Breeders' and technicians 'perception of animals and animal welfare

A study was carried out recently to define the breeders’ and technicians’ perception of animals and animal welfare. It showed that although their perception is the same on some points, there are also differences based on the animal species and on the people own background (type of relationship with the animals, professional ethics, perception of the animals’ needs, etc.). Breeders and technicians see their animals in three different ways: “the animal as a machine” when it is seen exclusively in terms of its productions; “the communicating animal”, when there is some communication; or “the feeling animal” when there is emotional involvement. This study opens new avenues to design advisory tools or training programs for technicians and breeders. It can also be used as a basis for professional communication on animal husbandry.Un récent travail de recherche a permis d'appréhender les représentations des éleveurs et des techniciens sur le bien être animal. Il met en évidence un certain nombre d'éléments communs à tous. Ils montrent également la diversité des représentations de l'élevage, des animaux d'élevage et des pratiques, en fonction du type d'animaux et de l'histoire personnelle des individus : degré d'attachement aux animaux, vision éthique de leur métier, perception des besoins des animaux... Les relations des éleveurs et des techniciens vis-à-vis de l'animal s'organisent autour de trois pôles: « l'animal machine », dont le rapproche tout ce qui tend à ne s'occuper que de ses fonctions de production; « l'animal communiquant », développant des relations avec l'homme; « l'animal affectif », pouvant établir une relation affective avec l'homme. Ce projet ouvre des perspectives pour concevoir des outils pour le conseil, ainsi que des formations de techniciens ou d'éleveurs. Ils constituent également une base pour construire une communication professionnelle, sur le métier d'éleveur

The effects of PLF on human-animal relationships on farms

National audiencePrecision livestock farming induces not only technical and economic changes, but also modifies farmers’ work. It affects the nature and frequency of their daily tasks, specifically in relation to animals, and the data available about the animals. It consequently may affect the quality of the human-animal relationship and how farmers perceive their profession. To better understand these effects, a survey was carried out on 25 French farms raising three different species and equipped with different tools: milking robots and heat detectors for dairy cows, automatic feeders for sows, and housing management and automated weighing systems for poultry. Semi-structured interviews with the farmers were conducted. The main results showed that there were diverse motivations behind the farmers’ decision to install new equipment: some sought better working conditions, others to improve their technical management, yet others were induced by value chain incentives. Most mentioned that their job had become more technical, and the majority was satisfied. Farmers’ interactions with their animals had changed and sometimes decreased, with less time spent in their presence or in direct contact. Digital data enabled a different view of animals, focusing on problematic individuals. Some farmers continued to observe their animals and used specific “relational practices” to facilitate work and reduce animal stress, while others delegated decisions and tasks entirely to their equipment. Nevertheless, some farmers noted limits regarding the place of new technologies on a farm, such as the risk of losing their own autonomy or their ability to observe animals and detect problems

Linking researchers, advisers and livestock farmers in a multidisciplinary approach to analysing working conditions on farms

International audienceWork is an important issue for livestock farmers nowadays and this topic draws attention from researchers as well as from advisers. The French Livestock Institute piloted a three-year partnership project aimed at studying on-farm innovations to improve farmers' working conditions. This project developed a multidisciplinary approach combining economic, sociological and technical perspectives on livestock farmers' work, and involved researchers, advisers and farmers. We chose to involve farmers in the production of data, crossing the factual and descriptive data with their experiences and views, but also asking for their opinion on the results. We also involved actors in six different regions with two goals: to conduct investigations on farms and to enable the appropriation of the method by advisers. A team composed of researchers and extensionists was in charge of designing and managing the research programme based on on-farm interviews (a total of 55). In the questionnaire the three dimensions mentioned above were addressed through sociological, economical and organizational aspects. The participants of the team pooled their own knowledge and methods to build a common questionnaire. A test was arranged in some farms with advisers as interviewers and this enabled improvements to be made to the structure of the questionnaire and to the way questions were asked. Training for the interviewers was organized. Data processing at national and regional level provided several deliverables including a national analysis, six regional analyses, farm monographs, and publications for farmers and advisers. Several local meetings took place to discuss the results with the interviewees (farmers), the interviewers (advisers) and sometimes stakeholders. The participants of the project team now consider that linking researchers, advisers and farmers in this multidisciplinary approach was very profitable. All of them say they have expanded their vision and understanding of farmers' working situations and argue that this has led them to change their research or advice practices

Linking researchers, advisers and livestock farmers in a multidisciplinary approach to analysing working conditions on farms

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Impact of precision livestock farming on work and human-animal interactions on dairy farms. A review

Introduction. With increasing herd sizes and decreasing workforce availability, precision livestock farming (PLF) is being developed in the dairy sector to facilitate herd monitoring. A desire to reduce the drudgery of repetitive tasks is another factor contributing to the adoption of PLF. This study, based on a review of the scientific literature, focuses on the impact of PLF on the profession and work organization of dairy farmers. Literature. Time savings are observed because robots and sensors take on recurrent physical tasks (milking, feeding) while simplifying the monitoring of animals (heat, health problems, etc.). Farmers appreciate the additional flexibility in organizing their work. The information provided can reduce the mental workload due to the anticipation of events (insemination, health problems). However, the mental workload can sometimes be increased due to the complexity of the information involved in managing the multiple alarms or alerts and equipment failures. The relationship between farmers and their animals is also modified. Conclusions. Precision livestock farming can have a positive impact on dairy farmers' work and can be attractive for young people. However, if the tools are not adapted to farmers' needs and skills, PLF can also lead to negative impacts on farmers and animals. It is therefore critical to consider the different dimensions of farmers' work to facilitate their adoption of these new technologies

Dehorning of cattle in the EU Member States: A quantitative survey of the current practices.

A survey was carried out to describe the extent and current practice of cattle disbudding/dehorning in the EU Member States. Disbudding was defined as removal of horns in calves of up to 2 months of age, whereas dehorning was defined as removal of horns in older animals. Specific questionnaires were created regarding dairy, beef, and suckler production systems and they were submitted to local experts of each country belonging to relevant institutions like universities, national farmers' associations, cattle breeders associations, farm veterinarians and practitioners. Figures on disbudding/dehorning practices were produced for each production system for both the whole European Union and the North, Centre, East and South EU macro-regions. A total of 652 questionnaires were collected and 64%, 24% and 12% of them related to dairy cattle, beef cattle and suckler cows, respectively. Data from the survey showed that in Europe, 81% of the dairy, 47% of the beef and 68% of the suckler currently keep disbudded/dehorned animals, while the prevalence of polled cattle is rather low, especially in the dairy cattle sector (5% of all cattle farms; <1% of dairy farms). Regardless of production system, prevalence of dehorned animals is the highest in the North macro-region. Polled cattle farms are almost exclusively located in the North where polled beef breeds are raised for fattening. Dehorning is performed primarily on loose housed cattle to reduce the risk of injuries for herdmates and the stockman. Dehorning is less frequently performed in organic farms. As method of horns removal, disbudding is generally preferred over surgical removal of the horns in older cattle. Hot-iron is the most used disbudding method especially in the North and Centre. Use of caustic paste is reported more frequently in the South and the East. In the large majority of EU farms, the stockman is the person in charge for disbudding and some kind of medication for pain relief is administered to the animals only in a small percentage of farms (<30%). Surgical dehorning of more aged cattle is mainly performed with the wire/saw method. Compared to disbudding, it is more often carried out by a veterinarian and pre- and post operative medications (44% farms) is also more common