Die technische Beeinflussung des Verhaltens von Sauen am Beispiel der Aufruffütterung und einer aktiven Erdrückungsverhinderung

Under intensive husbandry conditions, the natural behaviour repertoire of livestock is often contrary to an optimal productivity and also animal welfare. This problem can be reduced by technically manipulating the animal behaviour in terms of precision livestock farming, so that husbandry conditions and animal behaviour adjust mutually to one another. The current work exemplifies this approach for appetitive stimulations at the example of call feeding gestating sows and for aversive stimulations at the example of preliminary studies for a method to actively prevent piglet crushing.Unter intensiven Haltungsbedingungen ist das angeborene Verhaltensrepertoire von Nutztieren häufig einer optimalen Produktivität aber auch einem optimalen Tierwohl zuwiderlaufend. Durch technische Verhaltensbeeinflussung im Sinne von precision livestock farming kann eine gegenseitige Anpassung der Haltungsbedingungen und des Tierverhaltens umgesetzt werden, die dieses Problem verringert. Dieser Ansatz wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit für appetitive Reize am Beispiel der Aufruffütterung trächtiger Sauen und für aversive Reize anhand von Vorstudien für ein Verfahren zur aktiven Verhinderung von Ferkelerdrückungen dargestellt

Farmers' Perspectives of the Benefits and Risks in Precision Livestock Farming in the EU Pig and Poultry Sectors

Simple Summary Smart farming is a concept of agricultural innovation that combines technological, social, economic and institutional changes. It employs novel practices of technologies and farm management at various levels (specifically with a focus on the system perspective) and scales of agricultural production, helping the industry meet the challenges stemming from immense food production demands, environmental impact mitigation and reductions in the workforce. Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) systems will help the industry meet consumer expectations for more environmentally and welfare-friendly production. However, the overwhelming majority of these new technologies originate from outside the farm sector. The adoption of new technologies is affected by the development, dissemination and application of new methodologies, technologies and regulations at the farm level, as well as quantified business models. Subsequently, the utilization of PLF in the pig and especially the poultry sectors should be advocated (the latter due to the foreseen increase in meat production). Therefore, more significant research efforts than those that currently exist are mainly required in the poultry industry. The investigation of farmers' attitudes and concerns about the acceptance of technological solutions in the livestock sector should be integrally incorporated into any technological development.Abstract More efficient livestock production systems are necessary, considering that only 41% of global meat demand will be met by 2050. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has clearly illustrated the necessity of building sustainable and stable agri-food systems. Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) offers the continuous capacity of agriculture to contribute to overall human and animal welfare by providing sufficient goods and services through the application of technical innovations like digitalization. However, adopting new technologies is a challenging issue for farmers, extension services, agri-business and policymakers. We present a review of operational concepts and technological solutions in the pig and poultry sectors, as reflected in 41 and 16 European projects from the last decade, respectively. The European trend of increasing broiler-meat production, which is soon to outpace pork, stresses the need for more outstanding research efforts in the poultry industry. We further present a review of farmers' attitudes and obstacles to the acceptance of technological solutions in the pig and poultry sectors using examples and lessons learned from recent European projects. Despite the low resonance at the research level, the investigation of farmers' attitudes and concerns regarding the acceptance of technological solutions in the livestock sector should be incorporated into any technological development

