The use of environmental enrichment on farms benefits animal welfare and productivity

Abstract

Environmental enrichment is a key aspect of animal welfare and productivity. Enrichment for livestock can be cost effective and used successfully on farm. The benefits generally outweigh any costs of providing enrichment and it should be taken into account when providing housing facilities for farm animals. It also reduces abnormal behaviours commonly seen in production animals, thus decreasing issues associated with poor animal health. The aim of this review is to summarise information and research that highlights the importance of understanding farm animal behaviour and indicates how enrichment will benefit the welfare and productivity of livestock.

Environmental enrichment in fish aquaculture: A review of fundamental and practical aspects

“…The benefits of using EE on land-farm animal welfare and productivity have been widely demonstrated, 11 but the EE needs of aquatic farmed animals have been largely overlooked. 6 The neglect of aquatic EE is mostly due to the debate on whether fish are sentient and capable of suffering (which now is clear), [12][13][14][15] as well as to the difficulty of observing aquatic animal behaviour in farming settings.…”

Do captive fish need cognitive enrichment? A test with a puzzle feeder in guppies

“…Environmental enrichment, which involves providing biotic and abiotic stimuli in the environment, is a well‐established method for improving welfare (Bayne, 2018; Ellis, 2009; Makecha & Highfill, 2018). Research has shown that animals reared with environmental enrichment develop a more natural suite of behaviours (Ellis, 2009; Mason et al., 2007; Mkwanazi et al., 2019; Salvanes et al., 2013), experience reduced stress (Benaroya‐Milshtein et al., 2004; Crone et al., 2021; Godyń et al., 2019) and, interestingly, exhibit increased productivity (Bolt & George, 2019). This likely happens because enrichment provides an environment that is more similar to the natural one, which has shaped most of the evolutionary history of the species.…”

Tactile, Auditory, and Visual Stimulation as Sensory Enrichment for Dairy Cattle

“…Animals 2024, 14, 1265 2 of 13 Environmental enrichment (EE) consists of enhancing animal's environment by modifying or adding items that encourage natural behaviors that can lead animals to experience positive emotional states [2,6]. Several studies have shown that EE improves the ability of domestic animals to cope with stress and can also be associated with preferences over certain objects [7,8].…”