Na-Lampang, P.
School of Animal Production Technology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand 30000.
Livestock production has been and continues to be one of the most important economic and social activities of human culture. Significant developments have taken place in recent years that affect global livestock production. Industrial livestock production had unprecedented growth rates, and international trade is growing fast. Poultry and pig industries are far developed in Brazil, Thailand and the Philippines. Planned growth is in place for the pig industry in Vietnam, and the dairy industry in Pakistan. The dairy industry in China is currently one of the fastest growing food sectors worldwide. The challenge for the next 50 years is to increase the productivity of major livestock species to address the food needs of the world. Since industrialised production systems have the benefit of economies of scale, sooner or later they will be expected to dominate livestock production in the developing countries and the world. Such structural changes have, however, a number of negative side effects like risk of pollution from high concentration of animals and risk of zoonotic diseases, often combined with antibiotic resistance. And likely they also lead to reduced animal welfare. Animal welfare impacts of industrialized farming can include:
Close confinement systems (cages, crates) or lifetime confinement in indoor sheds
Discomfort and injuries caused by inappropriate flooring and housing
Restriction or prevention of normal exercise and most of natural foraging or exploratory behavior
Restriction or prevention of natural maternal nesting behavior
Lack of daylight or fresh air and poor air quality in animal sheds
Social stress and injuries caused by overcrowding
Health problems caused by extreme selective breeding and management for fast growth and high productivity
Reduced lifetime (longevity) of breeding animals (dairy cows, breeding sows)
Fast-spreading infections encouraged by crowding and stress in intensive conditions
Beak trimming or shortening in the poultry and egg industry to avoid pecking in overcrowded quarters
Forced and over feeding (by inserting tubes into the throats of ducks) in the production of foie gras
The above examples suffice to illustrate the absence of good welfare in industrial livestock production. In general, all livestock in industrial production systems suffer from the same generic set of affronts to their welfare absent in husbandry systems:
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Production diseases – by definition a production disease is a disease that would not exist or would not be of serious epidemic importance were it not for the method of production.
Examples are liver and rumenal abscesses resulting from feeding cattle with too much grain, rather than roughage. Other examples are confinement-induced environmental mastitis in dairy cattle, weaknesses caused by beta-agonists to increase muscle mass in pigs and
‗shipping fever‘ in beef cattle. Loss of workers who are ‗animal smart‘ – in large industrial operations such as swine farms, the workers are minimum-wage, sometimes illegal, often migratory workers with little knowledge. Lack of individual attention – under extensive systems, each animal is valuable. In intensive swine operations, the individuals are worth little. When this is coupled with the fact that workers are no longer caretakers, the result is obvious. The lack of attention to animal needs determined by their physiological and psychological natures – technology allows us to keep animals under conditions that violate their natures, thus severing productivity from assure well-being.
However, scientific evidence of the animals‘ perspective suggests that we should be cautious, as the relationship between intensive production systems and animal welfare is complex:
A study of welfare in broiler chickens kept at different stocking densities concluded that ‗care‘ of birds (in terms of the environment producers provided for the birds) was of more importance in terms of ‗obvious‘ welfare measures (e.g. mortality) than stocking density per se (Dawkins et al., 2004). Having said that, it was also the case that some aspects of welfare (including behavior) did deteriorate with stocking density and these may yet be shown to be important (see below).
A review of laying hen systems (LayWel, 2008) illustrates that moving from battery cages to ‗free-range‘ systems tends to replace poor welfare associated with lack of behavioral freedom with poor welfare associated with more physical challenges (e.g. mortality, feather pecking, certain diseases). Thus, whilst battery cages must always be behaviorally restrictive it was argued in principle that ‗free- range‘ systems could be improved to reduce physical challenges.
A study of dairy cow welfare found evidence of better leg health (lameness and leg injuries) on organic compared to conventional farms (Rutherford et al., 2008). The study also identified key factors (e.g. length of time on grass; age at first calving) contributing to the improved leg health on organic units; in principle these risk factors could be addressed by conventional dairy farms.
It is often assumed that grazing livestock are in better welfare as a result of being seen to live more ‗natural lives‘. Yet extensively managed animals face significant challenges to their welfare in terms of variable food supply, extremes in weather conditions, and disease risks (Turner & Dwyer, 2007).
