Berlin statement on legacy and emerging contaminants in polar regions

Polar regions should be given greater consideration with respect to the monitoring, risk assessment, and management of potentially harmful chemicals, consistent with requirements of the precautionary principle. Protecting the vulnerable polar environments requires (i) raising political and public awareness and (ii) restricting and preventing global emissions of harmful chemicals at their sources. The Berlin Statement is the outcome of an international workshop with representatives of the European Commission, the Arctic Council, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), environmental specimen banks, and data centers, as well as scientists from various international research institutions. The statement addresses urgent chemical pollution issues in the polar regions and provides recommendations for improving screening, monitoring, risk assessment, research cooperation, and open data sharing to provide environmental policy makers and chemicals management decision-makers with relevant and reliable contaminant data to better protect the polar environments. The consensus reached at the workshop can be summarized in just two words: "Act now!" Specifically, "Act now!" to reduce the presence and impact of anthropogenic chemical pollution in polar regions by. •Establishing participatory co-development frameworks in a permanent multi-disciplinary platform for Arctic-Antarctic collaborations and establishing exchanges between the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) of the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AnMAP) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) to increase the visibility and exchange of contaminant data and to support the development of harmonized monitoring programs. •Integrating environmental specimen banking, innovative screening approaches and archiving systems, to provide opportunities for improved assessment of contaminants to protect polar regions.

Influences of saturation ratio of supplemental dietary fat on digestion and milk yield in dairy cows

Four multiparous, ruminally and duodenally cannulated Holstein cows in midlactation were utilized in a 4 x 4 Latin square to evaluate the effects of supplemental fat from sources varying in proportions of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids on nutrient digestion and lactation performance. All diets (45% alfalfa hay) contained 12% whole cottonseed (as-fed); treatments were no supplemental fat (control, 3% total fatty acids, dry matter basis) or additional 2% tallow, 2% yellow grease, or 2% blend (60% tallow: 40% yellow grease). The unsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratios were 1:1 for tallow and 2.5:1 for yellow grease. Dry matter intake, apparent ruminal and total tract digestibilities of organic matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, N, and fatty acids, and microbial efficiency were similar across treatments. Microbial N flow to the duodenum was increased by yellow grease. Supplemental fat reduced the postruminal digestibility of fatty acids, primarily the saturated fatty acids; increasing saturation of the fat source magnified the reduction. Total volatile fatty acid concentrations and ruminal fluid pH were unaffected by fat supplementation or saturation level. Blend decreased ruminal pH and acetate to propionate ratio. Yields of milk and milk fat increased with fat supplementation. Concentrations and yields of trans vaccenic acid in milk increased linearly with the unsaturated fatty acid content of the fat supplement. Modest supplementation using highly unsaturated fats to diets containing whole cottonseed can increase milk production without disturbing rumen function, evident by the similar VFA concentrations, nutrient digestibilities, and milk composition.