Lee Caroline, Campbell Dana L M
CSIRO, Agriculture and Food, FD McMaster Laboratory, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
Front Vet Sci. 2021 Feb 23;8:637709. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.637709. eCollection 2021.
Virtual fencing involving the application of audio cues and electrical stimuli is being commercially developed for cattle. Virtual fencing has the potential to improve productivity through optimized pasture management and utilization by grazing animals. The application of virtual fencing initiates public concern for the potential welfare impacts on animals due the aversive nature of using an electrical stimulus. It is therefore important to provide welfare assurance of the impacts of virtual fencing on livestock. In this paper, we provide an overview of the welfare assessment and validation stages for virtual fencing which could be applied to other new technologies utilizing novel systems. An understanding of stress measures and their suitability for use in specific contexts is discussed, including the use of glucocorticoids to measure both acute and chronic stress, and behavioral responses and patterns to indicate welfare states. The importance of individual differences in relation to learning and cognition are also highlighted. Together, this multi-disciplinary approach to welfare assessment provides a tool kit that may be applied for welfare assurance of some new technologies and systems for farm animals.
涉及音频提示和电刺激应用的虚拟围栏正在商业化开发用于牛群。虚拟围栏有潜力通过优化牧场管理和放牧动物的利用来提高生产力。由于使用电刺激具有厌恶性质，虚拟围栏的应用引发了公众对其对动物潜在福利影响的关注。因此，提供虚拟围栏对牲畜影响的福利保障很重要。在本文中，我们概述了虚拟围栏的福利评估和验证阶段，这些阶段可应用于利用新型系统的其他新技术。讨论了对压力测量及其在特定背景下适用性的理解，包括使用糖皮质激素来测量急性和慢性压力，以及用于指示福利状态的行为反应和模式。还强调了个体在学习和认知方面差异的重要性。这种多学科的福利评估方法共同提供了一个工具包，可用于农场动物一些新技术和系统的福利保障。
