The use of evolutionary operations to assess the intervention effect on the behaviour of dairy cows

Czubernat, Anna; Makulska, J.; Krogh, Mogens Agerbo; Stygar, Anna H.

doi:10.5604/01.3001.0014.6073

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…For this reason, analyzing herd productivity and management as well as conducting small management experiments, involving part of the herd, might be advisable before adjusting whole management procedures. Monitoring tools able to assess an effect of small experimental changes, based on sensor date, during normal production cycle on commercial dairy farms [ 58 , 59 ] and pig farms [ 60 ] were developed. However, the pig industry is behind dairy regarding sensor availability [ 61 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic feasibility of interventions targeted at decreasing piglet perinatal and pre-weaning mortality across European countries

et al. 2022

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Background Piglet perinatal and pre-weaning mortality is a welfare problem causing economic losses in pig production. In this study, the effects of housing and management interventions on the economic result of sow enterprises representing six European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands and Spain) were tested. Interventions concerned: (1) installing mechanical ventilation, (2) re-designing of the gestation unit, (3) drying and warming newborn piglets, (4) providing enrichment for gestating sows, including high-fiber dietary supplementation and point-source objects, and (5) music provision and backscratching of sows in the farrowing unit. A bio-economic model was used to determine the effects of interventions on economic outcomes during the nursery phase and to calculate a maximum cost of 1%-point reduction in perinatal and pre-weaning mortality, irrespective of the intervention type. Biological parameters were set according to previous observational and experimental studies. Interventions 1–4 were expected to decrease perinatal mortality, defined as stillbirths and deaths occurring within the first 48 h of postnatal life. Intervention 5 was expected to decrease pre-weaning mortality. Interventions increased fixed (1–3) and variable costs (3–5). We hypothesized that housing and management interventions would have a positive economic effect. Results Piglet mortality can be decreased in various ways. Interventions concerning ventilation and re-designing of the gestation unit (1 and 2) were the most beneficial in countries with low housing costs and high perinatal mortality. Drying and warming newborn piglets (3) resulted in varying economic results, with the highest increase in profits obtained in a country with low labor costs and high litter size. Interventions providing sows with enrichment and human–animal interaction (4 and 5) were effective across varying conditions. Regardless of intervention type, policies aiming at 1%-point reduction in perinatal and pre-weaning mortality could cost from €0.2 to €0.5 (average €0.4) and from €0.4 to €0.5 (average €0.5) per piglet, respectively, depending on productions conditions. Conclusions To decrease piglet mortality, farmers should consider low input interventions, such as those targeting appropriate behavior. Our results suggest that providing enrichment or increasing human–animal interaction pays off and brings positive economic result even when piglet mortality is marginally reduced.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic feasibility of interventions targeted at decreasing piglet perinatal and pre-weaning mortality across European countries

et al. 2022

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“…Therefore, farmers have an economic interest in maintaining high standards for animal welfare. So far, dedicated tools for automatically-collected data on cow behavior and milk production have been successfully used in providing farmers with precise and real-time information on how small changes in herd management, for instance, on feeding (Stygar et al, 2017) and housing practices (Czubernat et al, 2020), influence the production results and consequently economic profit. Therefore, data-driven animal-based welfare assessment can facilitate improvements and allow farmers to adjust their strategies according to animal productivity.…”

Section: Implications Of Data-driven Animal-based Assessment For Farm...mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Far Are We From Data-Driven and Animal-Based Welfare Assessment? A Critical Analysis of European Quality Schemes

et al. 2022

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Within the European Union, there is no harmonization of farm animal welfare quality schemes for meat and dairy products. Instead, there are several industry-driven initiatives and voluntary schemes that seek to provide information on animal welfare for attentive consumers. This study had two aims. First, we quantified how selected industry-wide quality schemes cover the welfare of pigs and dairy cattle on farms by comparing the evaluation criteria selected by schemes with the animal-, resource- and management-based measures defined in the Welfare Quality protocol (WQ®). Second, we identified how these quality schemes use the data generated along the value chain (sensors, breeding, production, and health recordings) for animal welfare assessments. A total of 12 quality schemes, paying attention to animal welfare but not necessarily limited to welfare, were selected for the analysis. The schemes originated from eight European countries: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Spain. Among the studied quality schemes, we have identified 19 standards for certification: nine for dairy and 10 for pig production. Most of the analyzed standards were comprehensive in welfare assessment. In total, 15 out of 19 standards corresponded to WQ® in more than 70%. However, this high correspondence was obtained when allowing for different information sources (environment instead of animal) than defined in WQ®. Compared to WQ®, the investigated schemes were lagging in terms of the number of measures evaluated based on the animals, with only five standards, out of 19, using predominantly animal-based measures. The quality schemes mostly applied resource-based instead of animal-based measures while assessing good health and appropriate behavior. The utilization of data generated along the value chain by the quality schemes remains insignificant as only one quality scheme allowed the direct application of sensor technologies for providing information on animal welfare. Nevertheless, several schemes used data from farm recording systems, mostly on animal health. The quality schemes rely mostly on resource-based indicators taken during inspection visits, which reduce the relevance of the welfare assessment. Our results suggest that the quality schemes could be enhanced in terms of data collection by the broader utilization of data generated along the value chain.

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The use of evolutionary operations to assess the intervention effect on the behaviour of dairy cows

Cited by 2 publications

References 22 publications

Economic feasibility of interventions targeted at decreasing piglet perinatal and pre-weaning mortality across European countries

Economic feasibility of interventions targeted at decreasing piglet perinatal and pre-weaning mortality across European countries

How Far Are We From Data-Driven and Animal-Based Welfare Assessment? A Critical Analysis of European Quality Schemes

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