Four groups of 50 sheep were given rations containing barley, dried beet-pulp, wet beet-pulp silage, lucerne hay and straw, with A, no protein supplement; B, 1·6% urea; C, 21% Rumevite (supplying 1·3% urea); and D, 15% cottonseed cake. Average daily gains in body weight were 143, 187, 190 and 189 g for groups A to D respectively. Undernourishment and infection with endoparasites did not affect adaptation to urea.

Ninety pigs were divided into two replicated groups, randomly allotted to three treatments: (1) control, (2) 2 g of diethylstilbestrol (DES) and 2 g of methyltestosterone (MT) per ton and (3) 2 g DES + 2 g MT + 10 g tylosin per ton. Rate of gain was not affected by treatment; however, pigs fed the treated rations consumed less feed and were more efficient in feed conversion. Carcasses of pigs fed DES + MT or DES + MT + tylosin had significantly less backfat and a slightly higher percentage of ham and loin, and of lean cuts.

Nitrogen balance studies of latin square design were conducted on six adult rams receiving diets with approximately 4, 8 and 16% crude protein. The diets were almost isocaloric and contained groundnut cake, wheat bran, maize starch, and chopped wheat straw. Metabolic faecal and endogenous urinary N were 0·24 ± 0·003 g/100 g dry-matter intake and 0·038 ± 0·01 g/kg body weight per day. Biological value, true digestibility and coefficient of net utilization were 86·9 ± 8·68, 93·4 ± 1·94 and 79·6 ± 2·47, respectively.

Daily digestible crude protein requirements for maintenance estimated by the factorial method (0·875 + 0·;06 g/kg W0·734) and from N balance and the net utilization of protein (0·893 + 0·03 g/kg W0·734) were similar but slightly higher than the requirement estimated from N balance alone (0·738 ± 0·04 g/kg W0·734). All values are lower than the conventional recommendations.

THE theme of the meeting was ‘Beef Production’. The first day was devoted to seven invited papers on carcass quality. This was followed by a whole day tour of north Northumberland including the inspection of beef calf production enterprises on five farms. Suckled calf production was also the subject of the four invited papers presented the next day and the meeting concluded with a visit to Cockle Park Experimental Farm.