Understanding the phenotype of aggressiveness

Mixing together unfamiliar pigs is a common husbandry practice in commercial indoor piggeries that causes a period of intense fighting and aggression between pigs, resulting in elevated stress responses and injuries to those involved. Frequency, duration and intensity of aggressive behaviour have been found to differ between individuals. There is some evidence that these differences are due to trait-aggressiveness, as consistency of responses to similar challenges has been demonstrated. This trait-aggressiveness may be linked to other behavioural (social and non-social) and physiological traits to fonn part of personality. To understand aggression in the context of behavioural trait the prevalence o f aggression was studied throughout the lifetime o f a cohort of pigs, examining consistency within and between situations at numerous points. M ore specifically, the aims o f this thesis were to investigate: whether the relative magnitude of aggression displayed in response to a repeated social challenge test (Resident Intruder Test) was consistent over time; if this aggressiveness changed with age and experience; whether RIT aggressiveness was comparable to, or predictive o f aggressiveness during social mixing; what strategies were employed by pigs of differing aggressiveness during mixing; and finally, if aggressiveness was linked to the response of individual pigs to a challenging environment, unconnected to social confrontation (maternal behaviour).Detailed behavioural analysis was performed on the progeny o f 19 gilts. Consistency of aggressiveness was examined using repeated Resident Intruder Tests at various key stages during the lifetime o f male and female growing pigs, and a subset of female breeding pigs. Behaviour during mixing at weaning and as gilts was examined in detail; information was collected about the way in which these animals behaved in a social context, including nonaggressive social behaviour, and how this related to injuries received (lesions). As social dominance status is often cited as a parameter related to aggressiveness, this was recorded at various stages using a group feeding competition test and compared to behavioural measures from mixing and the RIT. To gain a better understanding of the interaction between aggressiveness and other traits, the various measures of aggressiveness were compared with cortisol (as a physiological indicator of the relative stress responses of individuals) and the behaviour of a subset of female pigs in the period immediately preceding and following farrowing. Maternal behaviour was chosen for comparison to aggressiveness as it is also potentially a trait-behaviour, specific to individuals, that is not obviously linked to social aggressiveness; but also because it is both important commercially and for the welfare of the gilts and piglets.Detailed behavioural analysis was performed on the progeny o f 19 gilts. Consistency of aggressiveness was examined using repeated Resident Intruder Tests at various key stages during the lifetime o f male and female growing pigs, and a subset of female breeding pigs. Behaviour during mixing at weaning and as gilts was examined in detail; information was collected about the way in which these animals behaved in a social context, including nonaggressive social behaviour, and how this related to injuries received (lesions). As social dominance status is often cited as a parameter related to aggressiveness, this was recorded at various stages using a group feeding competition test and compared to behavioural measures from mixing and the RIT. To gain a better understanding of the interaction between aggressiveness and other traits, the various measures of aggressiveness were compared with cortisol (as a physiological indicator of the relative stress responses of individuals) and the behaviour of a subset of female pigs in the period immediately preceding and following farrowing. Maternal behaviour was chosen for comparison to aggressiveness as it is also potentially a trait-behaviour, specific to individuals, that is not obviously linked to social aggressiveness; but also because it is both important commercially and for the welfare of the gilts and piglets.Pigs were consistent in their responses to the RIT, but there were differences between sexes. RIT aggressiveness was consistent over a long period of time in female pigs, even with a gap of 90 days between tests and the onset o f puberty. M ale pigs showed an unexpectedly high level of mounting behaviour from a young age, which increased with maturity. Experience of the RIT improved consistency o f responses, and age at first testing affected both the speed of attacking and occurrence of attacks: those pigs experiencing the test when younger were more likely to and quicker to attack. Although aggression in the RIT was consistent, it was not predictive o f subsequent aggressiveness at mixing.As with the RIT, there were clear sex-differences observed during mixing at weaning, with males being more aggressive, more successful in fights, more likely to mount and less likely to play than females. Pigs employed different strategies during mixing, the extremes of which were categorised by high-play-low-aggressiveness and vice versa. As expected, aggressive individuals were involved in more fights and won more fights, but suffered more skin lesions than non-aggressive individuals. Pigs that engaged in high-playing were generally the least successful in fights, but suffered fewer lesions and had equal ultimate dominance rank to aggressive pigs. The behavioural structure of mixing changed between weaning and puberty, with differences in the occurrence and duration of aggressive and nonaggressive behaviours. Fighting ceased sooner during the gilt mix, but aggression was more frequent and more severe. Comparisons with maternal behaviour found gilts that reacted aggressively to their piglets were more aggressive and successful in the mix and more ‘reactive’ during farrowing. There were other links between farrowing and mixing behaviour, such as more frequent posture changes but less frequent nesting with greater mixaggressiveness; indicating that aggressiveness and maternal behaviour traits are linked through personality.The RIT was not a reliable predictor o f aggressiveness, particularly in male pigs. Aggressiveness did not always equate to status as some individuals managed to attain rank without severe fighting or receiving excessive numbers of lesions. It may be that aggressive pigs are more reactive in a number o f situations, reactivity to piglets during farrowing being one of these situations. The results indicate that aggression should not be viewed in isolation, but with other traits that make up personality. Rather than being a fixed entity, aggressiveness develops with age, sex, experience and enviromnental influences

