The inadequacy of existing UK energy and protein requirement systems for
dairy cattle to predict responses in milk yield and composition to changes in
nutrient supply led to the setting up of a Working Party under the auspices of
the former AFRC Technical Committee on Responses to Nutrients (TCORN)
to produce a report on this important topic. A first draft of their report was
written by the members, and the manuscript extensively revised, but not
completed, before funds were withdrawn from this area of study.
Further attempts were made by the group to seek alternative sources of
support but without success. However, recently CABI Publishing expressed
an interest in publishing the Dairy Cow Report as a review article in Nutrition
Abstracts and Reviews and as a paperback reprint. Fortunately, the manuscript
of the draft report (complete with figures and tables) still existed as
hard copy and as a computer file. Also the MAFF LINK Project ‘Feed into
Milk’ agreed to support the editorial work necessary to finalize the report.
The Chairman and Technical Secretary consulted the other members of
the Working Party, and they agreed to collaborate with Mr G. Alderman,
appointed as Editor, to update and bring the manuscript to a state ready for
publication. All the work was done by post, with no formal meetings of the
Working Party having taken place to approve the final draft chapters.
Joint funding by CABI Publishing and the MAFF LINK Project ‘Feed
into Milk’ arranged for the completion of this Report is hereby gratefully
acknowledged.