Caretaker attitudes toward swine euthanasia1

Abstract

Timely euthanasia is a fundamental part of safeguarding swine welfare by reducing suffering when compromised pigs are unable to recover. The quality and appropriateness of timely euthanasia rely mainly on the knowledge and experience of the individual caretaker but may also be affected by caretaker attitudes toward euthanasia. However, literature on caretaker attitudes toward swine euthanasia is lacking. This study investigated caretaker attitudes, perceived knowledge, and confidence in performing on-farm timely euthanasia. A total of 84 caretakers from eight swine farms (ranging in size from 1,300 to 7,000 sows) participated in a survey designed to investigate attitudes toward swine and swine euthanasia. Caretaker’s ages ranged from 18 to 59 yr with an average work experience of 8.5 yr. The majority of participants worked in either farrowing or breeding units. Survey questions were designed to assess caretakers’ attitudes and attributes (empathy affect, empathy attribution, attitudes toward pigs, feeling bad about euthanizing pigs, and assumptions about pigs’ emotional capabilities), decision-making skills (confidence in identifying compromised pigs or relying on coworkers to make decisions), and euthanasia skillset (confidence in performing euthanasia, training, and perceived level of knowledge). Using cluster analysis to analyze survey answers, three distinct groups of caretakers were identified: 1) confident and empathetic; 2) Confident, knowledgeable, and detached; and 3) unconfident and lacking knowledge. The survey results showed that empathy attribution was strongly correlated with empathy affect (r = 0.571, P < 0.01) and that empathy affect and empathy attribution were higher in female caretakers compared with male caretakers (P < 0.05). A risk analysis that included previously identified clusters showed that females were more likely to be grouped among caretakers that were confident and empathetic (P = 0.04), and caretakers with more than 2 yr of swine experience were more likely to be grouped as confident and skilled (P = 0.01), while the unconfident and empathetic were more likely to have had less than 2 yr of experience (P = 0.04). This study provides important information about variability in caretaker experience as well as their attitudes toward pigs and timely euthanasia. Increased knowledge about swine caretaker attitudes may be used to implement training and euthanasia protocols to increase both human and pig welfare on farm.

Factors that Influence Farmers’ Views on Farm Animal Welfare: A Semi-Systematic Review and Thematic Analysis

“…Wikman et al [88], assessed perception of pain in cattle and found that small herd farmers were more attuned to animal pain caused by disease than producers with medium or large herds. Similarly, farmers and stockpersons of small, medium pig farms had better knowledge and experience with sick animals than those that worked on larger farms [61]. The HAR has been shown to be negatively correlated with the size of the farm [65] and the recognition of animal health status [81].…”

“…Furthermore, trained farmers [60] and farmers who understood the importance of their own actions [42] had lower risk of causing pain to livestock. Campler et al [61] noticed that farmers that were clustered as confident and empathetic felt more confident and knowledgeable regarding identifying sick or compromised pigs compared with the unconfident and knowledge-lacking cluster.…”

“…The third most reported factor that influenced how farmers viewed FAW is demographic characteristic. The reviewed literature reported gender, namely females, to have a stronger perception of animals’ needs in pig [ 61 ] and sheep production [ 44 ]. Empathy related questions positively correlated with gender [ 61 ].…”

Preliminary Exploration of Swine Veterinarian Perspectives of On-Farm Euthanasia

“…Challenges identified by veterinarians ranged from having well-maintained equipment to the emotional burden of having to take an animal’s life even if the best option for the animal. These feelings are not unique to these study respondents and have been reported repeatedly in research conducted in a variety of animal industries [ 5 , 7 , 23 , 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”

“…A follow-up question was not asked to determine why respondents felt this way but perhaps individuals, veterinarians and caretakers alike, take on the extra burden of performing euthanasia because they know they will do it correctly. Campler et al [ 30 ] reported that swine caretakers characterized as “confident and empathetic”, on average disagreed that if given the choice they would “prefer someone else to euthanize pigs rather than myself”, demonstrating a desire to do what is right for the animal even if it causes them moral stress. Individuals that care for animals can often find consolation when reminding themselves that euthanasia is humane, important, and necessary for the animals in need [ 7 , 9 , 32 , 33 ].…”