Attitudes of farmers towards Limousin cattle and their handling
Farmers’ behaviour towards their animals could be improved by developing training programmes designed to decrease handling stress and improve animal welfare. This requires key preliminary work to collate farmers’ beliefs concerning beef cattle and their knowledge of how to handle them easily. This paper reports the preliminary results of a survey conducted in 2004 among […]
Inter-observer and test-retest reliability of on-farm behavioural observations in veal calves
The objective of this study was to investigate inter-observer and test-retest reliability of different behavioural observations to be used in an on-farm, animal welfare monitoring system for veal calves. Twenty-three veal calf farms, varying in size, housing system, feeding regime and age of the calves were visited twice with two observers, simultaneously. Behavioural tests were […]
Defining and measuring farmers’ attitudes to farm animal welfare
Identifying farmers’ attitudes to farm animal welfare (FAW) is an important step in determining farmers’ efforts to improve FAW, knowledge of which is of particular importance for understanding how the living conditions of production animals are determined. This study developed a hypothetical model of farmers’ attitudes to FAW, including the antecedents of these attitudes and […]
Governing Animal-human Relations in Farming Practices: A Study of Group Housing of Sows in the EU
EU pig welfare legislation required European pig farmers to shift from individual to group housing of pregnant sows by 1 January 2013. This requirement was principally designed to meet the sows’ needs for locomotion and interaction with conspecifics. This article explores how the legislation affected everyday sow-farmer interactions, which influence farm animal welfare to an […]
Sustainable animal welfare: does forcing farmers into transition help?
Dutch society is changing, and so is its attitude towards animal welfare. Meat retailers respond by laying down minimum-quality criteria for farmers who wish to supply to supermarkets-forcing them to either aim for higher quality or lose their market. Policy-wise this is a top-down measure that leads to a redistribution of markets. From farmer perspective, […]
The willingness of conventional farmers to participate in animal welfare programmes: an empirical study in Germany
In recent years, poor farm animal welfare (FAW) has been a continual focus of public criticism and, in many European countries, large segments of society have repeatedly demanded higher FAW standards. In spite of these demands, there are hardly any products from pure animal welfare programmes (AWPs) on the market. Given this background, farmers are […]
Farmers’ perception of aggression between growing pigs
Sustainable animal production should take animal welfare into account. How animal welfare is incorporated into farming practices will, however, largely depend on the farmer’s choices. These choices may depend on the farmer’s perception of animal welfare and the willingness to change the current situation. Aggression between group housed pigs is a longstanding welfare issue and […]