Fundamental Moral Attitudes to Animals and Their Role in Judgment: An Empirical Model to Describe Fundamental Moral Attitudes to Animals and Their Role in Judgment on the Culling of Healthy Animals During an Animal Disease Epidemic

In this paper, we present and defend the theoretical framework of an empirical model to describe people’s fundamental moral attitudes (FMAs) to animals, the stratification of FMAs in society and the role of FMAs in judgment on the culling of healthy animals in an animal disease epidemic. We used philosophical animal ethics theories to understand the moral basis of FMA convictions. Moreover, these theories provide us with a moral language for communication between animal ethics, FMAs, and public debates. We defend that FMA is a two-layered concept. The first layer consists of deeply felt convictions about animals. The second layer consists of convictions derived from the first layer to serve as arguments in a debate on animal issues. In a debate, the latter convictions are variable, depending on the animal issue in a specific context, time, and place. This variability facilitates finding common ground in an animal issue between actors with opposing conviction

Beyond the Prevention of Harm: Animal Disease Policy as a Moral Question

European animal disease policy seems to find its justification in a “harm to other” principle. Limiting the freedom of animal keepers—e.g., by culling their animals—is justified by the aim to prevent harm, i.e., the spreading of the disease. The picture, however, is more complicated. Both during the control of outbreaks and in the prevention of notifiable, animal diseases the government is confronted with conflicting claims of stakeholders who anticipate running a risk to be harmed by each other, and who ask for government intervention. In this paper, we first argue that in a policy that aims to prevent animal diseases, the focus shifts from limiting “harm” to weighing conflicting claims with respect to “risks of harm.” Therefore, we claim that the harm principle is no longer a sufficient justification for governmental intervention in animal disease prevention. A policy that has to deal with and distribute conflicting risks of harm needs additional value assumptions that guide this process of assessment and distribution. We show that currently, policies are based on assumptions that are mainly economic considerations. In order to show the limitations of these considerations, we use the interests and position of keepers of backyard animals as an example. Based on the problems they faced during and after the recent outbreaks, we defend the thesis that in order to develop a sustainable animal disease policy other than economic assumptions need to be taken into accoun

Assessing the welfare impact of foot disorders in dairy cattle by a modeling approach

Foot disorders are the main cause of dairy cow lameness and are considered to have a major impact on the welfare of dairy cattle. This study adopts a modeling approach, using a dynamic stochastic model, to provide more insight into the welfare impact of different types of foot disorders, both clinical and subclinical. The impact of specific foot disorders on welfare was assessed by simulating the incidence and duration of foot disorders and the pain associated with them. Pain assessment was based on locomotion scores, with underlying knowledge obtained from scientific literature and experts. The results demonstrated the seriousness of the welfare impact of foot disorders. The negative welfare impact was measured on a scale from 0 to 60, where the maximum outcome represents a cow having very severe pain during the whole year. On average, each cow achieves a welfare impact score of 12, which is 20% of the maximum welfare impact score. This welfare score equals having severe pain for a period of 3 months, indicating a serious impact on welfare. On average, digital dermatitis impacts most on welfare, which is caused by a high incidence of the painful clinical stage, followed by sole hemorrhages (SoH) and interdigital dermatitis and heel horn erosion (IDHE). The combination of a high incidence and long duration of SoH and IDHE causes this relatively high welfare impact of foot disorders that occur mostly subclinically. On average, over 1 year, 46% of the welfare impact due to foot disorders is caused by clinical foot disorders. The fact that subclinical foot disorders contribute more or less equally to the effects on welfare as clinical ones, indicates that farmers may readily underestimate the welfare impact by a factor two. Modeling welfare impact at cow level, individual cases of foot disorders, stresses the importance of pain intensity, indicating the importance of clinical foot disorders. This study demonstrated the serious welfare impact of foot disorders in dairy cattle and pointed out the considerable impact of subclinical foot disorders. Furthermore, the approach of welfare assessment, for example herd v. cow level, influenced the ranking of foot disorders for their impact on animal welfare. Potentially, this leads to different prioritization of specific solution strategies for dairy farmers, for example, focusing on cow comfort, hygiene or preventive medical treatments, foot trimming and/or health monitoring. The findings in this study support in raising awareness about this welfare issue

Blood polymorphonuclear leukocyte chemotaxis during experimental escherichia-coli bovine mastitis.

