Applications for Methods of On-Farm Welfare Assessment

Main, David C J; Jp, Kent; Wemelsfelder, Françoise; Ofner, E; Tuyttens, F

doi:10.1017/s0962728600026129

Cited by 88 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The duration of protective behavior that one individual displays compared to the typical duration of protective behavior that individuals of that species display in response to a range of stimuli and / or stimuli of that kind, i.e. a species-level focus, for example, using group-level measures of welfare (see Main et al, 2003).…”

Section: Conceptual Issues Associated With Interspecies Welfare Compa...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A theoretical approach to improving interspecies welfare comparisons

Gaffney¹,

Lavery²,

Schiestl³

et al. 2023

Front. Anim. Sci.

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The number of animals bred, raised, and slaughtered each year is on the rise, resulting in increasing impacts to welfare. Farmed animals are also becoming more diverse, ranging from pigs to bees. The diversity and number of species farmed invite questions about how best to allocate currently limited resources towards safeguarding and improving welfare. This is of the utmost concern to animal welfare funders and effective altruism advocates, who are responsible for targeting the areas most likely to cause harm. For example, is tail docking worse for pigs than beak trimming is for chickens in terms of their pain, suffering, and general experience? Or are the welfare impacts equal? Answering these questions requires making an interspecies welfare comparison; a judgment about how good or bad different species fare relative to one another. Here, we outline and discuss an empirical methodology that aims to improve our ability to make interspecies welfare comparisons by investigating welfare range, which refers to how good or bad animals can fare. Beginning with a theory of welfare, we operationalize that theory by identifying metrics that are defensible proxies for measuring welfare, including cognitive, affective, behavioral, and neuro-biological measures. Differential weights are assigned to those proxies that reflect their evidential value for the determinants of welfare, such as the Delphi structured deliberation method with a panel of experts. The evidence should then be reviewed and its quality scored to ascertain whether particular taxa may possess the proxies in question to construct a taxon-level welfare range profile. Finally, using a Monte Carlo simulation, an overall estimate of comparative welfare range relative to a hypothetical index species can be generated. Interspecies welfare comparisons will help facilitate empirically informed decision-making to streamline the allocation of resources and ultimately better prioritize and improve animal welfare.

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Section: Conceptual Issues Associated With Interspecies Welfare Compa...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A theoretical approach to improving interspecies welfare comparisons

Gaffney¹,

Lavery²,

Schiestl³

et al. 2023

Front. Anim. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A conscientização do consumidor e preocupação com o bem-estar dos animais de produção forneceram o ímpeto para impulsionar o fornecimento de produtos de sistemas de criação com elevado bem-estar, assegurando padrões bem-estar aos animais de produção e exigências de rotulagem de bemestar nos alimentos, incrementando o valor do produto final (Blokhuis et al, 2008;Buller et al, 2018;Main et al, 2003).…”

Section: O Bem-estar Na Ovinoculturaunclassified

Bem-estar na ovinocultura en Brasil: Revisión

Schram¹,

Moya²

2023

Pubvet

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O Brasil é um grande exportador de produtos de origem animal, e devido as grandes exigências do mercado internacional, o país está tendo que se adaptar a novas formas de produção, mas não apenas para exportação, como também para a comercialização interna do país. Os produtos provenientes da ovinocultura vêm ganhando espaço tanto no mercado interno, quanto externo, e com isso a atenção para os produtores dessa espécie também, pois os consumidores estão em busca de alimentos cada vez mais “limpos” e dentro das normas de bem-estar animal. O presente trabalho traz uma revisão bibliográfica sobre o bem-estar animal dentro da ovinocultura no Brasil, mostrando as principais formas de obtê-lo dentro dos sistemas de criação dessa espécie.

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“…It is vital, therefore, that the protocol also captures the possible cause(s) of compromised welfare (Waiblinger et al, 2001). Addressing the animal itself, not just the environment and management, is considered a fundamental component for successful welfare assessments (Barnett and Hemsworth, 1990;Main et al, 2003;Webster, 2005b;Barnett and Hemsworth, 2009;Knierim and Winckler, 2009;Main et al, 2014). Thus, a mix of animal outcomes, or outputs, and input measures are necessary.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For a feedlot welfare assessment protocol to be successful, it should also address consumer priorities (e.g., ethical and humane treatment of animals, ability to express natural behaviour (Spooner et al, 2014;Coleman et al, 2016) as well as relevant state and national legislative requirements. Measures should be practical, easy and timely to capture (Waiblinger et al, 2001;Main et al, 2003). The recording of measures needs to be efficiently integrated into the feedlot system, with consideration of measures that may already be collected (e.g., feed, health records).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a welfare assessment protocol for Australian lot-fed cattle

Taylor,

Dunston-Clarke,

Brookes

et al. 2023

Front. Anim. Sci.

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Lot feeding of cattle has gained momentum in recent years to improve efficiency in meeting market demands for high quality protein. Concurrently, societal concern for the welfare of animals raised in intensive farming systems has increased. Thus, the reporting of animal health and welfare measures is a key goal for the Australian cattle lot-fed industry. Although feedlots vary in location, climate, capacity, cattle genotype, and feeding programs, many welfare concerns are applicable across the industry. Despite this, no recognised standardised animal welfare assessment protocol exists for the Australian lot-fed industry. This study aimed to identify relevant measures to develop an assessment protocol, by identifying key welfare issues and their relevant measures, considering the validity, reliability, and practicality of each when applied to the feedlot context. An advisory model was derived after reviewing the relevant literature and five international protocols for the assessment of beef cattle (Welfare Quality®, AssureWel, US Beef Quality Assurance assessment tool, Canadian Feedlot Animal Care Assessment program, and an Australian Live Export industry protocol), followed by stakeholder consultation. A total of 109 measures were evaluated, with 99 environmental-, management-, resource- and animal-based measures being proposed. Piloting of the protocol on commercial feedlots will enable further refinement and validation, to provide an evidence-based, practical protocol to facilitate standardised monitoring of cattle welfare. Such a protocol could promote continued advances in animal welfare at a feedlot level and support a sustainable industry by addressing societal concerns.

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Applications for Methods of On-Farm Welfare Assessment

Cited by 88 publications

References 7 publications

A theoretical approach to improving interspecies welfare comparisons

A theoretical approach to improving interspecies welfare comparisons

Bem-estar na ovinocultura en Brasil: Revisión

Developing a welfare assessment protocol for Australian lot-fed cattle

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