Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, University of Hohenheim, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2022 Jun 8;54(4):202. doi: 10.1007/s11250-022-03208-5.
Animal welfare remains a contemporary issue in livestock development as World Organization for Animal Health stresses its importance in the livestock trade. Key elements of good animal welfare include animals being healthy, comfortable, well-nourished, safe, not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear, and distress, and expressing behaviours that are important for their physical and mental health. These are important for the high performance of animals in terms of productivity and product quality. Given the importance of animal welfare in enhancing livestock productivity, quality, food safety, and economic returns, the study aimed to identify the aspects of animal welfare that need more attention among the Zambian smallholder livestock farmers and determine whether the current policy and legal frameworks governing animal welfare are adequate. Using data collected from 271 smallholder households, the study found that routine management practices such as dipping animals, branding, castration, and vaccination were the major animal welfare concerns that needed more attention. Therefore more efforts and extension services should also be dedicated to addressing these concerns. Furthermore, the policy framework guiding animal welfare is inadequate as particular welfare concerns such as housing and nutrition are not well covered. This calls for the revision of the policy framework to incorporate all aspects of animal welfare.
动物福利仍然是畜牧业发展中的一个当代问题，世界动物卫生组织强调了其在牲畜贸易中的重要性。良好动物福利的关键要素包括动物健康、舒适、营养良好、安全，没有遭受痛苦、恐惧和痛苦等不愉快状态的困扰，并且表现出对其身心健康重要的行为。这些对于动物的高生产性能，包括生产力和产品质量，都非常重要。鉴于动物福利在提高畜牧业生产力、质量、食品安全和经济回报方面的重要性，本研究旨在确定赞比亚小农户畜牧业者需要更多关注的动物福利方面，并确定当前管理动物福利的政策和法律框架是否足够。本研究使用了从 271 个小农户家庭收集的数据，发现动物常规管理实践，如给动物驱虫、烙印、去势和接种疫苗，是需要更多关注的主要动物福利问题。因此，应该投入更多的努力和推广服务来解决这些问题。此外，指导动物福利的政策框架不够完善，因为没有很好地涵盖住房和营养等特定的福利问题。这需要修订政策框架，纳入动物福利的所有方面。
