NEWS AND VIEWS
Welfare and ethics UPDATE Virginia Williams, for MPI and the NZVA, provides an update on welfare and ethics. EXPERT OPINIONS ON ANIMAL WELFARE ISSUES IN THE UK A study has highlighted a number of common welfare issues of high priority in cattle, pigs, poultry and small ruminants in the UK (Rioja-Lang et al., 2020). These include: inadequate nutrition; lack of stockperson skills; inability of farm workers to recognise and/or treat pain or behaviour problems; foot and leg health resulting in lameness; long-term health issues; euthanasia delay and methods; and neonatal mortality. The study aimed to obtain consensus among 58 experts (practising veterinarians, academics, charity-sector employees, farmer representatives, and policy officials with responsibility for farmed livestock) on the issues that were most important. Welfare issues specific to each species included abnormal behaviours and poor housing in pigs and poultry, a lack of veterinary care in beef cattle and sheep, and poor handling and transport of sheep, beef cattle and poultry. The study prioritised a mix of animal-, resource- and management-based factors influencing animal welfare. The authors say these factors can be addressed through further research, education, better communication and policy changes that aim to achieve improved farm animal welfare. REFERENCE: Rioja-Lang FC, Connor M, Bacon HJ, Lawrence AB, Dwyer CM. Prioritization of farm animal welfare issues using expert consensus. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 6, 495, 2020
FRUSTRATED DOGS New research by animal behaviour specialists at the University of Lincoln (UK) suggests separation anxiety in dogs should be seen as a sign of underlying frustrations rather than a diagnosis (De Assis et al., 2019). The specialists identified four main forms of distress for dogs left home alone: a focus on getting away from something in the house; wanting to get to something outside; reacting to external noises or events; and a form of boredom. The authors state that understanding these root causes could be key to effective treatment. REFERENCE: De Assis LS, Matos R, Pike TW, Burman OHP, Mills DS. Developing diagnostic frameworks in veterinary behavioural medicine: Disambiguating separation problems in dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 6, 499, 2019
BOBBY CALF MORTALITY DECLINE Since 2008, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) veterinarians at processing premises have recorded the mortality rates of young calves as reflective of young calf welfare. In 2008 the percentage of calves dying, or being euthanased for welfare reasons, during transport to, on arrival at and in lairage at processing premises was 0.68% of the total. Thanks to a programme in which MPI veterinarians and animal welfare inspectors accompanied transport and slink-skin operators when picking up calves on farm, this percentage declined to 0.04% in 2019. In the same year there were no prosecutions for inadequate calf care during transport.
MORE FREEDOM FOR SOWS Germany’s Parliament has announced a ban on sow stalls and farrowing crates, except for five days around farrowing. The Government has offered $520 million (€300 million) to farmers to assist with conversions, allowing a 15-year transition period. Germany’s pig producers’ union is not enthusiastic about the ban, suggesting that the transition time is too short. However, it has stressed that the subsidy is a positive move.
14 – VetScript September 2020
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