Total of SC 14

Abbreviations:

C = Compulsory

CE = Compulsory Elective

WL/W = Work Load per Week

1. ORGANIC ANIMAL FARMING (C) 

• The concept of organic animal farming – agriculture.
• Organic animal products.
• The basic principles for the application of organic animal farming.
• The organic animal farming in the E.U. and in Greece.
• Legislation.
• Perspectives of application of organic animal farming in our country, with regards to farm animal species.
• Management of animal farms (nutrition, hygiene, transformation of a conventional farm into organic farm).
• Advantages – disadvantages of organic and conventional animal farms.
• Organic animal farming and environment.

2. ANIMAL BREEDING (C) 

• Compendious biometrical study of production traits, analysis methods, experimental design, interpretation of results.
• Elements of genetics of natural populations. Foundation and evolution of animal species.
• Elements of Quantitative Genetics, meaning and estimation of genetic parameters, Selection Theory, Inbreeding and Heterosis.
• Selection of Breeding stock (males – females), Selection Methods (e.g. mass selection, progeny testing etc.), Animal Breeding programmes, genetic evaluation.
• Mating and Breeding systems, Purebreeding systems, Outbred breeds, Crossbreeding, Inbred lines, hybrids.
• Design and Management of Animal Breeding programmes, data collection (e.g. Milk Recording etc.), Animal Identification, Type Traits (scoring), Genealogy (pedigree records). Contribution of Biotechnology to Animal Breeding.

3. INSPECTION OF ANIMAL PRODUCTION (C) 

• Aim and Achievement of the inspection of animal products.
• Responsible Bodies for the inspection of animal products.
• Slaughterhouse facilities.
• Buildings, infrastructure and equipment.
• Terms and conditions for the foundation and operation of slaughterhouses – poultry slaughterhouses.
• Animal preparation for slaughter and slaughter procedure.
• Animal / Carcass inspection.
• Inspection of meat-based products (canned products, sausages, cured products, etc).
• Inspection of eggs.
• Inspection of milk and dairy products (cheese, yoghurt, milk cream, ice-cream, etc).
• Inspection of fish (fresh and frozen).
• Spoilage of animal products.
• Inspection procedure.
• Legislation: Greek (Royal Decrees, Presidential Decrees, Laws, Ministerial and Sanitary Provisions), European Union (directives and regulations).

4. DAIRY CATTLE PRODUCTION (C) 

• Classification of bovines, historical retrospection of dairy cattle production in Greece.
• Dairy cattle breeds.
• Anatomy of reproductive system and mammary gland of cattle, physiology of lactation – production traits monitoring.
• Reproduction of cattle, biotechnology methods (artificial insemination, embryo transfer, cloning).
• Cow milking, milking machines, modern techniques.
• Milk production, milk quality control.
• Genetic improvement of cattle, selection, reproduction methods.
• Dairy cattle feeding, digestive process in bovines, calculation of annual needs of feedstuffs in a dairy cattle farm, storage and hygiene of feedstuffs.
• Dairy cattle farm and equipment.

5. POULTRY PRODUCTION (C) 

• Development of poultry raising in Greece (history and improvement).
• Fowl biology.
• Scientific classification.
• Anatomy of the fowl (digestive tract, muscles, blood circulatory system, endocrine glands, hormones, respiratory system, skeleton, reproductive system, uterus development).
• Lighting of poultry houses.
• Genetics. Sex linked genes. Genetic mechanisms.
• Fowl breeds (Asiatic, European – American – egg producing breeds, meat producing and mixed production). Hybrid birds, egg- and meat- type.
• Feeds and feeding. Poultry nutrition. Poultry feeds of plant and animal origin.
• Poultry houses – installations and equipment. Keeping poultry house conditions for growing egg and meat type birds.
• Poultry diseases and hygiene. Egg and poultry meat processing and marketing. Raising of other birds (turkeys, ducks, geese etc).

6a. FARM ANIMAL MANAGEMENT WITH COMPUTER SOFTWARE (CE) 

• Recording and management of livestock in animal farms.
• Formulation of animal rations with computer software.
• Monitoring animal reproductive process with computer software.
• Use of computer software in animal genetic improvement and monitoring zootechnical and economic parameters in animal farms.

6b. ZOOTECHNICAL–ENVIROMENTAL PROJECTS (CE) 

• Planning, designing and constructing of animal farms. Project developing for big, industrial type animal farms, according to national and European directives and laws.
• Big and small projects for animal wastes removal, treatment and reuse as fertilizers, from poultry units, dairy farms and piggeries, according to national and European directives and laws for environmental protection.
• Projects – studies on environmental protection from animal wastes. Consequences from animal farming installations functioning on the Environment. Impacts on the Environment. Avoiding environmental pollution.
• Steps for the official issuing license for animal farming installations and functioning, by the state environmental Authorities.
• Designing and layouts for improving existing animal farms installations and equipment in poultry houses, piggeries, sheep & goats and cow units, as well as animal wastes treatment installations.

