Division of Livestock Sciences, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor-Mendel-Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
Division of Livestock Sciences, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor-Mendel-Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
J Dairy Sci. 2021 Oct;104(10):11091-11107. doi: 10.3168/jds.2020-20085. Epub 2021 Jul 1.
In 2017, an Austrian dairy company implemented a third-party animal-based assessment of health and welfare to stimulate welfare improvements on farms. Using this cross-sectional data set, we aimed at identifying prevailing welfare problems and associations thereof with main farm and management characteristics. Welfare outcome measures regarding body condition, cleanliness, diarrhea, integument alterations, claw condition, lameness, rising behavior, and avoidance distance toward humans were assessed by 13 trained observers. Data from health recordings and farm characteristics, such as housing system, feeding regimen, and pasture access, were collected via a questionnaire. Analyses included outcome measures from 23,749 individual cows on 1,221 farms [median (M) herd size = 19, interquartile range (IQR) = 16]. Herd-level prevalence of the outcome measures showed a high between-farm variability with highest median values for dirty lower hind leg (M = 46%, IQR = 47), signs of diarrhea (M = 28%, IQR = 39), and hairless patches on the tarsal joint (M = 21%, IQR = 36). Median prevalence of severe welfare problems, such as very lean cows, lesions, lameness, or mastitis treatments, were low compared with previously reported findings (very lean: 0%, IQR = 0; lesion tarsus: 0%, IQR = 4; moderately lame loose-housed: 7%, IQR = 16; mastitis treatments: 10%, IQR = 16). On half of the farms, at least 83% (IQR = 25) of the assessed cows could be touched in a standardized approach test, indicating a good human-animal relationship. Using generalized linear models, we found frequent associations with welfare outcome measures for the amount of milk delivered per cow (e.g., lower risk of very lean cows or dirty hind legs but higher risk of mastitis treatments or antibiotic dry-off with increasing milk delivery), housing system (e.g., loose-housed animals were at lower risk of lesions on the tarsal joint than animals kept in tiestalls, but at higher risk of being classified as very fat), and assessment period (winter vs. summer period). Beneficial associations were consistently found for an increasing number of days with access to pasture (e.g., body condition, integument alterations, lameness) as well as organic compared with conventional farming (e.g., integument alterations, claw health, lameness). Although the latter associations may be especially important for advisory services, in policy making, or when engaging with the public, other farm or management characteristics require careful attention, as they may have both beneficial as well as adverse impacts on welfare, calling for good management skills to avoid undesired effects.
2017 年，一家奥地利乳制品公司实施了第三方动物福利评估，以刺激农场改善福利。使用这个横断面数据集，我们旨在确定普遍存在的福利问题，并将其与主要的农场和管理特征联系起来。通过 13 名经过培训的观察员对身体状况、清洁度、腹泻、体况变化、蹄状况、跛行、站立行为和对人类的回避距离等福利结果进行评估。通过健康记录和农场特征（如住房制度、喂养方案和牧场访问）收集数据，通过问卷调查进行。分析包括来自 23749 头奶牛的结果措施，这些奶牛来自 1221 个农场[中位数（M）畜群规模= 19，四分位距（IQR）= 16]。畜群水平的结果措施的患病率存在很高的农场间变异性，后腿下部脏污的中位数最高（M = 46%，IQR = 47），腹泻迹象（M = 28%，IQR = 39），跗关节无毛斑块（M = 21%，IQR = 36）。与以前的报告结果相比，严重福利问题（如非常瘦的奶牛、病变、跛行或乳腺炎治疗）的中位数患病率较低（非常瘦的奶牛：0%，IQR = 0；跗关节病变：0%，IQR = 4；中度跛行的自由放养动物：7%，IQR = 16；乳腺炎治疗：10%，IQR = 16）。在一半的农场中，至少有 83%（IQR = 25）的评估奶牛可以在标准化的接近测试中被触摸，这表明人与动物之间存在良好的关系。使用广义线性模型，我们发现与福利结果措施有频繁的关联，例如每头奶牛的产奶量（例如，非常瘦的奶牛或后腿脏污的风险较低，但乳腺炎治疗或抗生素干奶的风险较高）、住房系统（例如，与在蹄栏中饲养的动物相比，自由放养的动物跗关节病变的风险较低，但被归类为非常肥胖的风险较高）和评估期（冬季与夏季）。与访问牧场的天数增加（例如，身体状况、体况变化、跛行）以及与有机农业相比（例如，体况变化、蹄健康、跛行），与福利呈有益关联。虽然后者的关联可能对咨询服务、政策制定或与公众接触特别重要，但其他农场或管理特征需要谨慎关注，因为它们可能对福利既有有益影响，也有不利影响，需要良好的管理技能来避免不良影响。
