Turning Intentions into Animal Welfare Improvement in the Asian Livestock Sector

Intentions form the basis of behavioral action to improve animal welfare; however an intention-behavior gap has been previously identified. Livestock stakeholders in China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand (n = 1041) involved in slaughter and transport completed a survey in which they were asked their level of intention to improve animal welfare, and their level of confidence in their ability to do this. Chinese respondents had the most confidence in their ability to improve animal welfare, and veterinarians showed more confidence than livestock team leaders. Those with high or low intentions, and either high or low confidences were compared for key influencing factors to identify the circumstances that may be most conducive to behavior change. Respondents with high intentions and low confidence in their ability to improve animal welfare identified extrinsic factors associated with their immediate workplace and different company priorities, and the intrinsic factor of lack of personal knowledge. It is concluded that targeting these areas to improve confidence in stakeholders in livestock transport and slaughter could bring the most improvements in animal welfare initiatives.     

Investigation Into the Humaneness of Slaughter Methods for Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcelus) in the Andean Region

Guinea pigs (Cavia porcelus) are an important source of nonhuman animal protein in the Andean region of South America. Specific guidelines regarding the welfare of guinea pigs before and during slaughter have yet to be developed. This study critically assessed the humaneness of 4 different stunning/slaughter methods for guinea pigs: cervical neck dislocation (n = 60), electrical head-only stunning (n = 83), carbon dioxide (CO₂) stunning (n = 21), and penetrating captive bolt (n = 10). Following cervical neck dislocation, 97% of guinea pigs had at least 1 behavioral or cranial/spinal response. Six percent of guinea pigs were classified as mis-stunned after electrical stunning, and 1% were classified as mis-stunned after captive bolt. Increased respiratory effort was observed during CO₂ stunning. Apart from this finding, there were no other obvious behavioral responses that could be associated with suffering. Of the methods assessed, captive bolt was deemed the most humane, effective, and practical method of stunning guinea pigs. Cervical neck dislocation should not be recommended as a slaughter method for guinea pigs.     

Application of the Hands-On Donkey Tool for Assessing the Welfare of Working Equids at Tuliman,Mexico

Equids are still used for diverse chores in Mexico and are essential for the livelihoods of numerous families. Appropriate health and behavior are prerequisites for performing work without affecting welfare. This study aimed to assess the welfare of working equids in Tuliman, applying the hands-on donkey tool. This tool evaluates five dimensions (behavior, body condition score [BCS], wounds, lameness, and other health issues) and was applied to 438 working equids (horses, mules, and donkeys). The Kruskall-Wallis test was applied to investigate differences between species and sex. Donkeys were more common; they also presented more positive behaviors and less lameness (p < 0.05). No differences were found for BCS among species on a scale ranging from 1 to 5 (mean BCS for donkeys = 1.9; mules = 2; and horses = 1.8). Mares had significantly lower BCS (mean = 1.5) than stallions (p < 0.05) and geldings (mean = 1.9). Overall mules had better welfare evaluations. The tool allowed detection of welfare issues in working equids; a practical outcome would be implementing local welfare strategies according to its results.     

Road transport of farm animals: effects of journey duration on animal welfare

Transport of farm animals gives rise to concern about their welfare. Specific attention has been given to the duration of animal transport, and maximum journey durations are used in legislation that seek to minimise any negative impact of transport on animal welfare. This paper reviews the relatively few scientific investigations into effects of transport duration on animal welfare in cattle, sheep, horses, pigs and poultry. From the available literature, we attempt to distinguish between aspects, which will impair welfare on journeys of any duration, such as those associated with loading, and those aspects that may be exacerbated by journey time. We identify four aspects of animal transport, which have increasing impact on welfare as transport duration increases. These relate to (i) the physiological and clinical state of the animal before transport; and - during transport - to (ii) feeding and watering; (iii) rest and (iv) thermal environment. It is thus not journey duration per se but these associated negative aspects that are the cause of compromised welfare. We suggest that with a few exceptions, transport of long duration is possible in terms of animal welfare provided that these four issues can be dealt with for the species and the age group of the animals that are transported.     

