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Stockmanship and Farm Animal Welfare

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

X Boivin ,
J Lensink ,
C Tallet  and
I Veissier
X Boivin*
Affiliation:
URH-ACS, INRA de Theix, F-63122 St Genés Champanelle, France
J Lensink
Affiliation:
Institut Supérieur d'Agriculture, 41 Rue du Port, F-59046 Lille cedex, France
C Tallet
Affiliation:
URH-ACS, INRA de Theix, F-63122 St Genés Champanelle, France
I Veissier
Affiliation:
URH-ACS, INRA de Theix, F-63122 St Genés Champanelle, France
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Human factors (attitudes, personality traits, self-esteem, job satisfaction) strongly determine our behaviour towards animals, animal production and animal welfare. Recent studies have emphasised positive human contacts as indicators of a stockperson's positive attitude towards animals and towards animal welfare in general. Stockmanship can be improved by careful selection of people and/or by training. However, little is known of the biological basis of the effect of stock handling procedures on the welfare of animals. The animal's perception of the stockperson (based both on emotional responses and cognitive aspects such as anticipation, recognition and categorisation), and the existence of sensitive periods in an animal's life, need to be explored in more depth, especially under farm conditions. We need to consider the complexity of human behaviour (eg husbandry practices, balance between positive and negative interactions, predictability, controllability) and its effect on animal welfare from the animal's point of view throughout its whole life. This paper identifies the importance of positive human contacts for both animals and stockpeople, and highlights the challenge to maintain such positive contacts despite the trend in modern agriculture to increase the number of animals per stockperson. This requires better knowledge of animal genetics, socialisation to humans during sensitive periods, and management of the social group. We emphasise the ethical importance of the human-animal relationship in the context of farm animal welfare and productivity.

Keywords

animal behaviouranimal welfarecognitiondomestic animalshuman-animal relationshipstockmanship
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. 479 - 492
Copyright
© 2003 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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