Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (Anses), B.P. 53, 22440 Ploufragan, France.
Institut de l'Élevage-Idele, 149 rue de Bercy, 75012 Paris, France.
Animal. 2021 Feb;15(2):100103. doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2020.100103. Epub 2020 Dec 15.
The nature of the relationship between humans and farm animals has multiple repercussions on the animals and the farmers and varies with farmers attitudes towards their animals. In particular, this relationship influences animal welfare and human working conditions. The present study, part of a larger research project investigating human-animal relationship (HAR) in pig farming and ways to improve it, had two objectives: 1) to investigate the HAR in a diversity of pig farming situations and to evaluate the possible correlation between farmer attitudes, pigs' reactions to humans, husbandry practices, animal health, welfare and productivity and 2) to find a way to rapidly assign a farmer to a profile, in order to better adapt course content during training sessions on HAR. The study focused on 52 farrow-to-finish farms and consisted of a semi-structured interview with the farmer, observations of the farmer in contact with his/her livestock, two human approach tests conducted on sows and growers and productivity data. Finally, a questionnaire was left at the farm to be filled out by all stockpersons on the farm. Interviews, analyzed using a thematic analysis followed by multiple correspondence analysis and ascendant hierarchical clustering, showed that some farmers develop husbandry practices to improve their HARs and identified three farmer profiles that have been named in relation to the place of the HAR in their profession: Profile 1 farmers for whom HAR is secondary in their work with their pigs, Profile 2 for whom the HAR is useful in their work with their pigs and Profile 3 for whom HAR is central in their work with their pigs. Logistic regression models of the relationships between behavioral tests and productivity data showed that confident sows produce and wean more piglets than fearful sows and that sows of Profile 3 farmers trust more humans than those of Profile 1 or 2 farmers. Farmers' responses to the questionnaire did not predict their profile assignment. Our results confirm the main role of the farmer's attitude towards animals on their farming practices, animal welfare and productivity. The farmers who have more confident pigs and better productivity are those for whom the farm animal is central to their profession, express the most pleasure in working with them and convey empathy for them.
人与农场动物的关系具有多重影响，既影响动物，也影响农民，而且这种关系因农民对动物的态度而异。特别是，这种关系影响动物福利和人类工作条件。本研究是一个更大的研究项目的一部分，该项目调查养猪中的人-动物关系（HAR）及其改善方法，有两个目的：1）调查不同养猪情况下的 HAR，并评估农民态度、猪对人的反应、饲养管理实践、动物健康、福利和生产力之间的可能相关性；2）找到一种快速分配农民的方法，以便在 HAR 培训课程中更好地适应课程内容。该研究集中在 52 个从配种到育肥的农场，包括对农民进行半结构化访谈、观察农民与牲畜接触、对母猪和育肥猪进行两次人类接近测试以及生产力数据。最后，在农场留下一份问卷，由农场的所有饲养员填写。使用主题分析对访谈进行分析，然后进行多元对应分析和上升层次聚类，结果表明，一些农民采用饲养管理实践来改善他们的 HAR，并确定了三种农民的特征，这些特征与他们在养猪业中的 HAR 地位有关：农民 Profile 1，对他们来说，HAR 在他们的工作中处于次要地位；农民 Profile 2，对他们来说，HAR 在他们的工作中是有用的；农民 Profile 3，对他们来说，HAR 在他们的工作中处于中心地位。对行为测试和生产力数据之间的关系进行逻辑回归模型分析表明，自信的母猪比恐惧的母猪生产和断奶更多的仔猪，而且农民 Profile 3 的母猪比农民 Profile 1 或 2 的母猪更信任人类。农民对问卷的回答并不能预测他们的特征分配。我们的研究结果证实了农民对动物的态度对他们的饲养管理实践、动物福利和生产力的主要作用。那些拥有更自信的猪和更好的生产力的农民，是那些将农场动物视为其职业核心的农民，他们在与动物一起工作中表现出更多的乐趣，并对动物表示同情。
