Weyl-Feinstein Sarah, Lavon Yaniv, Yaffa Kan Noa, Weiss-Bakal Meytal, Shmueli Ayelet, Ben-Dov Dganit, Malka Hillel, Faktor Gilad, Honig Hen
Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, P.O.B. 12, Bet Dagan, Hamakabim St., Rishon Letzion 7519701, Israel.
Israel Cattle Breeders' Association, P.O.B. 3015, Caesarea Industrial Park 38900, Israel.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Jan 24;11(2):294. doi: 10.3390/ani11020294.
Attitudes toward practical dairy cow welfare issues were evaluated based on a questionnaire answered by 500 dairy farm workers and 27 veterinary practitioners. Primarily, the effect of demographic characteristics on attitudes toward cattle welfare was tested. Professionally, five themes were identified: effect of welfare awareness on productivity, knowledge of cattle's senses and social structure, effects of man-animal interactions on milk yield, pain perception and prevention, and knowledge transfer from veterinary practitioners to farm workers. Farms with a higher welfare awareness score also had higher annual milk yield, with an annual mean difference of 1000 L of milk per cow between farms with higher and lower awareness scores. Veterinary practitioners showed high awareness of cows' social structure, senses, and pain perception. Farm workers were aware of the influence of man-animal interactions during milking and stress effects on milk yield, and the possible effect of man's behavior on heifers and cows. Practitioners and farm workers had different views regarding pain perception, mostly involving mutilation procedures. All veterinary practitioners advocated the use of pain alleviation in painful procedures, but only some of them instructed the farm workers to administer it. The survey results emphasize the variation in welfare knowledge and practical applications across farms, and the interest of both the animals and their managers to improve applied knowledge of best practice.
基于对500名奶牛场工人和27名兽医从业者回答的问卷，对他们对奶牛实际福利问题的态度进行了评估。主要测试了人口统计学特征对牛福利态度的影响。在专业方面，确定了五个主题：福利意识对生产力的影响、对牛的感官和社会结构的了解、人畜互动对产奶量的影响、疼痛感知与预防，以及兽医从业者向农场工人的知识传授。福利意识得分较高的农场年牛奶产量也较高，意识得分高的农场与得分低的农场之间，每头奶牛的年平均产奶量相差1000升。兽医从业者对奶牛的社会结构、感官和疼痛感知表现出较高的认知。农场工人意识到挤奶过程中人畜互动的影响以及压力对产奶量的作用，以及人的行为对小母牛和奶牛可能产生的影响。从业者和农场工人在疼痛感知方面存在不同观点，主要涉及残害性操作。所有兽医从业者都主张在痛苦的操作中使用减轻疼痛的方法，但只有部分人指导农场工人进行操作。调查结果强调了各农场在福利知识和实际应用方面的差异，以及动物及其管理者对提高最佳实践应用知识的兴趣。