XIII International Congress in Animal Hygiene, June 17-21, 2007, Tartu, Estonia "Animal health, animal welfare and biosecurity" : proceedings. Volume 1

KonverentsikogumikOn behalf of both the Organising Committee and the Scientific Committee, I am pleased to welcome you in Tartu, Estonia, to participate at the XIII International Congress of the International Society for Animal Hygiene (ISAH). The ISAH (www.isah-soc.org) was founded in 1970 and has today members from 48 countries throughout the world. ISAH can be considered as a group of scientists contributing to efficient, sustainable animal farming with healthy animals, providing wholesome food in a sound environment. Veterinarians and non-veterinary academic scientists (animal science, agricultural economics, engineers, microbiologists, public health professionals, epidemiologists etc., etc) and respective professionals in animal husbandry, who work and/or do research and education in the field of animal hygiene, can apply for a membership of ISAH, and are most welcome to attend ISAH congresses. The first ISAH congress was held in Budapest in 1973. The last ISAH main congress took place in Warsaw, Poland in 2005 and the last in-between symposium in Saint-Malo, France in 2004. Starting from Warsaw congress in 2005, the ISAH, considering the need for a more flexible and frequent exchange of scientific and practical knowledge, organizes its congresses every second year. The present, XIII ISAH congress in Tartu, Estonia, in June 17–21, 2007 is organised under the device "Animal health, animal welfare and biosecurity”. The scientific programme, trying to follow the scope of the ISAH and receive the feedback from modern animal husbandry and food production, concentrates with more profoundness on the following subjects: interaction between the environment and health and welfare of individual animal and herds; managing animal health in large dairy units; ensuring animal welfare during transportation and slaughter; economical implications considering animals’ health; possibilities of precision livestock farming in maintaining good health and welfare of animals; measures for prevention the development and spread of diseases and pathogens in animals including those posing risk to human health (zoonoses); food safety relevant infections and contaminations such as residues in food derived from animals; influence of the animal production on the environment and public health. The Proceedings from the XIII ISAH Congress are herewith presented. The papers on lectures from invited speakers, oral and poster presentations from 11 parallel sessions are included in this excellent compilation. In general, the printed contribution to the ISAH-2007 congress illustrates clearly the broad scientific field of the ISAH and related to it activities. I hereby would like to express my most sincere gratitude in the address of ISAH-2007 organising and scientific committees. Special thanks go to Frens Conference Services for their excellent organizational and technical contribution and to AS Triip for their outstanding printing job of these proceedings. We also appreciate different companies and organisations for their considerable financial support which gave us the opportunity to keep the registration fees affordable. Finally, we thank all participants, contributors, chairpersons, organisational and technical assistants for your considerable efforts – you made the ISAH-2007 in Tartu real success. We wish you all interesting and pleasant congress and enjoyable stay in Tartu. A. Aland Editor Chairman of the ISAH-2007 Organising Committe

Exploring the potential of Precision Livestock Farming technologies to help address farm animal welfare

The rise in the demand for animal products due to demographic and dietary changes has exacerbated difficulties in addressing societal concerns related to the environment, human health and animal welfare. As a response to this challenge, Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) technologies are being developed to monitor animal health and welfare parameters in a continuous and automated way, offering the opportunity to improve productivity and detect health issues at an early stage. However, ethical concerns have been raised regarding their potential to facilitate the management of production systems that are potentially harmful to animal welfare, or to impact the human-animal relationship and farmers’ duty of care. Using the Five Domains Model (FDM) as a framework, the aim is to explore the potential of PLF to help address animal welfare and to discuss potential welfare benefits and risks of using such technology. A variety of technologies are identified and classified according to their type (sensors, bolus, image or sound based, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)), their development stage, the species they apply to, and their potential impact on welfare. While PLF technologies have promising potential to reduce the occurrence of diseases and injuries in livestock farming systems, their current ability to help promote positive welfare states remains limited, as technologies with such potential generally remain at earlier development stages. This is likely due to the lack of evidence related to the validity of positive welfare indicators as well as challenges in technology adoption and development. Finally, the extent to which welfare can be improved will also strongly depend on whether management practices will be adapted to minimize negative consequences and maximize benefits to welfare