scholarly journals Examinations on the relationship between claw health and the assessment of housing conditions based on a welfare index and critical checkpoints

2011 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-237
Author(s):  
S. Heinz ◽  
N. Kanswohl ◽  
A. Römer
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Herd Health ◽  
The Status ◽  
Welfare Index ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between the herd status for claw health and herd parameters. Herd parameters were derived from an assessment of the housing conditions and were based on a welfare index and critical checkpoints. Data has been collected on four conventional large dairy farms in northeast Germany. All farms have free-stall systems with cubicles offering a lying area. During the period from 2005 to 2008 on each farm claw disorders were recorded at time of regular hoof trimming, i.e. two or three times a year. Data was augmented by data on veterinary treatments of feet and legs. The Data comprises 18 119 observations of 3 690 cows. Housing conditions were assessed in the year 2008. The results show that a consequent and determined management of herd health is necessary to substantially improve the status of claw health. Housing and management confirming the rules of animal welfare will contribute to the well-being of dairy cows.

scholarly journals Systems for evaluation of welfare on dairy farms

2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (S1) ◽  
pp. 13-19
Author(s):  
Angela Krueger ◽  
Jenifer Cruickshank ◽  
Erminio Trevisi ◽  
Massimo Bionaz
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Dairy Production ◽  
Evaluation Systems ◽  
Welfare Evaluation ◽  
The World ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
Poor Welfare

AbstractAnimal welfare is an essential component of dairy production and several systems exist to evaluate the welfare of dairy cows. Here, we review and compare three well-known systems that operate at farm level from around the world (FARM, Welfare Quality®, and The Code of Welfare) and discuss their advantages and limitations. Despite having some commonalities, the programs evaluate different elements. We also briefly review an emerging system (Integrated Diagnostic Welfare System) that might address some of the shortcomings of the existing systems, especially the possibility of automating the evaluation of animal well-being and identifying any cause of poor welfare. None of the aforementioned systems has been fully validated for their ability to assess animal welfare using independent measurements. The future holds increased attention around the well-being of dairy cows and increased use of sensing technologies. There is an urgent need for dairy welfare evaluation systems that are scientifically validated, holistic, and that can take advantage of the use of sensing technologies to continuously monitor animal welfare.

scholarly journals Animal Welfare and Farmers' Satisfaction in Small-Scale Dairy Farms in the Eastern Alps: A “One Welfare” Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Spigarelli ◽  
Marco Berton ◽  
Mirco Corazzin ◽  
Luigi Gallo ◽  
Sabine Pinterits ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Eastern Alps ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Agricultural Community ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Small Scale Dairy

The multidimensional concept of animal welfare includes physical health, good emotional state, and appropriate behavior of the animals. The most recent methods for its assessment are inspired by the Welfare Quality, a project compiling animal-, resource-, and management-based measures. Recently, animal welfare assessment has also considered the human factor in a so-called “One Welfare” approach. The One Welfare framework highlights the interconnections between animal welfare, human well-being, and the environment. The concept seems to fit particularly well to mountain areas where the relationship between human, animals, and the environment is stronger. In such disadvantaged areas, farmers' well-being plays a key role in maintaining livestock farming profitably and sustainably. This study aims to investigate the relationship between farmers' satisfaction, animal welfare outcomes, and overall farm performance in 69 small-scale dairy farms in the Eastern Alps. Animal welfare assessment consisted of animal-based measures and was performed using the methodology proposed by the European Food Safety Authority for this type of farm. Moreover, the farmers were interviewed to retrieve data on farm characteristics and on their level of satisfaction toward workload, land organization, relationship with the agricultural/non-agricultural community, and the future of local agriculture. The results show that good animal welfare can be obtained in a mountain farming system. Clinical indicators show a low prevalence of diseases and of very lean cows as opposed to integument alterations. The workload is not perceived as a problem in traditional farms (i.e., tie-stall and with no participation in quality-certification schemes). Animal welfare is higher in those farms where farmers have a positive engagement with both the agricultural and non-agricultural community and where farmers are satisfied with their land organization. A One Welfare approach could be applied on a larger scale to fully understand the links between animal and human well-being in mountain areas.

scholarly journals Associations between Dairy Herds’ Qualitative Behavior and Aspects of Herd Health, Stockperson and Farm Factors—A Cross-Sectional Exploration