Interest in animal welfare continues to grow, with increasing attention being paid to it by the media, governmental and non-governmental organizations. Increased affluence in many regions for the past few decades afforded consumers the disposable income to purchase products from high welfare systems.The adaptation of more economically efficient farming systems were at the expense of animal welfare and to the financial benefit of consumers, both of which were factors in driving the demand for higher welfare for farm animals. For example, in recent years there has been an increased interest among consumers for animal-friendly products, as there has been for environment friendly products, and this has stimulated the move from experimental studies of animal welfare to its application in practice and to monitoring animal welfare on farms. Traditionally such measurements have been resource based, e.g. specifying the minimum amount of feeding space or the maximum
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stocking density, but now the trend is toward animal-based measures, such as the number of lame animals, body condition, etc.
Good animal welfare is necessary if the livestock industry is to be sustainable. The role of animal welfare in sustainable development of livestock industries includes:
Reducing health risks of intensive livestock production:
In intensively managed livestock farms, overcrowded conditions facilitate the rapid transmission of infectious diseases, which are also spread through long distance live animal transport. Some of these diseases have a zoonotic potential, representing a risk for human health as well. High economic loss is associated with their control and eradication. Promoting animal welfare has the potential to improve disease prevention and limit the health risks both to animals and humans as well as make large economic savings.
Good animal welfare is part of food quality:
Some quality assurance schemes have already included animal welfare among their standards, understanding that better animal welfare also brings better food quality, in addition to better economic return.
High animal welfare standards are good for international trade:
Many developing countries have extensive land and relatively cheap labor, which are needed among other requirements for good animal welfare. They can use these advantages in trading their agricultural products, with potential for targeting high-value organic and welfare markets in developed countries.
Animal welfare was not an unaffordable luxury, but an essential part of solutions to the most pressing problems facing the world today, even climate change was impacted by the conditions in which animals were kept. There was more carbon dioxide damage from intensive livestock farming than from the total combined emissions of the gas from cars and planes. Viewing animal welfare as a luxury was hindering progress towards sustainable development.
Animal welfare can be assured or enhanced by following good management practices.
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines on animal welfare have become the international reference for animal welfare in the trade of animals and products and the control of eradication of animal diseases. They also act as a guide for the development of national and regional assurance programs and it is envisaged that these guidelines will be used as a basis for bilateral agreements between OIE member countries (International Finance Corporation, 2006).
Research in animal welfare is also crucial for sustainable development of livestock industry. Ensuring animal welfare requires taking into account all available scientific evidence. In future research, emphasis should be based on a sound, scientific understanding of animals and how they are affected by housing, management procedures, and health care measures.
The following provide general fields of research in animal welfare.
Genetic and breed selection Feed and water Housing systems Husbandry practices
Health and diseases Transport
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Increased market awareness of environmental, social, and commercial values, whether in developed countries, developing countries, or those in transition, is driving changes in the way business is done, leading to the recognition of new risks and opportunities. In the case of animal welfare, failure to keep pace with changing consumer expectations and market opportunities could put companies and their investors at a competitive disadvantage in an increasingly global marketplace. Therefore commitment to maintain high standard of animal welfare is a must in order to promote sustainable development in livestock industry.
References
Dawkins, M. S., C. A. Donnelly and T. A. Jones, 2004. Chicken welfare is influenced more by housing conditions than by stocking density. Nature 427: 342-344
International Finance Corporation, 2006. Good Practice Note: Animal Welfare in Livestock Operations. World Bank Group. pp 24
LayWel, 2008. Welfare implications of changes in production systems for laying hens. (w-p:
http://www.laywel.eu/web/pdf/deliverable%2071%20welfare%20assessment.pdf) Rutherford, K. M. D., F. M. Langford, M. C. Jack, L. Sherwood, A. B. Lawrence and M. J.
Haskell, 2008. Hock injury prevalence and associated risk factors on organic and nonorganic dairy farms in the United Kingdom. J. Dairy Sci. 91: 2265-2274
Turner, S. P. and C. M. Dwyer, 2007. Welfare assessment in extensive animal production systems: challenges and opportunities. Animal Welfare 16: 189-192
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