed, enlarged and improved. Without doubt, it will be an obligatory reference for students of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Science, Agronomy and Food Technology in universities in many countries throughout Latin American.
Dra. Carmen Gallo Leader in the field of Animal Welfare in Spanish America Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Programa de Bienestar Animal UACH, Chile
Dr. Mota also recognized Dr. Stella Maris Huertas Canén, a leading Uruguayan in the field of Animal Welfare in Latin America, for the key role that she played in coordinating the Editorial Committee and assuring the success of this second edition.
Dra. Stella Maris Huertas Canén Leader in the field of Animal Welfare in Spanish America Coordinator, Centro Colaborador, OIE, for Research on Animal Welfare, Chile‐Uruguay Universidad de la República Uruguay
In Dr. Stella Huertas’ opinion, this book will be of great relevance for both veterinary specialists and students of Veterinary or Agrarian Sciences, since it examines a topic of grand
transcendence, from a very practical perspective, offering clear, concrete recommendations; precisely what people who work with animals require. She points out that it is indispensable to be able to demonstrate scientifically both the alterations that the meat of a mistreated animal undergoes, and the consequences of stress, and thus facilitate the task of attempting to convince people of the importance of propitiating the changes in attitude with respect to animals that we recommend. She writes: “This book covers all the critical points that must be addressed through the production chain, from the first stage of an animal’s life up to its final breath”. In his Keynote Address, Dr. Daniel Mota briefly noted that the book Animal Welfare, Productivity and Meat Quality includes considerations of animal welfare during the final phases of production, spoke of how to use etiology as a tool to increase productivity without prejudicing animal welfare, and discussed the emergence of animal welfare as a science. He added that in addition to its discussion of the final phase of the life of animals destined for human consumption, the text also deals with such topics as the handling and transport of animals on the way to the slaughterhouse and during their time there; subjects that are discussed from various perspectives.
Attendees, First Iberian‐American Congress on Animal Welfare in Mexico, and the 6th Workshops on Animal Stress
Dr. Isabel Guerrero Legarreta (Distinguished Professor, UAM, above) and Dr. Ma. Elena Trujillo (Director, FMVZ, UNAM, below).
The book also analyzes good handling practices, including such issues as the experimental determination of physiometabolic profiles and assessments of blood metabolism and gas exchanges, the consequences of different transport times and conditions and loading densities, and the controversies surrounding different stunning methods and their effects on meat quality in cattle, horses, hogs, rabbits and poultry. Dr. Mota also noted that the final section of the book examines some of the conditions most often encountered in meat that has been affected by stress factors and post‐mortem alterations of enzymatic reactions, together with the organoleptic properties of meat. Finally, he thanked Pedro Turbay (President and Director of Elsevier for Latin America), for his valuable support, praised the talent of the entire team at Elsevier which ensured that the book would meet the exacting standards of that demanding firm, and underlined the excellent participation of all the authors that collaborated in the book, since without their help it would have been impossible to achieve such a lofty goal.
Pedro Turbay (General Manager, Elsevier Health Sciences, Spain and Latin America) Later, Dr. Isabel Guerrero Legarreta, a distinguished professor at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, and Dr. María Elena Trujillo, Director of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zoology at the UNAM, two co‐editors of the book, underlined the significance of animal welfare and its potential consequences for meat quality, stressing how important it is for students of Veterinary Medicine to have a textbook that presents the results of experimental studies with animal in Spanish America. In t heir considered opinion, the book will become a fundamental resource in their professional formation.
Dr. Aline Schunemann for her pioneering work in animal welfare in Spanish America
Elsevier’s Director, Pedro Turbay, spoke of the great satisfaction he experienced upon the successful conclusion of the publication process and thanked Dr. Mota on behalf of Editorial Elsevier Latinoamérica for his dynamism and leadership in coordinating all the editorial work, especially his remarkable ability to convene experts in the field. He also voiced his confidence that Animal Welfare will become an essential resource for students of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences in different schools and faculties in Latin America and Spain. To conclude the protocol of this book presentation, two awards were presented: first to Dr. Aline Schunemann de Aluja for her pioneering work in the field of animal welfare in Spanish America. The text of her award was read by Dr. Diodoro Batalla Campero, President of the Spanish‐American Association of Academies of Veterinary Sciences, and presented by Dr. Juan Taylor Preciado, Director of the National Network for Animal Welfare in Mexico, and President of the Pan‐American Federation of Faculties and Schools of Veterinary Sciences, and by Professor José Luis Payro Dueñas, National Director of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences at the Universidad del Valle de México (UVM). Dr. Aline S. de Aluja began by saying that she was deeply touched and sincerely grateful for the award in the context of the presentation of the second edition of the book Animal Welfare in Latin America. She noted that her efforts to promote animal welfare began in the 1940s, when most of the attendees had not yet been born, and stressed that animals must not be seen simply as vehicles for obtaining high‐quality meat, but be considered as living beings and treated with respect.
Presentation of Posthumous award to Dr. Marcelino Becerril Herrera
Finally, Dr. Mota read the text of the award granted posthumously to Dr. Marcelino Becerril Herrera, a Professor at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), who passed away recently in a fatal car accident. This award reads as follows: “A pioneer in assessing animal welfare based on physiometabolic profiles, Dr. Becerril’s Doctoral Thesis established scientific bases for reducing ante‐mortem stress in pigs. His 3 edited books on the topic of meat science and his more than 40 scientific articles published in over 20 journals, including Animal Science, Biological Science, Meat Science and Livestock Science, constitute a rich legacy for Veterinary Medicine in Mexico.” This award was presented by Dr. Ramiro Ramírez Necoechea, Dr. Isabel Guerrero Legarreta, Dr. Ma. Elena Trujillo, Dr. Marilú Alonso Spilsbury, and Dr. Daniel Mota and received by Leo Becerril (son) and Yasmín Márquez (widow).
Following the ceremony, the guests of honor and Godfathers gave copies of the book to the authors who attended the event in the Auditorium of the Universidad del Valle de México.
Congratulations to all the authors, leaders of opinion in Spanish America, who made publication of this valuable book possible for the benefit of students and professional people interested in Animal Welfare.