scholarly journals Effects of health disorders, genetic modifications and new technologies on the welfare of dairy cattle

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (12) ◽  
pp. 6468-2020
Author(s):  
ROMAN KOŁACZ ◽  
JĘDRZEJ M. JAŚKOWSKI ◽  
MARCIN CIORGA
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Cattle Production ◽  
Reproductive Disorders ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Genetic Modifications

The purpose of this review was to present the effect of selection of cows for increased milk and meat yields on the animal welfare status in advanced cattle production systems during the last two decades. Numerous health problems are due to housing systems characterized by the lack of pastures and runs, litterless floors, animal congestion limiting cows’ movement, feeding on roughage, social conflicts and bad management. The most frequent causes of culling are lameness, mastitis and reproductive disorders in dairy and beef cattle, which reduce cows’ longevity and result in economic losses in animal husbandry. In addition, lameness and mastitis cause severe pain, exposing cows to suffering and thus reducing their welfare, which is currently unacceptable to consumers. Animal welfare in cattle production should be ensured not only for legal and ethical reasons, but also because it is essential for the good health of the animals, making it possible to limit the use of antibiotics, which are a threat to food safety and public health.

scholarly journals Characterization of smallholder cattle production systems in South-Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannick Mugumaarhahama ◽  
Rodrigue Balthazar Basengere Ayagirwe ◽  
Valence Bwana Mutwedu ◽  
Nadège Cizungu Cirezi ◽  
Dieudonné Shukuru Wasso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Mixed Data ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Fallow Land ◽  
Cattle Production ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
Cattle Farming ◽  
South Kivu

AbstractIn South-Kivu province, cattle farming is an integral component of farmers’ livelihoods and one of the few income-generating opportunities for smallholders. However, very few studies have been conducted to characterize smallholders’ cattle production systems. This study documents cattle production systems to better understand their current situation, constraints they face and opportunities they offer. For that purpose, an investigation was conducted based on a structured survey questionnaire and participatory interviews with 863 farmers in South-Kivu province. Collected data were analysed using factorial analysis of mixed data and clustering techniques. The results revealed three types of smallholder cattle farms differing mainly in their herds’ sizes and landholding. The first category is the most common and includes farmers raising small herds (6.3 ± 6.7 cattle) of local breeds in herding system (in this work, “herding system” refers to a rearing system for which the farmer drives and stays with his animals on pastures and fallow land during the day) and grazing fodder in community pastures, fallow lands and roadside grasses, while land constitutes a scarce resource. In the second category, some farmers have small tracts of land (< 5 ha) and others have large tracts (> 5 ha), but all have medium-size herds (45.1 ± 19.4 cattle) made up of local breeds, which they rear in herding system. They also exploit community pastures, fallow land and roadside fodder for animal feeding. The third and last category includes farmers with large cattle herds (78.1 ± 28.1 cattle) of local, crossbred and exotic breeds raised free range in the fenced paddocks on vast areas of land (> 5 ha) found in high-altitude regions. However, while being different according to the above-considered characteristics, the three categories of cattle farming remain extensive pastoral farms dominated by male farmers. Agriculture and/or animal husbandry are their main source of income while their livestock are also composed of goats and poultry, beside cattle. Still, the three farming groups require more inputs and improvement strategies for increased productivity in the challenging environment characterized by low land accessibility and high demand for milk and meat. Fodder cultivation and crop-livestock integration through agro-ecological systems as well as access to credit and extension services are the proposed strategies for the improvement of this economic sector.

Beef Cattle Production and Trade

2014 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Cattle Production ◽  
Beef Industry ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Beef Cattle Production ◽  
Australian Experience

Beef Cattle Production and Trade covers all aspects of the beef industry from paddock to plate. It is an international text with an emphasis on Australian beef production, written by experts in the field. The book begins with an overview of the historical evolution of world beef consumption and introductory chapters on carcass and meat quality, market preparation and world beef production. North America, Brazil, China, South-East Asia and Japan are discussed in separate chapters, followed by Australian beef production, including feed lotting and live export. The remaining chapters summarise R&D, emphasising the Australian experience, and look at different production systems and aspects of animal husbandry such as health, reproduction, grazing, feeding and finishing, genetics and breeding, production efficiency, environmental management and business management. The final chapter examines various case studies in northern and southern Australia, covering feed demand and supply, supplements, pasture management, heifer and weaner management, and management of internal and external parasites.

