Trade-offs between indicators of performance and sustainability in breeding suckler beef herds

2016 ◽  
Vol 155 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-170
Author(s):  
B. VOSOUGH AHMADI ◽  
M. NATH ◽  
J. J. HYSLOP ◽  
C. A. MORGAN ◽  
A. W. STOTT
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Statistical Models ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Cattle Herds ◽  
Three Body ◽  
Calving Difficulty ◽  
Beef Suckler

SUMMARYManagement of beef suckler cattle herds requires a difficult but vitally important balance between farm profits, animal health and welfare and sustainable food production. A dynamic programming (DP) model was implemented to investigate the consequences of replacement and management decisions on the interactions and possible trade-offs between animal welfare, fertility and profitability in breeding beef suckler cattle herds. The model maximized profit from the current cow and all successors by identifying the best keep/replace decision. The 150 states incorporated in the DP model were all combinations of: ten cow-parity, five calving periods including one barren state (five in total) as fertility indicators and three body condition scores at weaning as an animal welfare indicator reflecting feeding and nutritional conditions of animals. Statistical models were fitted to data from a breeding suckler cattle herd, consisting of performance records of 200 cattle over 5 years, to parameterize the DP model. Estimated parameters used in the DP model were: (i) probabilities of transitions between states and (ii) probability of involuntary culling. These estimates were used in the form of conditional probabilities of successful or failed (as a result of involuntary culling) transitions to the next state. In addition, statistical models were used to estimate probability of calving difficulty. There was strong evidence (P<0·001) that parity affected calving difficulty and weak evidence (P= 0·067) that parity affected the incidence of involuntary culling. The DP model outcomes indicated that cows calving very early, i.e. those who conceived in the first 21 days after artificial insemination, showed reduced frequencies of calving difficulty as well as voluntary culling, and so gave better financial returns than late-calving cows and barren cows. As a result, fewer replacements were needed that reduced the frequency of calving difficulty, further implying a win–win scenario for both profit and welfare. In contrast, in late-calving animals, the frequency of calving difficulty increased and they were less profitable and more prone to be culled. Results of sensitivity analysis showed that the optimum voluntary culling rate was sensitive to commodity market prices. These findings suggest well-informed nutrition and reproduction management could deliver a win–win outcome for profit and animal welfare.

scholarly journals Synergies and Trade-Offs for Sustainable Food Production in Sweden: An Integrated Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Tälle ◽  
Lotten Wiréhn ◽  
Daniel Ellström ◽  
Mattias Hjerpe ◽  
Maria Huge-Brodin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Resource Distribution ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Sustainable Food Production ◽  
Trade Offs

The production of food can have large impacts on sustainable development in relation to various socio-ecological dimensions, like climate change, the environment, animal welfare, livestock epidemiology, and the economy. To achieve a sustainable food production system in Sweden, an integrated approach that considers all five of these dimensions, and all parts of the food production chain, is necessary. This paper systematically reviewed the literature related to food production in Sweden, especially in association with resource distribution and recycling logistics, and identified potential sustainability interventions and assessed their effects according to the five dimensions. Participation of stakeholders across the food production chain contributed with the focus of the literature search and subsequent synthesis. In general, there were synergies between the sustainability interventions and their effect on climate change and the environment, while there often were trade-offs between effects on the economy and the other dimensions. Few interventions considered effects on animal welfare or livestock epidemiology and few studies dealt with resource distribution and recycling logistics. This indicates that there is a need for future research that considers this in particular, as well as research that considers the whole food production chain and all dimensions at once, and investigates effects across multiple scales.

scholarly journals Embedding animal welfare in sustainability assessment: an indicator approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Brennan ◽  
T. Hennessy ◽  
E. Dillon
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Herd Size ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Farm Level ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Farm Accountancy Data Network ◽  
The Impact