Physiological and electroencephalogram responses in goats subjected to pre-and during slaughter stress

A comprehensive stress assessment is vital in understanding the impact of the pre-slaughter procedure on animal welfare. The transportation and handling process was commonly reported to cause stress in animals. This research utilises electroencephalography (EEG) as an alternative stress indicator to non-painful acute stress measurement. EEG has been proved to be instantaneous and sensitive with specific results. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the stress level of goats subjected to two different transportation duration and the effect of lairage based on their EEG activities and blood parameters changes. Eighteen adult male goats were divided into two transportation stress groups based on the transport duration: the two-hour (TS2) and six-hour (TS6) groups. Then, each group was then again divided into three smaller groups according to the lairage duration, which was three-hour (L3), six-hour (L6), and overnight (L12) groups. Blood was sampled before transport, after transport, and during slaughter while EEG was recorded before transport, after transport, after lairage, and during slaughter. Results revealed that there was a significant decrease in beta wave activity compared to baseline in TS2 goats (P < 0.05) after transportation, whereas no significant difference was detected in the TS6 goats. At the same time, goats from the TS2 group showed increase in creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) compared to that in TS6 goats. Together with the observed cortisol concentration, these findings showed that the TS6 goats were fully adapted to the transportation stress while the TS2 goats were still under stress. As for the lairage duration, it was observed that the TS2L3 goats showed lower EEG activities than the values obtained after two-hour transportation, while lower EEG activities were found from the TS6L6 goats after six-hour transportation. Therefore, it can be concluded that three-hour lairage was adequate to lower the impact of two hours transportation stress, whereas six-hour lairage was required to reduce the impact of six hours transportation stress. Finally, it was also found that the TS6L3, TS6L6, and TS6L12 groups took a long time to die after slaughter than the TS2L3, TS2L6, and TS2L12 goats based on the time their EEG activity reached isoelectric.     

Perceptions of the importance of different welfare issues in livestock production

The opinions of seven respondent groups about the relative importance of different practices pertaining to the welfare of Australian beef cattle, sheep and goats were surveyed. Respondent groups comprised farmers, livestock transportation representatives, veterinarians, meat processors, animal welfare advocates, animal welfare scientists and government officers. The survey consisted of a web-based adaptive conjoint analysis questionnaire, which was administered to a sample population that was selected randomly for large respondent groups and comprehensively for small groups. The hierarchy of opinion concerning the importance of the different beef cattle practices was: stockmanship > ground (road and rail) transport > spaying > food supply > dehorning > stunning > shelter > identification > pretransport food and water deprivation > castration > sea transport > mustering > confinement. For sheep/goat practices the hierarchy was: parasite control > mulesing > shelter > stockmanship > tail docking > ground transport > feeding > predation > stunning > castration > pretransport food and water deprivation > sea transport > mustering. The method of performing invasive procedures was perceived as less important than the provision of pain relief. Differences in opinion were evident between respondent groups, with animal welfare advocates tending to focus on painful procedures more than those with direct involvement in the industry.     

Impact of sexual maturity on the welfare of immunocastrated v. entire heavy female pigs

During oestrus, fattening female pigs are more prone to lameness, fractures and wounds due to mounting and agonistic behaviours of penmates. This study assessed the effect of sexual maturity on the behaviour and welfare of heavy female pigs slaughtered at 36 weeks of age (180±10 kg) for dry-cured ham production. An immunocastrated control group was used for comparison. In all, 56 15-week-old female pigs, individually identifiable by back tattoos were equally distributed among four pens. All animals from two pens were subject to a three-dose immunocastration schedule at 16, 20 and 32 weeks of age. Skin lesions and behaviours were assessed at 18, 23, 28, 33 and 36 weeks of age. A blood sample was collected at 20, 24, 28 and 32 weeks of age for assessing health/stress parameters and GnRH antibodies. At slaughter, ovaries were weighed, measured and histologically examined; stomachs, carcasses and lungs were scored for lesions and a further blood sample was taken. Immunocastrated pigs did not significantly differ from controls in growth rate, feed efficiency and slaughter performances (lung score, gastric score, backfat thickness). However, they showed a lower frequency of aggressive interactions at 33 and 36 weeks, lower front lesions at 28 weeks, but higher at 30 weeks; a lower haptoglobin level at 28 weeks, a lower level of cortisol and back lesions at slaughter (36 weeks). These findings suggest a low, yet not negligible, impact of sexual maturity on the welfare of heavy female pigs.     

