Investigating current welfare status of the buffalo farms by ANI evaluation method.

The Animal Needs Index (ANI) method is used in the study to determine the welfare levels of 58 buffalo farms in the Marmara region of Turkey. The enterprises were divided into 3 subgroups according to their size; (i) small-scale enterprises (n: 19), which have 5 to 19 buffalo cows, (ii) medium-scale enterprises (n: 20), which have 20 to 39 buffalo cows, and (iii) large-scale enterprises (n: 19), which have more than 40 buffalo cows. The farms were visited and evaluated in two seasons according to ANI system. Thirty criteria for locomotion, social interaction, flooring, light and air, and stockmanship categories were evaluated. Most of the farms were determined to be highly suitable for animal welfare according to the ANI method. Although many differences were observed among the enterprises during the visits, it was thought that the buffalo enterprises could not be evaluated with sufficient sensitivity with the help of the ANI method, since these differences cannot be revealed when the total ANI scores were compared. The enterprise scale had no direct effect on the investigated parameters in the study. Considering the deficiencies of the criteria in the study to evaluate the physical characteristics and needs of the buffaloes, it has been concluded that the evaluation methods to be developed to determine the welfare level of buffaloes should consider the species-specific characteristics of the buffaloes.