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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2017
The current energy rationing system in the U.K., the metabolisable energy (ME) system (AFRC, 1993) takes no account of the partitioning of increments of ME intake (MEI) between milk energy output (E1) and body tissue (Eg). However, recent work at this Institute, Agnew et al., 1999, has shown that the response in E1 to increasing MEI complies to the law of diminishing returns, while the converse response is obtained for Eg. Rationing cows for economic milk production requires a full understanding of the dietary and animal factors which influence this partitioning. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of one animal factor, stage of lactation, on the partitioning of increments and decrements of MEI between E1 and Eg.