Social Farming and Animal Assisted Interventions: content analysis of the Italian legal framework towards a One Welfare approach

Introduction: in the last decade, Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) and Social Farming (SF) practices widely spread throughout Europe and at the same time, the scientific interest increased. In Italy, experiences are various and diversified among the 20 Italian Regions which have direct responsibility on these fields. In 2015 Italian authorities decided to regulate both AAI and SF topics at national level in different ways. The aim of this study was: analyse strengths and weaknesses of Italian legal framework about both fields, evaluate the possible impact on providers and the interaction of AAI in the SF frame. Such analysis can be useful to understand if and in which way the providers of AAI could play a relevant role in SF activities and to direct institutional decision-making process towards a One Welfare approach. Methodology: we analysed the Italian legislation on AAI and SF at national and regional level (national laws, all regional laws and local implementing regulations), their connections, strengths and weaknesses. We critically pointed out and systematised differences to highlight inconsistencies and possible improvements. Main Findings: our study suggested the need of practical guidelines for providers to overcome the misalignment that exists nowadays between AAI and SF in Italy. That is caused by the independent development of these fields until the regulation and the inconsistency between regional and national laws. Principle Conclusions and Implications for Field: Italian legal framework on AAI and SF will increasingly influence providers in their activities and the outcomes on possible final beneficiaries. Meanwhile there is a lack of modelling especially in AAI field, which could be coped offering practical guidelines for providers and public institutions. Guidelines should be based on One Welfare framework and include: specific educational programs for providers, directions on organizational models and on promotion strategies of the service in the area

Challenges and Perspectives of Social Farming in North-Eastern Italy: The Farmers’ View

In the European framework of multifunctional agriculture, Social Farming (SF) has constantly been spreading. In Italy, these practices are legally connected to Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI), creating new perspectives and challenges for farmers and their territories. In this paper, we report the results of a pilot study conducted in the Veneto Region to understand farmers' opinions about the opportunities and challenges of SF and AAI. Participants were convened by the Italian farmers' trade organization Coldiretti. All of them provide social/healthcare services on their farms, including human-animal interaction, and have attended the regional training courses for Social Farming providers. Data were collected during two focus groups that were videotaped and subsequently analyzed by two researchers to categorize and dope out relevant topics. Results show a mismatch between what is stated by national and regional laws and the current situation reported by farmers. They are faced with many economic challenges as well as barriers in their relationship with traditional healthcare services. However, farmers have a strong motivation and believe in the benefits that AAI and SF offer to society in rural and urban areas

The Italian Agreement between the Government and the Regional Authorities: National Guidelines for AAI and Institutional Context

Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have developed considerably in the last half century, prompting various private and public realities dealing with AAI worldwide to work on and establish standards and best practice. However, AAI are still far from being regulated harmoniously. In this context, Italy offers a unique example at world level: here the spread of AAI has set in motion an ethical and legal reflection that led to the creation of the Italian National Reference Centre for AAI (NRC AAI) by ministerial decree in 2009 and the approval of National Guidelines for AAI in 2015. The Italian legislation on AAI is based on the One Health approach, which has been part of Italian health culture and institutions since the Renaissance. The synergy between human and veterinary medicine is the core of this theme: in other words, One Health represents a multidisciplinary approach aimed at best protecting the health and well-being of all those who share our planet. In Italy, human and veterinary medicine have both been placed under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health since its establishment in 1958. The same idea of collaboration is at the heart of the Italian legislative approach to the AAI field, given the inherent multidisciplinarity of these interventions. This applies to all indications provided by the National Guidelines, for example the distinction between the various types of interventions, the animal species involved, the roles within the multidisciplinary team, and the training programs for each professional figure. In addition, the National Guidelines are intended to be amendable according to the needs arising over time from daily practice: in fact, the constant contact and dialogue between institutions and AAI professionals is another pillar of the Italian approach

Equine-Assisted Interventions (EAIs) for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): Behavioural and Physiological Indices of Stress in Domestic Horses (Equus caballus) during Riding Sessions

Equine-assisted interventions (EAIs) are well-known complementary practices combining physical activity with emotional/cognitive stimulation. They are especially suited for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who need a high degree of physical and psychological enrichment. Even though EAIs have become a common practice, stress responses in horses interacting with individuals that can manifest inappropriate behaviours, such as ASD children, have not been thoroughly investigated. Our multicentre study aimed to investigate behavioural and physiological indices of stress in horses involved in EAI standardised sessions with children with ASD compared to typically developing (TD) children. A controlled within-subject design with repeated measurements involving 19 horses and 38 children was adopted. Stress-related behaviours, heart rate, heart rate variability, and eye temperature were recorded during the riding sessions. Moreover, blood samples were collected from horses before and after each session to monitor changes in blood adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, and catecholamines. Results indicate that, in general, stress responses in horses involved in EAIs did not differ as a function of the horse being ridden by children with ASD or TD. A lower sympathetic tone in horses involved in ASD sessions was found, while in the mounting and dismounting phases, horses displayed behavioural signs of stress, independently from children’s behaviour. We conclude that professionals working in EAI should increase their awareness of animal welfare and refine riding practices, taking into account horse’s needs

Effects of extremely low frequency and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on circadian rhythms of some blood parameters in Sprague-Dawley rats

Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELFEMF-50 Hz) and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RFEMF-1.8GHz) are the principle source of "electro smog" in modern society and people exposure is increasing year after year, even if there are no certainties about their health effects. Therefore the aim of this study is to investigate the biological effects of electromagnetic fields on the circadian rhythms of three blood parameters of the energetic metabolism:glycaemia, total cholesterol and triglycerides in Sprague-Dawley rats. The study was carried on 36 rats exposed to ELFEMF-50 Hz and 36 rats exposed to RFEMF-1.8 GHz. The results of this study highlight that electromagnetic fields could interact with the biological clock changing the physiological rhythmicity of glycaemia, trygliceridhaemia and cholestrolhaemia in rats and potentially in human too after long term exposur

The Efficacy of Dog Assisted Therapy in Detained Drug Users: A Pilot Study in an Italian Attenuated Custody Institute

Drug addiction is a major care and safety challenge in prison context. Nowadays, rehabilitation and specific therapeutic programs are suggested to improve health and well-being of inmates during their detention time and to reduce substance abuse relapse after release from prison. Among these programs, several studies reported the benefits for inmates coming from animal assisted interventions. In this pilot controlled study, we investigated the efficacy of a dog assisted therapy program addressed to 22 drug addicted male inmates housed in an attenuated custody institute in Italy. The study lasted six months, the treated group (12 inmates) was involved once a week for one hour in 20 dog assisted therapy sessions, whereas the control group (10 inmates) followed the standard rehabilitation program. One week before the beginning and one week after the end of the sessions, all inmates involved were submitted to symptom checklist-90-revised and Kennedy axis V. Inmates involved in the dog assisted therapy sessions significantly improved their social skills, reducing craving, anxiety and depression symptoms compared to the control group. Despite the limitation due to the small number of inmates enrolled and to the absence of follow up, we found these results encouraging to the use of dog assisted therapy as co-therapy in drug addicted inmates rehabilitation programs, and we claim the need of more extensive study on this subject

Data distribution in public veterinary service: health and safety challenges push for context-aware systems

Today\u27s globalised and interconnected world is characterized by intertwined and quickly evolving relationships between animals, humans and their environment and by an escalating number of accessible data for public health. The public veterinary services must exploit new modeling and decision strategies to face these changes. The organization and control of data flows have become crucial to effectively evaluate the evolution and safety concerns of a given situation in the territory. This paper discusses what is needed to develop modern strategies to optimize data distribution to the stakeholders

"No caring without data sharing": an ontological approach to improve the data management system of a research animal facility in a public veterinary institute

We aim to build a theoretical framework for the management of the research animal facility at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe). The main goal is to identify which entities are involved in the different processes, which properties they have and which roles they play. This study helps to clarify the general perspective of the IZSVe research animal facility and will set the basis for the development of an integrated data management system

Investigation of donkeys learning capabilities through an operant conditioning

Despite donkeys being involved in various activities with humans, their cognitive and learning abilities are still little known. A deeper understanding of their perceptive, cognitive and learning processes is, thus, necessary to preserve their well-being and establish a good human-animal bond. An operant conditioning task was applied to explore donkeys’ learning abilities. Nine out of 14 adult and non-working donkeys of both sexes fully completed a three-phases training procedure. In the first phase, animals could approach the manipulandum, a specifically designed cabin with a button on the front side. Thereafter, donkeys had to learn how to interact with the button to obtain a feed reward. To evaluate donkeys’ learning capabilities, two linear models were built: i) a fixed effects model, exploring how the average between-pressures time (BPT) was affected by individual characteristics (i.e. age, sex, and donkeys’ height at the withers) and the training session; and ii) a mixed-effects model to evaluate the difference in the average between-pressures time among consecutive sessions (BPTcs) in the function of the animals’ characteristics, including the sessions-lags as the random effect. In the first model, all the explanatory variables resulted significantly associated with the BPT observed variability. Male donkeys presented a BPT significantly higher, increased by 23.14 s (S.E.=9.71, p = 0.003) compared to females of the same height and age. Age was significant with a positive coefficient (Est.=1.21, S.E.=0.55, p = 0.032). The ‘high’ height class estimate was significant (Est.=13.06, S.E.=6.26, p = 0.032), while no significant effects were identified between the ‘medium’ and ‘short’ and the ‘medium’ and ‘high’ height classes. Lastly, the variable ‘session’ was significant with a negative coefficient (Est.=–10.64, S.E.=1.56, p < 0.0001), indicating an increase in the average speed to perform the desired behaviour for each additional training session. In the second model, the variable ‘sex’ was the only predictor significantly associated with the BPTcs, indicating that the male group progressively improved performance time faster than females (Est.=–8.71, S.E.=4.19. p = 0.045). This pilot study: i) provides insights into donkeys learning abilities by applying an effective methodology for operant conditioning; ii) it highlights how intrinsic animal characteristics might affect asses training performances, although further points need to be explored in future research; iii) it confirms that feed represents an effective positive reinforcement in operant conditioning with donkeys. The development of appropriate handling and training methods, respectful of animals’ subjective experiences and based on positive practices, can improve donkeys’ welfare and their relationship with humans

Report conclusivo: Agricoltura sociale, One Welfare e economia civile. Nuovi modelli gestionali improntati sulla sostenibilità economica, sociale e ambientale per fattorie sociali che erogano interventi assistiti con gli animali

Report riassuntivo dei risultati emersi dallo Scenario Workshop realizzato presso l'Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie in data 11 Gennaio 2023 a cui hanno partecipato stakeholder della Regione Veneto. L'attività è stata svolta nell'ambito del progetto di dottorato elaborato dal Centro di Referenza Nazionale per gli Interventi assistiti con gli animali in collaborazione con il Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie dell'Università di Pisa