Smid Anne-Marieke C, de Jong Saskia, Inberg Pauline H J, Sinclair Shane, von Keyserlingk Marina A G, Weary Daniel M, Barkema Herman W
Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
J Dairy Sci. 2022 May;105(5):4461-4473. doi: 10.3168/jds.2021-21237. Epub 2022 Feb 25.
The provision of pasture and outdoor access for dairy cattle differs around the globe. For example, in Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, dairy farms are largely pasture based, whereas dairy farms in the United States and Canada are largely confinement based. There is a high level of public support for pasture and outdoor access for dairy cows, and the available evidence shows that dairy cattle are highly motivated to access pasture, especially at night. The decision as to whether to provide outdoor access is typically made by farmers, but little is known about dairy farmers' perspectives on this topic. We investigated perspectives of Western Canadian dairy farmers on outdoor access, as well as how they believe different stakeholders (i.e., the dairy industry, the dairy cows, and the general public) regard outdoor access for dairy cows. Data were collected via (1) 11 focus group discussions with a total of 50 Western Canadian dairy farmers, and (2) semi-structured individual interviews with an additional 6 dairy farmers of Hutterite colonies. Data were analyzed using template analysis. Although most participants in this study did not provide outdoor access on their farms, or only provided outdoor access to certain cow groups, participants generally mentioned that they enjoyed seeing cows on pasture or outdoors. However, participants shared that the Canadian supply management system (including processors) required a consistent flow of production, which was thought to be easier and more economically realized with indoor housing of lactating cows. Participants believed that pasture or outdoor access for dairy cows was desired by the public. Some participants believed that dairy cows prefer to spend time outside under favorable weather conditions, but others felt that cows preferred to stay indoors in modern, ventilated freestall barns. The results of this study describe the perspectives of dairy farmers regarding the views of dairy industry stakeholders as they relate to outdoor access, helping to inform conversations around the provision of outdoor access for dairy cattle.
全球各地为奶牛提供牧场和户外活动空间的情况各不相同。例如，在爱尔兰、新西兰和澳大利亚，奶牛场主要以牧场为基础，而美国和加拿大的奶牛场则主要以圈养为主。公众对奶牛的牧场和户外活动空间给予了高度支持，现有证据表明奶牛非常渴望进入牧场，尤其是在夜间。是否提供户外活动空间的决定通常由农民做出，但对于奶农在这个问题上的看法却知之甚少。我们调查了加拿大西部奶农对户外活动空间的看法，以及他们认为不同利益相关者（即乳制品行业、奶牛和公众）对奶牛户外活动空间的看法。数据通过以下方式收集：（1）与50位加拿大西部奶农进行了11次焦点小组讨论，（2）对另外6位哈特人聚居地的奶农进行了半结构化的个人访谈。使用模板分析法对数据进行了分析。尽管本研究中的大多数参与者在其农场中不提供户外活动空间，或者只对某些牛群提供户外活动空间，但参与者普遍提到他们喜欢看到奶牛在牧场或户外。然而，参与者表示，加拿大的供应管理制度（包括加工商）要求生产流程稳定，他们认为将泌乳奶牛圈养在室内更容易且在经济上更可行。参与者认为公众希望奶牛有牧场或户外活动空间。一些参与者认为奶牛在天气适宜时更喜欢待在户外，但另一些人则觉得奶牛更喜欢待在现代化、通风良好的自由栏舍内。这项研究的结果描述了奶农对乳制品行业利益相关者与户外活动空间相关观点的看法，有助于为围绕为奶牛提供户外活动空间的讨论提供信息。