Handling and Welfare of Bovine Livestock at Local Abattoirs in Bangladesh

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) allows rope casting and the tying of legs for nonhuman animal slaughter without stunning. The handling and welfare of bovine livestock (Bos indicus and Bubalus bubalis) were studied in 8 local abattoirs in 5 districts of Bangladesh. A total of 302 animals were evaluated. At the local abattoirs, approximately 1/3 of the cattle and water buffalo were either emaciated or injured/sick. The size and vigor of the animals determined the casting method. Small and weak animals were cast on concrete floors by lifting a foreleg followed by pushing, or simply by twisting the head of the animal and then binding the legs with rope. Vigorous animals such as buffalo were cast using ropes and human force. Bleeding was slow and flaying was sometimes initiated before the animals were unconscious. Pulling and tearing of the trachea and pouring of water into the exposed trachea shortly after cutting were also observed in some cases. The overall animal handling was unnecessarily rough and the OIE standards were not implemented. Animals are subjected to considerable mistreatment, and there is an urgent need for the training and education of the staff in abattoirs concerning humane slaughtering practices as well as a need to build modern slaughtering plants in Bangladesh.     

Antimicrobial Resistance in Scandinavia after a Ban of Antimicrobial Growth Promoters

The banned use of antimicrobial growth promoters resulted in a considerably decreased use of antimicrobials in food animal production in Sweden (65%), Denmark (47%), Norway (40%) and Finland (27%). The current prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in animal bacterial populations is also considerably lower than in some other countries in the EU. In the swine production, no or limited effect was found in the finisher production (>25 to 30 kg). Temporary negative effects occurred during the post weaning period (7–30 kg). In Denmark, the cost of production from birth to slaughter per pig produced increased by approximately 1.0 [euro]with a high variability between pig producers. In the broiler production the termination had no significant negative effect on animal health and welfare or on production economy.     

Dry season weight losses in Red Sokoto (Maradi) goats reared in the Sahel region of Northeastern Nigeria

Weight losses in body, carcass, skin and liver were determined during the advanced periods of the West African Sahel dry seasons-December to May, when the greatest offtake of livestock for slaughter occurs. Data used were from 131 Red Sokoto goats slaughtered in the Maiduguri abbatoir from 1981 to 1982. Month of slaughter greatly influenced all traits. Weights declined as the dry season advanced with its characteristic rise in ambient temperatures. Weight losses were about 18%, 22%, 45% and 57% from December to May for body, carcass, skin and liver respectively. Percentage slaughter weights were closer to the lower uneconomical limit (45%) than to the upper (65%). As percentages of body weight, declines were from 7.07% to 4.89% and 5.55% to 2.79% for skin and liver weights respectively. Results obtained especially from the allometric regressions of liver and body weights do not quite uphold a prevailing opinion that animals slaughtered during these periods are largely immature. Correlations declined till April, being lowest (P>0.05) in March. Regression coefficients were lower and intercepts higher from January to March. Weight declines must have been largely due to starvation and dehydration. Direct and indirect effects of high ambient temperatures on growth of animals are discussed. Conditions for animal-production could be improved by settling the pastoralists and by avoiding the present necessary seasonal movement of livestock through the provision of forages and water all year round. It would also help if means of meat preservation could be devised and so enable offtake for slaughter to shift to the rainy seasons of the year.     

