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Preliminary Investigation Into the Use of Expert Opinion to Compare the Overall Welfare of Dairy Cattle Farms in Different Farm Assurance Schemes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

D C J Main ,
H R Whay ,
L E Green  and
A J F Webster
D C J Main*
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK
H R Whay
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK Ecology and Epidemiology Group, University of Warwick, Department of Biological Sciences, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
L E Green
Affiliation:
Ecology and Epidemiology Group, University of Warwick, Department of Biological Sciences, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
A J F Webster
Affiliation:
Ecology and Epidemiology Group, University of Warwick, Department of Biological Sciences, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
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Abstract

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This paper describes an approach to assessing the overall welfare of cows on dairy farms. Veterinary and behaviour experts were shown results for ten selected welfare parameters for 25 pairs of dairy farms paired for farm assurance status but with similar geographical location and husbandry system. From this information alone they were asked to state which farms had better welfare. Overall, there were no significant differences between the conclusions of veterinary and behaviour experts. There was a significant relationship between the proportion of experts rating a farm as poorer and the measured difference in the number of cows with lameness or rising restrictions between the paired farms. There were no significant relationships between the expert decisions and differences in milk yield, flight distance, swollen hocks, mastitis incidence, dystocia level, conception rates, prevalence of thin cows and proportion of cows with dirty udders. Clearly, experts rate lameness and discomfort as highly important indices of poor welfare in dairy cows.

Keywords

animal welfaredairy cattlefarm assuranceintegrationwelfare
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 12 , Issue 4: Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on the Assessment of Animal Welfare at Farm and Group Level , November 2003 , pp. 565 - 569
Copyright
© 2003 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

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