Animals ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Asja Ebinghaus ◽  
Katharina Matull ◽  
Ute Knierim ◽  
Silvia Ivemeyer
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Qualitative Behavior ◽  
Herd Health ◽  
Farm Animal Welfare ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Human Animal

The affective state is an integrated aspect of farm animal welfare, which is understood as the animals’ perception of their living environment and of their internal biological functioning. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore animal-internal and external factors potentially influencing dairy cows’ affective state. For this purpose, qualitative behavior assessments (QBA) describing the animals’ body language were applied at herd level on 25 dairy farms. By means of principal component analysis (PCA), scores of PC1 (QBAscores) were determined for further analyses. From monthly milk recordings (MR) one year retrospectively, prevalences of udder and metabolic health impairments were calculated. Factors of housing, management, and human-animal contact were recorded via interviews and observations. A multivariable regression was calculated following a univariable preselection of factors. No associations were found between MR indicators and QBAscores. However, more positive QBAscores were associated with bedded cubicles or straw yards compared to raised cubicles, increased voluntary stockperson contact with the cows, and fixation of cows during main feeding times, the latter contributing to the explanatory model, but not being significant. These results underline the importance of lying comfort, positive human-animal relationship and reduction of competition during feeding for the well-being of dairy cows.

scholarly journals Comparing welfare indicators in dairy cattle under different loose housing systems (deep litter vs cubicle barns) using recycled manure solids for bedding

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. e0501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Molina ◽  
Estrella I. Agüera ◽  
Carlos C. Pérez-Marín ◽  
Francisco Maroto-Molina
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Housing System ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
The Impact

Aim of study: Dairy farmers in Southern Spain are continuously investing in the modernization of their facilities and frequently ask technicians about the type of housing they should choose for their farms. Although some studies have analysed the economic impact of different housing systems, there are no reports evaluating the impact of these systems on animal wellbeing. To remedy this deficit, a study was carried out to analyse animal welfare status in two types of loose housing conditions: deep litter (DL) and cubicle (CU) barns.Area of study: This study was conducted in Cordoba (Spain).Material and methods: A total of 1,597 cows from nineteen commercial dairy farms were involved in this study, of which twelve had CU barns and seven had DL barns. Welfare Quality assessment was used to evaluate animal wellbeing, inn order to compare both housing systems.Main results: The study found some weaknesses for feeding and health indicators of animal welfare in both types of housing systems. The overall welfare assessment based on feeding, housing and health indicators showed no differences between farms with DL or CU barns.Research highlights: A good welfare status could be reached under any type of housing system.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review: Location-Limited SNSs Research and Psychological Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-47
Author(s):  
Iffat Ali Aksar ◽  
Mehmoud Danaee ◽  
Amira Firdaus
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Doctoral Research ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Relationship

The turn of the 21st century witnessed an unprecedented surge in the use of Social Network Sites (SNSs). The developing world also experienced a similar congruent networking transformation in terms of employment of the emerging SNN tools. Correspondingly, research magnitude on the implication of SNSs use has also grown exponentially with recommendations for conducting studies in less privileged countries. The present systematic review is based on doctoral research aimed to present the status of SNSs studies and psychological well-being in both developing and developed countries. The review analyzed thirty-two location-limited articles–conducted in developed countries like the USA—published from 2005 to 2018 and focused on the relationship between SNSs usage and users’ psychological well-being. Given the limitations of the available literature, the review also recommended suggestions for future directions in investigations and studies on the subject.

scholarly journals Telework and perceived workload: Learnings prior to the COVID-19 upheaval

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Tuuli Turja ◽  
Oxana Krutova ◽  
Harri Melin
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Well Being ◽  
National Data ◽  
Main Research ◽  
The Status ◽  
Perceived Workload ◽  
Wage Earners ◽  
The Relationship