7. APICULTURE (C) 

• Honey bee species and breeds.
• The honey bee colony.
• Anatomy, physiology and social physiology of the honey bee.
• Bee nest architecture.
• Honey bee nutrition.
• Honey bee activities and behavior.
• Swarming.
• Honey bee genetics and breeding.
• Crop pollination.
• Honey plants.
• Beekeeping equipment.
• Seasonal management.
• Production of queens.
• Products of the hive.
• Diseases and pest of honey bees.
• Pesticide poisoning.

8. ANIMAL NUTRITION ΙΙ (C) 

• Study of feedstuffs, i.e. fresh and dried roughages, as well as silages, cereal grains, cereal by-products, feeds of animal origin and their nutritive value, as well as the factors that can influence their nutritive value.
• Feedstuffs preservation, preparation and processing.
• Description in detail of all feedstuffs and quantities of each one that should be supplied at the various species of farm animals.
• Special chapters are dedicated for the feedstuffs of animal origin, the non protein nitrogen concentrates, as well as the growth-stimulating substances.
• Diet formulation.

9. SHEEP AND GOAT PRODUCTION (C) 

• Historical evolution of sheep and goats.
• Sheep and goat production in the world, EU and Greece.
• Criteria for classification of sheep and goat breeds.
• Main breeds of sheep and goats, greek and foreign.
• Morphological – Zootechnical characteristics – productive properties.
• Body measurements – body condition scoring.
• Analysis of breeding systems in Greece and in the rest of the world.
• Reproduction – Nutrition – Genetic improvement of sheep and goats.
• Analysis of productive properties (milk, meat and wool production).
• Dehorning, docking, trimming, age determination, hand milking, machine milking, milkability of small ruminants, lambing and kidding, weaning, Artificial suckling, artificial insemination, shearing, care and management of sheep and goats according to the category and the physiological stage.
• Sheep and goat holdings and shelters – Basic diseases – Hygiene.

10. PIG PRODUCTION (C) 

• The pig farming internationally.
• Structure of the Greek pig farming, problems and prospects of the Greek pig production.
• Origin of the modern breeds of pig, the main breeds of pigs in use.
• Reproduction of the pig (male and female reproductive system, semen production, copulation, gestation, parturition, milk production).
• Pig growing and fattening.
• Pig housing.
• The health of pigs and facilities hygiene.
• Genetic of the pigs (genetic improvement in Greece, methods of reproduction).
• Economics and management of the pig farms (types and size of pig farms, necessary capital funds for the operation of a pig farm).
• The use of Informatics - Computing in the economic management of pig farming.

11a. RABBIT PRODUCTION (CE) 

• Classification, origin, nomenclature.
• External morphological conformation, digestive system, reproductive system.
• Production properties: reproduction, meat production, fur production, hair production.
• Rabbits breeds, classification.
• Genetic improvement of rabbits.
• Breeding methods.
• Principles of rabbit housing, types of stalls, waste.
• Hygiene and diseases of rabbits.
• The rabbit production in Greece and worldwide.

11b. COMPANION ANIMAL CARE AND MANAGEMENT (CE) 

• Emphasis is given to dog and cat.
• Classification, nomenclature, breeds.
• External morphological conformation.
• Husbandry, feeding, reproduction.
• Diseases and prevention. Relationship between companion animals and man-Behavior.

12. MEAT TECHNOLOGY AND HYGIENE (C) 

• Slaughter procedure of cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry. Cutting procedure and techniques of beef, pork, sheep and poultry carcasses.
• Meat chemical composition, meat (carcass) yield, meat quality and meat inspection by official veterinary surgeons.
• Production and utilisation of meat by-products.
• Meat processing and preservation.
• Carcass inspection for diseases and pathological conditions.
• Equipment for slaughterhouses and meat cutting plants.
• Hygiene control of meat and meat products, and meat production facilities.

13. MILK TECHNOLOGY AND HYGIENE (C) 

• Biosynthesis of milk components.
• Chemical composition of milk.
• Nutritional value of milk.
• Microbiology of fresh milk.
• Hygiene during production and collection of fresh milk.
• Quality control systems – basic principles.
• Quality control of fresh milk.
• Technology and quality control of pasteurised milk, extended shelf life (high temperature pasteurisation) milk and long life milk.
• Technology and quality control of fermented milk products (yoghurt, buttermilk).
• Cheese (raw material, production procedure, microbiology, spoilages, main types of cheese, cheese manufacturing by-products).
• Technology and quality control of milk cream and butter.
• Factory hygiene for milk processing.

14a. FISH AND SHELLFISH PRODUCTION (CE) 

• Fish (trout, eel, carp, gilthead, bass fish) production in artificial reservoirs. Shellfish farming.
• General principles for the classification of fish and shellfish.
• Requirements regarding fish and shellfish aquatic environment, diet, improvement and reproduction.
• Diseases, problems and hindrances associated with fish and shellfish farming.
• Production, processing and exploitation of fish and shellfish products.
• Fisheries facilities hygiene control. Hygiene for fish and shellfish.

14b. BEEF CATTLE PRODUCTION (CE) 

• Classification, Breeds, Principles of the management of beef cattle enterprises, Feeding, Genetic improvement, Reproduction, Diseases, Hygiene.
• Basic principles of animal growth from early fetal development through typical marketing ages. Tissue development and whole animal growth, with coverage of current technologies for manipulating growth to enhance beef cattle production.
• Beef cattle farm and equipment.