Effect of three lactation housing systems on sow and piglet performance and behaviour

1994 ◽  
Vol 1994 ◽  
pp. 189-189
Author(s):  
G Hatet ◽  
S A Edwards ◽  
K Gall ◽  
D S Arey
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Family System ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Current System ◽  
List Type ◽  
Early Weaning ◽  
Alternative Strategies ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Areas Of Concern ◽  
System F

Confinement of sows in farrowing crates and early weaning of piglets are two major areas of concern in relation to animal welfare in intensive pig production systems. In this project, two alternative lactation systems in which these potential stressors are absent or reduced were evaluated.36 sows and litters were used in an experiment to evaluate, from weekly performance records and observations of behaviour, two alternative strategies for housing and management during lactation in comparison with a conventional current system: (1)Family system (F): Sows were housed throughout in groups of four with voluntary access farrowing pens. Piglets remained with the sows for 12 weeks and a boar was introduced after 3 weeks to induce oestrus.(2)Multisuckling system (M): Sows farrowed in individual crates but were grouped in fours in straw pens after 2 weeks. Piglets remained with the sows for 12 weeks and a boar was introduced after 3 weeks.(3)Conventional commercial system (C). Sows remained in part-slatted, unbedded farrowing crates throughout a four week lactation. Piglets weaned into flat decks and transfered after four weeks into fully slatted grower pens.

scholarly journals Does Smart Farming Improve or Damage Animal Welfare? Technology and What Animals Want

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian Stamp Dawkins
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Computer Algorithms ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Common View ◽  
The Public ◽  
Smart Farming

“Smart” or “precision” farming has revolutionized crop agriculture but its application to livestock farming has raised ethical concerns because of its possible adverse effects on animal welfare. With rising public concern for animal welfare across the world, some people see the efficiency gains offered by the new technology as a direct threat to the animals themselves, allowing producers to get “more for less” in the interests of profit. Others see major welfare advantages through life-long health monitoring, delivery of individual care and optimization of environmental conditions. The answer to the question of whether smart farming improves or damages animal welfare is likely to depend on three main factors. Firstly, much will depend on how welfare is defined and the extent to which politicians, scientists, farmers and members of the public can agree on what welfare means and so come to a common view on how to judge how it is impacted by technology. Defining welfare as a combination of good health and what the animals themselves want provides a unifying and animal-centered way forward. It can also be directly adapted for computer recognition of welfare. A second critical factor will be whether high welfare standards are made a priority within smart farming systems. To achieve this, it will be necessary both to develop computer algorithms that can recognize welfare to the satisfaction of both the public and farmers and also to build good welfare into the control and decision-making of smart systems. What will matter most in the end, however, is a third factor, which is whether smart farming can actually deliver its promised improvements in animal welfare when applied in the real world. An ethical evaluation will only be possible when the new technologies are more widely deployed on commercial farms and their full social, environmental, financial and welfare implications become apparent.

scholarly journals The welfare of pigs in rustic and technified production systems using the Welfare Quality protocols of pigs in Mexico: Validity of indicators of animal welfare as part of the sustainability criteria of pig production systems

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natyieli Losada-Espinosa ◽  
María Elena Trujillo Ortega ◽  
Francisco Galindo
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Initial Approximation ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Farm Animal Welfare ◽  
Pig Production ◽  
Sustainability Criteria ◽  
Welfare Quality

Veterinaria México OA ISSN: 2448-6760Cite this as:Losada-Espinosa N,Trujillo Ortega ME, Galindo F. The welfare of pigs in rustic and technified production systems using the Welfare Quality protocols of pigs in Mexico: Validity of indicators of animal welfare as part of the sustainability criteria of pig production systems. Veterinaria México OA. 2017;4(4). doi: 10.21753/vmoa.4.4.521.The Welfare Quality® (WQ) protocols have been developed as a tool for the assessment of farm animal welfare based on scientific evidence. Animal welfare (AW) is part of the sustainability criteria of livestock production. A study was carried out in four states of Central Mexico in seven rustic (rPS) and six technified (tPS) production systems using the WQ protocol with the objective of providing an initial approximation of the welfare of animals and to discuss the validity of indicators of AW. The results showed that the animals housed in rustic units presented better results in the Good Health category and with respect to the criterion expression of social behaviour, while the frequency of criteria concerning Positive emotional states was higher in animals in the technified units. In the changing context in which the farms operate, including changing agricultural policies, new environmental and food safety regulations, variability of climatic conditions, and volatility in prices of inputs and outputs, it is not only the attributes referring to productivity and efficiency that become relevant. It is concluded that the criteria related to the WQ principles of health and behaviour are sensitive to changes in the housing and management of pigs. The high occurrences of health and behaviour problems recorded in technified systems are an indicator of poor welfare.Figure 4. Classification of rustic (RS) and technified (TS) production units within the welfare categories proposed by the Welfare Quality protocol.

