The launching of the Australian Journal of Agricultural, Veterinary and Animal Sciences (AJAVAS) on May 1, 2025 was the culmination of a ten-year dream that began with MARCIAS AUSTRALIA’s registration with an ABN Number 66814341257 by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission on January 6, 2016. Australia’s reputation as a global thought leader in agricultural innovation, ethical livestock production, food security, animal welfare and veterinary sciences is rock-solid. Establishing AJAVAS with a strategic operational base in Australia and a global spread aims to provide an authentic and reliable global reference point for sound science, integrated and multidisciplinary innovations in sustainable agricultural food security, ethical livestock production and veterinary sciences. The key focus is on integrated, novel, innovative, strategic and applied sciences, multi- and inter-disciplinary research with practical ‘real world’ applications. The Foundation Editorial & Advisory Board members of AJAVAS were drawn from UK’s University of Cambridge, Australian Universities of Newcastle, Melbourne, RMIT, Sydney, and New England, Iranian Universities of Guilan and Semnan, Nigerian National Veterinary Research Institute & National Animal Production Research Institute, Brazilian University of Campina Grande, Finnish Natural Resources Institute, American Kansas State University and Tunisian La Manouba University. Thus, AJAVAS has a global spread with Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe, North & South American representation. The journal comprises 4 Sections – Agricultural, Veterinary and Animal Sciences, and PhD Thesis Reviews. AJAVAS membership on LinkedIn is free at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13200707/. The inaugural issue of AJAVAS focusses on ultrasonographic assessment of post-anaesthetic gastrointestinal function in rabbits and emerging applications of postbiotics to sustainable livestock production systems.

Objective assessment methods are essential to assess the effects of anaesthesia on rabbits’ gastrointestinal function. In this prospective case series, the digestive function of four pet rabbits undergoing general anaesthesia for elective orchiectomy was assessed using both abdominal ultrasonography (60 minutes pre-anaesthesia and 45-75 minutes post-anaesthesia) and quantification of their food intake and faecal output. The ultrasonographic outcome measures were duodenal and pyloric contractions, counted from a three-minute video recording for each site. A peristaltic contraction was defined as either unidirectional motion of luminal contents (sagittal plane) or a single rhythmic dilation and contraction of the lumen (transverse plane) lasting one to two seconds. Postoperative food intake was calculated by weighing the offered food using a precision scale. The faeces collected during the observation period were also weighed. Only one out of the four rabbits ate during the elapsed observation period from the end of the anaesthetic to abdominal ultrasonography, and none of them produced any faeces during this time. Abdominal ultrasonographic assessment could be completed within 15 minutes and was feasible with gentle restraint of the rabbits in sternal recumbency. Duodenal contractions were subjectively found to be more consistent and easier to detect and monitor than pyloric contractions. Based on the pilot findings of this case series, ultrasonographic assessment of duodenal contractions, together with monitoring of postoperative food intake and faecal output, may be a useful tool for the early detection of post-anaesthetic digestive dysfunction in rabbits, and potential identification of rabbits at higher risk of developing postoperative ileus.

The growing challenge of drug-resistant microbes emerging from increased antibiotic use in livestock production has prompted bans and intensified research into natural feed additives for sustainable and improved animal production. While probiotics (live bacteria) have been commonly used to enhance animal health and growth, heightened concerns about probiotic stability and propensity to transfer the antibiotic resistance gene, limit their efficiency and viability. Currently, postbiotics are emerging as the more stable and natural alternative gut health promoters, in the light of their potential to increase nutrient intake, absorption, growth, fertility, and carcass quality. Postbiotics are beneficial left-over wastes (by-products and compounds) from the metabolism and digestion of probiotics and prebiotics (substrates for live bacteria) in the gut. Postbiotics include antimicrobial peptides that slow down the growth of harmful bacteria, short-chain fatty acids that help healthy bacteria flourish, amino acids, microbial cell fragments, extracellular polysaccharides, and vitamins B and K. Emerging evidence suggests that postbiotics may offer environmental benefits in mitigating microplastic contamination and reducing methane emissions in livestock production. This review examines existing gaps in the light of current knowledge on postbiotics and their impact on animal health, milk production, carcass quality, and reproductive outcomes in livestock, and proposes future research direction to foster a better understanding of the role of postbiotics in enhancing sustainable monogastric and ruminant livestock production.