Simplifying the Welfare Quality® assessment protocol for broiler chicken welfare

Welfare Quality® (WQ) assessment protocols place the emphasis on animal-based measures as an indicator for animal welfare. Stakeholders, however, emphasize that a reduction in the time taken to complete the protocol is essential to improve practical applicability. We studied the potential for reduction in time to complete the WQ broiler assessment protocol and present some modifications to the protocol correcting a few errors in the original calculations. Data was used from 180 flocks assessed on-farm and 150 flocks assessed at the slaughter plant. Correlations between variables were calculated, and where correlation was moderate, meaningful and promising (in terms of time reduction), simplification was considered using one variable predicted from another variable. Correlation analysis revealed a promising correlation between severe hock burn and gait scores on-farm. Therefore, prediction of gait scores using hock burn scores was studied further as a possible simplification strategy (strategy 1). Measurements of footpad dermatitis, hock burn, cleanliness and gait score on-farm correlated moderately to highly with slaughter plant measurements of footpad dermatitis and/or hock burn, supporting substitution of on-farm measurements with slaughter plant data. A simplification analysis was performed using footpad dermatitis, hock burn, cleanliness and gait scores measured on-farm predicted from slaughter plant measurements of footpad dermatitis and hock burn (strategy 2). Simplification strategies were compared with the full assessment protocol. Close agreement was found between the full protocol and both simplification strategies although large confidence intervals were found for specificity of the simplified models. It is concluded that the proposed simplification strategies are encouraging; strategy 1 can reduce the time to complete the on-farm assessment by ~1 h (25% to 33% reduction) and strategy 2 can reduce on-farm assessment time by ~2 h (50% to 67% reduction). Both simplification strategies should, however, be validated further, and tested on farms with a wide distribution across the different welfare categories of WQ.     

Dutch Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Broiler Welfare

This article analyzes Dutch consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the welfare of broiler chickens and the consequences for nonhuman animal welfare policies. Using data from a discrete-choice experiment and a random parameter logit model, this study showed that consumers particularly value opportunities for outdoor access and the method used for anesthesia before slaughter. The WTP was also positively related to the number of consumers buying the same product, indicating that they experience the public-good dilemma. Moreover, the WTP was higher if consumers knew that animal welfare practices were subject to public or collective supervision. Women, people with more education, those with higher income, and nonreligious people had relatively high WTP values. For 87.5% of the respondents, the WTP exceeded the price difference between a broiler with a higher level of animal welfare and a regular chicken. The findings suggest that the Dutch market for broiler chickens can be improved by raising consumer confidence in the labeling system.     

Origin and assessment of bruises in beef cattle at slaughter

Studies of bruises, as detected on carcasses at the slaughterhouse, may provide useful information about the traumatic situations the animals endure during the pre-slaughter period. In this paper, we review scientific data on the prevalence, risk factors and estimation of the age of bruises in beef cattle. Risk factors such as animal characteristics, transport conditions, stocking density, livestock auction and handling of the animals are discussed. Investigation of the age of bruises could provide information on when in the meat chain bruises occur and, could help to pinpoint where preventive measures should be taken, from the stage of collecting the animals on the farm until slaughter. We review the methods available to assess the age of the bruises; data on human forensic research are also included. The feasibility to identify traumatic episodes during the pre-slaughter period, in order to improve animal welfare is discussed.     

Prevalence and isolation of Toxoplasma gondii in goats slaughtered for human consumption in the semi-arid of northeastern Brazil

The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and factors associated with infection in goats, and to isolate protozoan strains in tissue samples from seropositive goats that were destined for human consumption in the state of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. Serum samples from 229 slaughtered goats were tested using the indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT), with a cutoff point of 1:64. Epidemiological questionnaires were applied to the producers, to acquire information about the sanitary management used in their herds. Tissue samples from the animals were collected during slaughter, in order to perform bioassays in mice. The seroprevalence found was 21.39% (49/229), with antibody titers ranging from 1:64 to 1:32,768. The municipalities of origin, Patos (OR: 3.047; CI: 1.384–6.706) and Sousa (OR: 3.355; CI: 1.536–7.327), were considered to be factors associated with infection by T. gondii. Thirty-eight bioassays were performed in mice, using tissues from seropositive goats, with an isolation rate of 50% (19/38). There was no correlation between isolation rate and antibody titers. Only one mouse died, at 30 days post-infection, which demonstrated that the strains isolated had low virulence towards mice. It was concluded that there is high seroprevalence in goats in northeastern Brazil, as well as a high percentage of viable tissue cysts in slaughtered animals destined for human consumption. These results demonstrate that there is an imminent one health problem relating to toxoplasmosis, especially in the most populous municipalities in the study (Patos and Sousa), which were identified as factors associated with T. gondii infection in goats.     

