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Phillips CJC. Farm Animal Welfare-From the Farmers' Perspective. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:671. [PMID: 38473056 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Improvements in the welfare of animals in the intensive production industries are increasingly being demanded by the public. Scientific methods of welfare improvement have been developed and are beginning to be used on farms, including those provided by precision livestock farming. The number of welfare challenges that animals are facing in the livestock production industries is growing rapidly, and farmers are a key component in attempts to improve welfare because their livelihood is at stake. The challenges include climate change, which not only exposes animals to heat stress but also potentially reduces forage and water availability for livestock production systems. Heat-stressed animals have reduced welfare, and it is important to farmers that they convert feed to products for human consumption less efficiently, their immune system is compromised, and both the quality of the products and the animals' reproduction are adversely affected. Livestock farmers are also facing escalating feed and fertiliser costs, both of which may jeopardise feed availability for the animals. The availability of skilled labour to work in livestock industries is increasingly limited, with rural migration to cities and the succession of older farmers uncertain. In future, high-energy and protein feeds are unlikely to be available in large quantities when required for the expanding human population. It is expected that livestock farming will increasingly be confined to marginal land offering low-quality pasture, which will favour ruminant livestock, at the expense of pigs and poultry unable to readily digest coarse fibre in plants. Farmers also face disease challenges to their animals' welfare, as the development of antibiotic resistance in microbes has heralded an era when we can no longer rely on antibiotics to control disease or improve the feed conversion efficiency of livestock. Farmers can use medicinal plants, pro-, pre- and synbiotics and good husbandry to help maintain a high standard of health in their animals. Loss of biodiversity in livestock breeds reduces the availability of less productive genotypes that survive better on nutrient-poor diets than animals selected for high productivity. Farmers have a range of options to help address these challenges, including changing to less intensive diets, diversification from livestock farming to other enterprises, such as cereal and pseudocereal crops, silvopastoral systems and using less highly selected breeds. These options may not always produce good animal welfare, but they will help to give farm animals a better life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clive J C Phillips
- Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute, Kent St., Bentley 6102, Australia
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, 51014 Tartu, Estonia
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Cooke AS, Mullan S, Morten C, Hockenhull J, Le Grice P, Le Cocq K, Lee MRF, Cardenas LM, Rivero MJ. Comparison of the welfare of beef cattle in housed and grazing systems: hormones, health, and behaviour. THE JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE 2023; 161:450-463. [PMID: 37641790 PMCID: PMC7614983 DOI: 10.1017/s0021859623000357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Animal welfare encompasses all aspects of an animal's life and the interactions between animals. Consequently, welfare must be measured across a variety of factors that consider aspects such as health, behaviour, and mental state. Decisions regarding housing and grazing are central to farm management. In this study, two beef cattle systems and their herds were compared from weaning to slaughter across numerous indicators. One herd ("HH") were continuously housed, the other ("HG") were housed only during winter. Inspections of animals were conducted to assess body condition, cleanliness, diarrhoea, hairlessness, nasal discharge, and ocular discharge. Hair and nasal mucus samples were taken for quantification of cortisol and serotonin. Qualitative behaviour assessments (QBA) were also conducted and performance monitored. Physical health indicators were similar between herds with the exception of nasal discharge which was more prevalent in HH (P < 0.001). During winter, QBA yielded differences between herds over PC1 (arousal) (P = 0.032), but not PC2 (mood) (P = 0.139). Through summer, there was a strong difference across both PC1 (P < 0.001) and PC2 (P = 0.002), with HG exhibiting more positive behaviour. A difference was found in hair cortisol levels, with the greatest concentrations observed in HG (P = 0.011), however such a pattern was not seen for nasal mucus cortisol, or for serotonin. Overall, providing summer grazing (HG) appeared to afford welfare benefits to the cattle as shown with more positive QBA assessments, but also slightly better health indicators, notwithstanding the higher levels of cortisol in that group.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. S. Cooke
- School of Life Sciences, College of Science, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Okehampton, UK
| | - S. Mullan
- UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - C. Morten
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Okehampton, UK
| | - J. Hockenhull
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - P. Le Grice
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Okehampton, UK
| | - K. Le Cocq
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Okehampton, UK
- School of Sustainable Food and Farming, Harper Adams University, Edgmond, UK
| | - M. R. F. Lee
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Okehampton, UK
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- School of Sustainable Food and Farming, Harper Adams University, Edgmond, UK
| | - L. M. Cardenas
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Okehampton, UK
| | - M. J. Rivero
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Okehampton, UK
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Review: Assessment of dairy cow welfare at pasture: measures available, gaps to address, and pathways to development of ad-hoc protocols. Animal 2022; 16:100597. [PMID: 35907382 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2022.100597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Pasture is generally perceived as positive for dairy cow welfare, but it nevertheless exposes cows to heat, parasites, and other challenges. This review is intended for people ready to design comprehensive protocols for assessing the welfare of dairy cows at pasture. We provide an overview of the benefits and risks of pasture for cows, and then go on to identify the available and feasible measures for assessing cow welfare at pasture and the gaps that need to be addressed to develop specific welfare measures. Some of the measures from on-farm welfare assessment protocols designed for indoor use (e.g. Welfare Quality®) are relevant for cows at pasture (e.g. lameness scoring). However, the timing, location and/or method for certain measures (e.g. observation of social behaviour) need to be adapted to the pasture context, as cows at pasture can roam over a large area. Measures to address specific pasture-related risks (e.g. heat stress, biosecurity) or benefits (e.g. expression of a wide range of behaviours) should be implemented in order to capture all dimensions of cow welfare at pasture. Furthermore, cow welfare is liable to vary over the grazing season due to changes in weather conditions, grass quality and pasture plots that induce variations in lying surface conditions, food availability, distance to walk to the milking parlour, and so on. It is therefore important to investigate the variability in different welfare measures across the pasture season to check whether they hold stable over time and, if not, to determine solutions that can give an overview across the grazing season. Sensors offer a promising complement to animal and environment observations, as they can capture long-term animal monitoring data, which is simply not possible for a one-day welfare-check visit. We conclude that some measures validated for indoor situations can already be used in pasture-based systems, while others need to be validated for their fitness for purpose and/or use in pasture conditions. Furthermore, thresholds should probably be determined for measures to fit with pasture contexts. If all measures can be made adaptable to all situations encountered on farms or variants of the measures can at least be proposed for each criterion, then it should be possible to produce a comprehensive welfare assessment protocol suitable for large-scale use in near future.