In line with growing consumer interest in sustainable food production, a number of farm-level sustainability indicator studies have been published in recent years. Despite the importance of animal welfare, many such frameworks fail to adequately take account of it, mostly due to difficulties in accessing suitable data. This paper demonstrates that it is possible to develop indicators of animal welfare that can be embedded within a wider sustainability framework using a representative farm-level dataset such as the European Union (EU) Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) for Ireland, the Teagasc National Farm Survey. The paper presents a set of sustainability indicators for dairy farms in Ireland for the 2014–2017 period and examines the impact of policy reform on sustainability performance. Headline results show that welfare standards on dairy farms in Ireland have remained stable over the period despite the considerable intensification of the dairy sector following EU milk quota removal. Furthermore, dairy farms that have expanded herd size significantly have improved welfare standards more than farms that have not increased production. An analysis of synergies and trade-offs between the various aspects of sustainability reveals that positive correlations exist between welfare standards and economic and environmental performance. The analysis facilitates the identification of win-win farm-level strategies that can be adopted to improve economic, environmental and animal welfare outcomes. The framework developed here presents opportunities for evaluating policy impacts at the farm level on various aspects of sustainability. The use of the FADN demonstrates the capacity to extend such an approach across the EU.

Iceberg diseases in uk goats

Livestock ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-50
Author(s):  
David Harwood
Keyword(s):  
Economic Impact ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Clinical Disease ◽  
Individual Animal ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Ruminant Species

Iceberg diseases are recognised across ruminant species, and their impact on individual animal health and welfare, and their economic impact at herd or flock level should not be underestimated. This group of diseases are characterised by the variety of stages of infection present when disease is established from clinically obvious cases (the ‘tip’ of the iceberg) through differing stages of early clinical disease to those infected yet clinically healthy. This article will explore iceberg diseases that can be identified in goats whether kept for profit, hobby, or pleasure.

scholarly journals Sustainability Indicators for Foods Benefiting Climate and Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3621
Author(s):  
Anna Strid ◽  
Elinor Hallström ◽  
Ulf Sonesson ◽  
Josefin Sjons ◽  
Anna Winkvist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Nutrient Density ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Food Product Development

New methods for combined evaluation of nutritional and environmental aspects of food products are needed to enable a transformation of dietary guidelines integrating both health and environmental perspectives. We evaluated two sustainability aspects; nutrition and climate impact, of foods commonly consumed in Sweden and the implications of using parallel or integrated assessments of these two aspects, also discussing the usability and suitability of these food sustainability indicators in relation to Swedish dietary guidelines, industry food product development, and consumer communication. There were large differences in both nutrient density and climate impact among the different foods. The parallel assessment easily visualized synergies and trade-offs between these two sustainability aspects for the different foods. Coherence with dietary guidelines was good, and suitability and usability deemed satisfying. The integrated indicator showed better coherence with dietary guidelines than indicators based solely on nutrient density or climate impact; however, the difficulty to interpret the score limits its usability in product development and consumer communication. With both methods, advantageous as well as less advantageous plant-based and animal-based food alternatives were suggested. The two alternative methods evaluated could serve as useful tools to drive individual and societal development towards more sustainable food production and consumption.

scholarly journals Brexit and Animal Protection: Legal and Political Context and a Framework to Assess Impacts on Animal Welfare

Animals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven McCulloch
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Conservative Party ◽  
Political Support ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Animal Protection ◽  
Protection Policy ◽  
The Uk