Animal Hoarding in Victoria,Australia: An Exploratory Study

Animal hoarding not only presents significant welfare issues for the animals involved, but also for the hoarders and people in the surrounding community. Existing studies on the issue have primarily been undertaken in the USA and little is known about animal hoarding in other countries, including Australia. It has been estimated that the per-capita prevalence of animal hoarding in Victoria, Australia, is similar to that in the USA, but in order to design effective intervention strategies, the extent of the issue and its characteristics need to be identified. This study analyzes data from 22 recent cases of animal hoarding from a number of agencies in Victoria. The demographics and living conditions of animal hoarders in Victoria and the USA were found to be similar. In contrast, the animals involved in hoarding cases in Victoria were in a better condition than the animals in the USA, with behavioral issues being the leading animal welfare concern in Australia. Behavioral problems resulted in euthanasia of the animals in 45% of the cases studied. All of the agencies included in this study call for a greater involvement or support from human mental health services to fully address the root of the problem. The information from this study can be used to help identify groups at risk to develop effective and appropriate means of prevention of, and intervention in, animal hoarding cases.     

Stunning fish with CO2 or electricity: contradictory results on behavioural and physiological stress responses

Studies that address fish welfare before slaughter have concluded that many of the traditional systems used to stun fish including CO₂ narcosis are unacceptable as they cause avoidable stress before death. One system recommended as a better alternative is electrical stunning, however, the welfare aspects of this method are not yet fully understood. To assess welfare in aquaculture both behavioural and physiological measurements have been used, but few studies have examined the relationship between these variables. In an on-site study aversive behaviours and several physiological stress indicators, including plasma levels of cortisol and ions as well as blood physiological variables, were compared in Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) stunned with CO₂ or electricity. Exposure to water saturated with CO₂ triggered aversive struggling and escape responses for several minutes before immobilization, whereas in fish exposed to an electric current immobilization was close to instant. On average, it took 5 min for the fish to recover from electrical stunning, whereas fish stunned with CO₂ did not recover. Despite this, the electrically stunned fish had more than double the plasma levels of cortisol compared with fish stunned with CO₂. This result is surprising considering that the behavioural reactions were much more pronounced following CO₂ exposure. These contradictory results are discussed with regard to animal welfare and stress physiological responses. The present results emphasise the importance of using an integrative and interdisciplinary approach and to include both behavioural and physiological stress indicators in order to make accurate welfare assessments of fish in aquaculture.     

Challenges of Compassionate Conservation

ABSTRACT

The substantial and urgent threats to the prosperity of individual nonhuman animals and the survival of species necessitate a changed approach to conservation. The current practice of seeing conservation and animal welfare as contradictory goals is not helpful. It is proposed that the approach should bring together parties to address the common root causes and to find innovative ways to accommodate multiple interests by translating beautifully written and ethically complex theories into pragmatic tools. Compassionate conservation provides a contemporary framework for animal welfare professionals and ecologists to develop new approaches. Simple tools can help in identifying areas of agreement and areas of dispute. While engaging with both ethics and animal welfare science will move animal welfare discussions forward, working together will identify shared values and goals and perhaps reveal ways to save species, one animal at a time, before it is too late.     

US Residents’ Perceptions of Dog Welfare Needs and Canine Welfare Information Sources

The extent to which welfare needs of breeding dogs are met in commercial dog-breeding kennels is a potential point of controversy. This analysis sought to understand US residents’ perceptions and priorities related to dog welfare : by investigating (a) perceptions of breeding-dog welfare needs and (b) perceptions of various nonhuman animal welfare information sources. Using best/worst-choice experiments conducted in an online survey, respondents’ choices for most and least important breeding-dog welfare needs (n = 508) and most/least trusted canine welfare information sources (n = 508) were analyzed. The survey sample was targeted to be representative of the US population in terms of gender, age, region of residence, income, and education. The largest preference shares (relatively most important) for breeding-dog welfare needs were for “availability of food and water” (39.2%) and health/veterinary care (18.1%). The largest preference shares (relatively most trusted sources) for welfare information were American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a veterinarian, and American Veterinary Medical Association, with 25.1%, 16.4%, and 14.1% shares, respectively.