scholarly journals A review of recent research outcomes on the housing of farmed domestic rabbits: reproducing does

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsolt Szendrő ◽  
Angela Trocino ◽  
Steffen Hoy ◽  
Gerolamo Xiccato ◽  
Arantxa Villagrá ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Continuous Group ◽  
Group Housing ◽  
Alternative Housing ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
Domestic Rabbits ◽  
Hygienic Conditions

<p>The housing of farmed animals is increasingly scrutinised by society and thereby subject to a change towards more animal-friendly systems. For rabbits, also kept as pets, there are no EC regulations regarding their housing under farming conditions. In many countries, studies have been carried out to improve their welfare and health under current and alternative housing systems. This paper reviews and integrates the research efforts made since the EFSA report in 2005 on reproducing rabbit does and provides some conclusions, where possible, with special emphasis on animal welfare according to the principles stated by the Welfare Quality® project, i.e. good housing, good health and appropriate behaviour. The use of an elevated platform provides greater opportunities for does and their kits to move, jumping up and down. Management and housing systems (especially flooring) must guarantee good hygienic conditions (all-in, all-out) and separation of the rabbits from their excreta for proper resting places, hygiene and health. Plastic floors and footrests and environmental enrichments (e.g. gnawing material) are also recommended. Continuous group housing systems for reproducing females have been definitively proven to challenge animal welfare by increased aggression and injuries among does and to kits. Part-time group housing systems have proven to have potential, but cannot yet be recommended in farms until major problems of aggression and injuries among animals are solved.</p>

scholarly journals Animal welfare assessment in Slovenian conventional and alternative pig production systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-174
Author(s):  
Irena Golinar-Oven ◽  
Jan Plut ◽  
Marina Stukelj
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Good Health ◽  
The Body ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Conventional Farms ◽  
Suckling Piglets ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
Fattening Pigs

The aims of the study were to assess the welfare of pigs in Slovenian farms based on the international Welfare Quality? Assessment protocol for pigs and to gain a first insight into the welfare of pigs in Slovenian conventional and alternative farms. Pig welfare in Slovenia was assessed using the Welfare Quality? protocol on 10 alternative and 10 conventional farms. The size of the farm ranged from 11 to 1900 breeding sows in conventional farms and from three to 50 breeding sows in alternative farms. Using the protocol, the welfare of breeding sows, suckling piglets, growers, and fattening pigs was evaluated. The protocol consisted of four main principles of animal welfare (good feeding, good housing, good health, and appropriate behaviour), which were subdivided into 12 independent criteria. To evaluate each of these criteria, a set of measures was used. Overall animal welfare quality was calculated with a mathematical model incorporated into the protocol. Depending on the scores of the four principles, farms were classified as excellent, enhanced, acceptable or not classified. According to the Welfare Quality? protocol and statistical calculation, growers and fatteners in Slovenian conventional farms were rated as acceptable, while Slovenian alternative farms were rated as enhanced. We can conclude that the welfare of the growers and fatteners in our alternative farms is at a higher level than in conventional farms. The most critical evaluation points in sows were bursitis, wounds on the body, stereotypies, and fear of humans.

scholarly journals Sustainability and Quality Aspects of Different Table Egg Production Systems: A Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 7884
Author(s):  
Szilvia Molnár ◽  
László Szőllősi
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Quality Factors ◽  
Health Awareness ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Quality Aspects