The British people voted to leave the European Union (EU) in a 2016 referendum. The United Kingdom (UK) has been a member of the EU since the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1993 and before that a member of the European Communities (EC) since 1973. EU animal health and welfare regulations and directives have had a major impact on UK animal protection policy. Similarly, the UK has had a substantial impact on EU animal protection. Brexit represents a substantial political upheaval for animal protection policy, with the potential to impact animal welfare in the UK, EU and internationally. Brexit’s impact on farmed animals will determine the overall impact of Brexit on animals. A major threat to animal welfare is from importing lower welfare products. A major opportunity is reform of UK agricultural policy to reward high welfare outside the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). A soft Brexit, in which the UK remains in the single market and/or customs union, mitigates the threat of importing lower welfare products. A harder Brexit means threats to animal welfare are more likely to materialise. Whether threats and opportunities do materialise will depend on political considerations including decisions of key political actors. The Conservative Government delivering Brexit has a problematic relationship with animal protection. Furthermore, Brexit represents a shift to the political right, which is not associated with progressive animal protection. There is significant political support in the Conservative Party for a hard Brexit. Further research is required to investigate whether the various threats and opportunities are likely to materialise.

Invited review: Importance of animal health and welfare for the stability of the three pillars of sustainability of livestock systems

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-214
Author(s):  
P. Chemineau
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Strong Interactions ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Livestock Systems

The future livestock systems at the world level will have to produce more in the perspective of the population increase in the next 30 years, whereas reducing their environmental footprint and addressing societal concerns. In that perspective, we may wonder if animal health and animal welfare, which are two essential components of production systems, may play an important role in the stability of the three pillars of sustainability of the livestock systems. We already know that objectives driven by economy, environment and society may modify animal welfare and animal health, but is the reverse true? The answer is yes and in 11 cases out of 12 of the matrix health-welfare×3 pillars of sustainability×positive or negative change, we have many examples indicating that animal health and animal welfare are able to modify, positively or negatively, the three pillars of sustainability. Moreover, we also have good examples of strong interactions between health and welfare. These elements play in favour of an holistic approach at the farm level and of a multicriterial definition of what could be the sustainable systems of animal production in the future which will respect animal welfare and maintain a good animal health.

scholarly journals Is One Health a Viable Strategy in Animal Health Litigation: Evidence from Civil Lawsuits in China

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2560
Author(s):  
Kai Wu ◽  
Ying Yu ◽  
Chen Chen ◽  
Zheming Fu
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
One Health ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Civil Lawsuit ◽  
Civil Lawsuits ◽  
Advantageous Position ◽  
The One ◽  
Judicial Protection

Several litigation strategies are used to gain support from courts in order to protect animals. While the emerging litigation strategy themed in One Health stimulates judicial protection in the animal health sector, little is known about whether and how such strategies are supported by courts. In this article, we investigate how animal welfare litigation strategies influence judge’s choices within their discretion. We argue that litigators equipped with the litigation strategy themed in One Health are placed in an advantageous position in animal health cases, but that this tendency varies markedly across zoonoses. Specifically, we suggest that litigators utilizing One Health’s litigation strategy are associated with higher probabilities to win, whereas normal litigators are not. Further, we propose that litigators equipped with the One Health litigation strategy are awarded more damages from judges. We test and find support for our predictions using a cross sectional dataset of civil lawsuit cases centering on the animal health industry in Chinese mainland. Our findings indicate that courts indeed were persuaded by the One Health litigation strategy, even when bound by the discretion rules. At the same time, we suggest that for advocates who would like to litigate for animal welfare in the animal health sector, the litigation strategy themed in One Health might have potentially positive implications.

Strengthening existing healthcare systems for sustainable animal welfare.

2021 ◽  
pp. 161-177
Author(s):  
Shereene Williams ◽  
Laura Skippen
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
National Level ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Local Systems ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Global Agenda ◽  
Universal Health ◽  
Human Healthcare

Abstract More can be achieved by working with what is already in place, compared with creating new systems that undermine local systems and traditions. However, creating lasting improvements in animal health systems at a national level is an ambitious task. Last-mile human healthcare is a key issue in the drive to achieve universal health coverage for all people and looking to the ways that humanitarian agencies are trying to achieve this will be key in driving this forwards for all animals in the future. To push animal welfare up the global agenda and create a catalyst for change, referencing solely animal welfare is not enough. Drawing on linkages between people, the planet and animals is essential.

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