Assessing livestock housing conditions in terms of animal welfare - possibilities and limitations -

A. Sundrum

Assessing livestock housing conditions in terms of animal welfare - possibilities and limitations -

In: Livestock Farming Systems

Author:

A. Sundrum

A. Sundrum Institute of Organic Agriculture, University Bonn, Katzenburgweg 3, D-53115 Bonn, Germany

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 238–246

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004684133_034

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Summary

There is growing demand for welfare oriented animal husbandry in livestock farming. Higher standards in animal welfare are important for an increasing number of consumers as reflected in decisions to buy certified products and in their willingness to pay premium prices. The measurement of an animal’s response to the environment by pathological, physiological and ethological parameters raises several methodological problems and the results are often hard to interpret. While this approach is justifiable when evaluating standardised and serially-produced housing systems, on-farm assessment has to face both a great variety of standards and facilities and the unknown interactions between various other factors. The question arises as to whether an indirect approach by the means of design criteria integrated in an indexing system can be developed.

For application, technical indicators which refer to the “freedom” of the animals to express different behaviour patterns, as well as hygienic and management factors, have been included in scales and integrated into an index-system in order to assess the appropriateness of housing conditions in terms of animal welfare and to distinguish between poor and good living conditions for farm animals. Housing factors taken into account were selected with reference to their quantifying capacities. A reference range was elaborated for the criteria, based on data presented in the literature. Experiences with the application of the index-system are reported and the possibilities and limitations in the use of technical indicators are discussed in relation to on-farm assessment of animal welfare.

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Livestock Farming Systems

More than food production

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004684133

Publisher:: Wageningen Academic

Print Publication Date:: 01 Jan 1997

Subjects
- Life Sciences
  - General
  - Animal & Veterinary

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Assessing livestock housing conditions in terms of animal welfare - possibilities and limitations -

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Livestock Farming Systems

More than food production

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