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Nakajima N, Doi K, Tamiya S, Yayota M. Effects of Grazing in a Sown Pasture with Forestland on the Health of Japanese Black Cows as Evaluated by Multiple Indicators. J APPL ANIM WELF SCI 2020; 24:173-187. [PMID: 32877263 DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2020.1813581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of extensive grazingin a sown pasture with forestland on the health of beef cows by measuring multiple indicators. Ten Japanese Black beef cows were used in this experiment. Five of the ten cows were grazed for two months on a 1.8 ha field. The remaining cows were fed under confinement conditions. Behavioral assessments showed that grazing increased sternum lying with rumination of the cows. The grazing cows did not show any abnormal behaviors. There was a tendency for the numbers of red blood cells and lymphocytes to be lower in grazing cows than in confined cows, whereas the number of neutrophils in grazing cows was significantly higher than that in confined cows. In addition, grazing cows had a higher total antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase activity than confined cows. These results suggest that extensive grazing in a sown pasture with forestland increases natural behaviors, decreases circulating red blood cells and lymphocytes and enhances neutrophil circulation, antioxidant enzyme activity, and antioxidant capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriaki Nakajima
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Kazuya Doi
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Sae Tamiya
- Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Masato Yayota
- Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.,Education and Research Center for Food Animal Health, Gifu University (Gefah), Gifu, Japan
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Aspects of lameness in pasture based dairy systems. Vet J 2018; 244:83-90. [PMID: 30825900 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2018.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Pasture-based dairy systems are implemented all over the world. Access to pasture is perceived to be advantageous for animal welfare in western societies. However, the benefits of grazing on lameness are not uniformly verifiable. This is related to the challenges that grazing cows face which are different from zero-grazing systems to some extent, but may nevertheless be deleterious. The distribution of lesion types comparing housed and pastured cattle differs between studies. This may be caused by differences in how strongly certain risk factors apply in these studies. Major risk factors for lameness in grazing cattle are related to the risk of trauma, for example from long walking distances and lack of track maintenance, and cow factors such as the adaptability of certain breeds to the grazing lifestyle. The consequences of lameness are similar to zero-grazing cattle and negatively affect animal welfare and productivity.
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Oliveira ZB, Silva CM, Souza IJ, Link TT, Bottega EL. CENÁRIOS DE MUDANÇAS CLIMÁTICAS E SEUS IMPACTOS NA PRODUÇÃO LEITEIRA NO SUL DO BRASIL. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE ENGENHARIA DE BIOSSISTEMAS 2018. [DOI: 10.18011/bioeng2018v12n2p110-121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
O presente trabalho teve como objetivo analisar cenários de mudanças climáticas e seus impactos na produção leiteira no Sul do Brasil. O estudo foi realizado para doze municípios da região Sul do Brasil, sendo quatro municípios de cada estado: Paraná, Santa Catarina e Rio Grande do Sul. O Índice de Temperatura e Umidade (ITU) foi calculado para a situação de máximo desconforto térmico (nos meses de verão), a partir da temperatura máxima do ar (Tmax) e da umidade relativa mínima do ar (URmin). Os dados meteorológicos utilizados como referência para o “cenário atual” foram obtidos do INMET. Para a criação dos cenários de mudança climática, foram acrescentados 0,5º, 1,5º e 3º C na Tmax (médias do período de 1961-1990) e calculou-se a redução da URmin nesses cenários. Na situação climática atual, o ITU é superior a 72, considerado como alerta para o conforto térmico das vacas leiteiras, em todos os municípios avaliados e em todo o período (dezembro a março), chegando a valores extremos de 84 no estado do RS. O estresse calórico atual é amenizado no cenário +0,5ºC, em função da redução da URmin que compensa o aumento da Tmax; mantêm-se no cenário de +1,5ºC e aumenta no cenário +3,0ºC, em que o declínio na produção de leite é em média 70% maior que na situação climática atual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z. B. Oliveira
- UFSM - Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Campus Cachoeira do Sul, RS, Brasil
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Peric T, Corazzin M, Romanzin A, Bovolenta S, Prandi A, Montillo M, Comin A. Cortisol and DHEA concentrations in the hair of dairy cows managed indoor or on pasture. Livest Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2017.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Shock D, LeBlanc S, Leslie K, Hand K, Godkin M, Coe J, Kelton D. Studying the relationship between on-farm environmental conditions and local meteorological station data during the summer. J Dairy Sci 2016; 99:2169-2179. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2015-9795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 11/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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