Eggs are of considerable importance in feeding the population, as they are a relatively inexpensive and complex food source of very high biological value. The daily animal protein requirement for the human body can be covered with eggs in the cheapest way and with the lowest environmental impact. As animal welfare, as well as environmental and health awareness issues, become increasingly prominent in developed countries, consumer demand for eggs has also changed significantly in recent years, with an increasing number of consumers buying eggs produced in non-cage housing systems. In recent years, cage housing has been more frequently debated in EU member states. An initiative was launched in 2018 to end cage housing technologies and the sale of eggs produced in this way. However, in addition to animal welfare, a number of other factors need to be considered in relation to sustainable production. For this reason, the aim of this research is to provide a comprehensive overview of the sustainability issues of various housing technologies, as well as quality factors affecting consumer health and egg consumption based on the relevant international references and databases. Although there is a growing demand for products produced in non-cage housing systems due to the increasing relevance of environmental protection, health awareness and animal welfare issues in Western societies, research has shown that non-caged production is not the best solution for environmentally, socially and economically sustainable egg production.

scholarly journals Evaluation of different pig production systems including economic, welfare and environmental aspects

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Krieter
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Head Group ◽  
Group Housing ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Lactation Length ◽  
Fattening Pigs

Abstract. The aim of the study is to evaluate different production systems in pig farming including economic, animal welfare and environmental aspects with computer simulation. The computer model considers a vertically integrated system with farrowing, weaning, fattening and slaughtering stage as well as the transportation of pigs between theses stages. Housing systems were distinguished in individual and group housing with partly/fully slatted flooring or straw. Housing conditions were scaled to animal welfare in a decreasing order from straw, social contact to movement. Environmental issues were measured by nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) excretion. With standard pork production (slatted floors, individual housing of sows, small groups of fattening pigs) the cost per fattening pig accounted for € 131.72, N- and P-excretion were 7.1 and 1.2 kg per head. Group housing for gestating sows (slatted floor) and a higher number of fattening pigs per group increased welfare scoring by 25%. Cost, N- and P-excretion were reduced by 3.5, 5.1 and 5.2%. Group housing of sows during lactation, mating and gestation (with prolonged lactation length 5 weeks; welfare scoring 100%) and straw in each stage raised production cost by 24.6% (€ 32.31), N- and P-excretion were enhanced to 8.0 kg (12.7%) and 1.3 kg (10.5%) per head.

scholarly journals 5 Precision animal welfare for pigs

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 11-12
Author(s):  
Lindsey E Hulbert
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Tracking System ◽  
Swine Production ◽  
Alternative Housing ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Animal Management ◽  
Mental Stimulation ◽  
Real Time Information

Abstract Precision animal management (PAM), was a term created by engineers to describe technologies that improve the sustainability of intensive animal production systems. Focused efforts include improving product-efficiency and environmental impact (e.g. robotics in milk production). These PAM technologies have been incorporated in intensive swine production systems (e.g. feeding systems, waste-management). There is a perception that animal welfare efforts reduce efficiency, thus reducing sustainability. This perception is challenged with the development and application of precision animal welfare (PAW) technologies. Examples include: 1) a response system to stimulate sows to stand when they are crushing piglets (Swineguard, Swine Tech, Cedar Rapids, IA); 2) a visual-based automatic tracking system to detect sickness and agonistic interactions at an per-animal level (Schmidt et al., University of Nebraska at Lincoln, NE), and; 3) environmental enrichment (EE) that simultaneously provides mental-stimulation to pigs and automatically collects data (Hulbert et al., K-State, Manhattan, KS). The first two technologies may be applied for improved efficiency, which may not motivate animal caretakers to adopt new housing strategies. Restricted space-allowance limits behavior-expression, and consequently, limits the amount and type of data that can be gained from the technologies. Therefore, more work is needed to apply these technologies on pigs in alternative housing systems (e.g. pens instead of farrowing stalls). Animal welfare improves with EE, but pigs can extinguish EE-use (i.e. boredom) or destroy EE-devices. Non-destructible, stimulating EE were tested on mini-boars. The automated data served a behavioral-biomarker for detecting subclinical injury biomedical research projects. This EE can be scaled-up for commercial pigs and has great potential for improving welfare of pigs in intensive systems while simultaneous providing semi real-time information to animal caretakers at an per-animal level. For swine production, early-adopters and investors are needed to help animal welfare researchers and engineers to transform technologies from PAM into PAW.

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