Welfare of dairy cows in Kosovo and intervention thresholds for selected welfare indicators as suggested by farmers and veterinarians

IF 1.4 4区农林科学 Q2 VETERINARY SCIENCES

Animal Welfare Pub Date : 2022-11-01 DOI:10.1017/s0962728600032474

E. Zhitia, C. Leeb, S. Muji, C. Winckler

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Despite increased concerns about dairy cattle welfare, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding their welfare and the attitudes of farmers and veterinarians in the Western Balkan region. This is the first on-farm study to address dairy cattle welfare and the attitudes of farmers and veterinarians towards animal welfare in Kosovo. Thirty tie-stall dairy farms across seven Kosovo regions were assessed twice with an interval of 10 to 12 months. During the first visit, the Welfare Quality® assessment protocol was applied, whilst the second visit focused on clinical animal-based indicators and interviews with the farmers regarding intervention thresholds for a number of welfare indicators. Additionally, such thresholds were obtained from 15 veterinarians via an online questionnaire. The main areas of concern that were highlighted relate to comfort around resting (soiling of animals, restriction of lying down movements) and injuries, including lameness. Farmers and veterinarians agreed on the intervention thresholds for the majority of the indicators (eg animals with dirty udders, animals with lesions/swellings) but differences were found for important health and welfare issues (eg farmers suggesting a higher threshold for lameness compared to veterinarians). Compared to the on-farm prevalences, both farmers and veterinarians suggested lower intervention levels for welfare issues indicating an awareness of problems. In conclusion, investments into close co-operation between farmers, veterinarians and other advisors regarding awareness-building and inducing changes in daily management routines are considered necessary to improve dairy cow welfare.

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科索沃奶牛的福利和农民和兽医建议的选定福利指标的干预阈值

尽管人们越来越关注奶牛的福利，但在西巴尔干地区，人们对奶牛的福利以及农民和兽医的态度缺乏了解。这是首个针对科索沃奶牛福利以及农民和兽医对动物福利态度的农场研究。对科索沃7个地区的30个固定摊位奶牛场进行了两次评估，间隔10至12个月。在第一次访问期间，采用了福利质量®评估方案，而第二次访问侧重于临床动物指标，并与农民就一些福利指标的干预阈值进行了访谈。此外，通过在线问卷调查从15名兽医那里获得了这些阈值。重点关注的主要领域涉及休息时的舒适(动物弄脏，限制躺下运动)和伤害，包括跛行。农民和兽医对大多数指标的干预阈值达成一致(例如，乳房脏的动物，有病变/肿胀的动物)，但在重要的健康和福利问题上发现了差异(例如，农民建议的跛行阈值比兽医高)。与农场患病率相比，农民和兽医都建议对福利问题的干预水平较低，表明对问题的认识。总之，投资于农民、兽医和其他顾问之间的密切合作，建立意识并诱导日常管理程序的变化，对于提高奶牛的福利是必要的。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Animal Welfare 农林科学-动物学

CiteScore

2.30

自引率

8.30%

发文量

审稿时长

18-36 weeks

期刊介绍： Animal Welfare is an international scientific and technical journal. It publishes the results of peer-reviewed scientific research, technical studies and reviews relating to the welfare of kept animals (eg on farms, in laboratories, zoos and as companions) and of those in the wild whose welfare is compromised by human activities. Papers on related ethical, social, and legal issues and interdisciplinary papers will also be considered for publication. Studies that are derivative or which replicate existing publications will only be considered if they are adequately justified. Papers will only be considered if they bring new knowledge (for research papers), new perspectives (for reviews) or develop new techniques. Papers must have the potential to improve animal welfare, and the way in which they achieve this, or are likely to do so, must be clearly specified in the section on Animal welfare implications.