During COVID-19, telework has become a new form of work for broader groups of workers who were not teleworking prior to the pandemic. In this study, we ask what we will be returning to after COVID-19, if teleworking will become a new norm or if most workplaces will merely return to the old forms of work. The main research question of this study was to estimate the role of telework in perception of workload. More specifically, to gain an understanding of the stakes involved when reorganizing work after the pandemic, we analysed the relationship between perceived workload and opportunities to telework. Multilevel analysis utilized representative national data of wage earners in Finland (N = 4091). The findings showed that the opportunity to telework is associated with lower perceived workload in the capital area but not in the rural areas. More specifically, increasing telework opportunities among different-level workers, particularly in educational and social work in the capital area, would be beneficial in terms of increasing well-being at work. There could be good reasons for organizations to reject returning to the status quo ex ante after COVID-19 and to consider the new norm, where opportunities to telework are offered to wider worker groups.

scholarly journals A New, Practical Animal Welfare Assessment for Dairy Farmers

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 881
Author(s):  
Frank J. C. M. van Eerdenburg ◽  
Alice M. Di Giacinto ◽  
Jan Hulsen ◽  
Bert Snel ◽  
J. Arjan Stegeman
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Category Score ◽  
Poor Welfare

The Welfare Quality® assessment protocol (WQ) is the most extensive way to measure animal welfare. This study was set up to determine if resource-based welfare indicators, that are easier and faster to measure, could replace the more time consuming, animal-based measurements of the WQ. The WQ was applied on 60 dairy farms in the Netherlands, with good, moderate and poor welfare. The WQ protocol classified most farms (87%) as ‘acceptable’. Several of the animal-based measures of WQ correlated well with measures in the environment. Using these correlations, an alternative welfare assessment protocol (new Welfare Monitor) was designed, which takes approximately 1.5 h for a farm with 100 dairy cows. Because the opinion of farmers about welfare assessment is important if one wants to improve conditions for the cows at a farm, another objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the new Welfare Monitor for the farmer. Over two years, the farms were visited, and advice was given to improve the conditions at the farm. After the first welfare assessment and advice, farmers improved the conditions for their cows substantially. Farms where the category score had increased made more improvements on average than those that did not upgrade.

scholarly journals HOMEOSTAZĖ KAIP EKOSISTEMOS DĖSNIS IR MORALINIS ŽMOGAUS APSISPRENDIMAS

Problemos ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Česlovas Kalenda
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Human Organism ◽  
Ecological Situation ◽  
Ecological Ethics ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
Moral Significance ◽  
The World ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Relationship

Straipsnyje atskleidžiami motyvai, kurie atliko svarbų vaidmenį plečiant etikos sistemą ir pagrindžiant ekologinės etikos statusą. Planetoje susidarius įtemptai ekologinei situacijai ir iškilus būtinybei imtis gamtosaugos, jau anksčiau gamtos mokslų išplėtotos sveikatos ir homeostazės sąvokos buvo A. Leopoldo ir H. Rolstono ekstrapoliuotos į ekologiją. Sąsajų tarp procesų, vykstančių žmogaus organizme ir biosferoje, išryškinimas tapo aktualiu argumentu naujai pažvelgti į žmogaus padėtį pasaulyje. Tapo aišku, kad vienoks ar kitoks žmogaus elgesys sukelia gerus ar blogus padarinius tiek aplinkai, tiek jam pačiam. Ši aplinkybė skatino žmogų suvokti atsakomybę už savo ir aplinkos gerovę. Žmogaus santykis su gamta įgavo moralinę reikšmę ir tapo etikos tyrimo objektu. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: homeostazė, ekstrapoliacija, žmogaus sveikata, biosferos sveikata, ekologinė etika.Homeostasis as a Law of Ecosystem and Man’s Moral Decision Česlovas Kalenda SummaryThe present article specifies the motives contributing to the development of the ethical system and providing the basis for the status of ecological ethics. Given the current tense ecological situation on the planet and the pressing need to develop nature protection, the notions of health and homeostasis, elaborated previously by natural sciences, were extrapolated by A. Leopold and H. Rolston to ecology. Focusing on the relationship among the processes observed in the human organism and the biosphere has become an actual argument for getting a fresh view on man’s situation in the world. It has become clear that human behaviour accounts for positive or negative outcomes both on the environmental and the personal plane. This circumstance encouraged man to realise his responsibility for his own well-being and for the prosperity of his environment. Man’s relationship with nature has acquired moral significance turning thus into a subject of ethical research. Keywords: homeostasis, extrapolation, health of a human, health of a biosphere, ecological ethics.ont-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> 

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