The relationship between the severity of experimental Escherichia coli mastitis and the chemotactic response of blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes was investigated before and during mastitis. Experimental E. coli mastitis was induced in 10 healthy cows by inoculation of the rear right quarters with 10(3) cfu of E. coli. Cows were classified into two groups based on the severity of the mastitis. Bacterial growth in the inoculated quarter was used as parameter that indicated severity. Before and during experimental mastitis, the chemotactic response and the number of circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes were greater for the moderately diseased cows than for the severely diseased cows. During the first 24 h of the experimental mastitis, the chemotactic response of polymorphonuclear leukocytes decreased in both groups. Recovery of the chemotactic response of white blood cells was more rapid in moderately diseased cows than in severely diseased cows. Possibly, the larger proportion of band neutrophils (the less chemotactically active band neutrophils) partially accounts for the lower chemotactic response of the circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes during experimental mastitis in the severely diseased cows

Preinfection in vitro chemotaxis, phagocytosis, oxidative burst, and expression of CD11/CD18 receptors and their predictive capacity on the outcome of mastitis induced in dairy cows with Escherichia coli.

Four to 6 wk after parturition, 12 cows in second, fourth, or fifth lactation were experimentally infected in one gland with Escherichia coli. The capacity of chemotaxis, phagocytosis, oxidative burst, and expression of CD11/CD18 receptors to predict the severity of IMI was measured. Bacterial counts in the infected quarter, expressed as area under the curve, and residual milk production in the uninfected quarters were compared to determine severity of the infection. Although these two outcome parameters were highly negatively correlated, regression models with preinfection tests for leukocyte function fitted best with bacterial counts as an outcome parameter. Of the preinfection tests for leukocyte function, chemotaxis best predicted the outcome of the IMI that had been experimentally induced by E. coli. The number of circulating peripheral leukocytes just prior to inoculation was used to predict 52 and 45% of the severity of IMI for bacterial counts and residual milk production, respectively. As a categorical variable, parity predicted 75 and 56% of the severity of IMI expressed as bacterial counts and residual milk production, respectively. Because of the strong effect of parity on the outcome of the experimentally induced mastitis, analysis was performed to discriminate between second parity cows and older cows. Significant differences were found for the number of circulating peripheral leukocytes and for the expression of CD11b/CDl8 and CD11c/CD18 receptors between younger and older cows

Over zorgvuldige veehouderij : veel instrumenten, één concert

"Onder een zorgvuldige veehouderij verstaan we een modern ingerichte en economisch vitale veehouderij, die garant staat voor een goede omgang met dieren, een nauwkeurige naleving van professionele waarden en waarmee een goede boterham kan worden verdiend." In totaal 62 onderzoekers beschrijven in 30 essays actuele inzichten, ieder vanuit hun kijk op de verschillende aspecten van de veehouderij. De breedte van die visie is onontbeerlijk. Er is niet één oplossing, maar er zijn vele wegen die naar Rome leiden. Een simpel spoorboekje, dat de kortste route geeft naar de plaats van bestemming, is er in dit geval niet. . . . Met deze essaybundel hoopt Wageningen UR het debat over de toekomst van de veehouderij te verrijken. Met de kennis die we hebben of kunnen genereren willen we laten zien dat het mogelijk is om samen met bedrijfsleven, overheid en (bezorgde) burgers oplossingen uit te werken voor de prangende maatschappelijke vraagstukken. Want: 'kennisinstellingen en hun leden moeten een actieve rol spelen in de maatschappelijke discussie', aldus Rudy Rabbinge en Pieter Winsemius in hun voorwoord."(Van Wageningen UR nieuws http://www.wur.nl/NL/nieuwsagenda/nieuws/P004.htm

The effect of milk production level on host resistance of dairy cows, as assessed by the severity of experimental Escherichia coli mastitis

The culturability of 10 strains of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli was studied after the bacteria were exposed to acid conditions for various periods of time. Campylobacter cells could not survive 2 h under acid conditions (formic acid at pH 4). The 10 Campylobacter strains could not be recovered, even when enrichment media were used. Viable cells, however, could be detected by a double-staining (5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride [CTC]-4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole [DAPI]) technique, demonstrating that the treated bacteria changed into a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) form; the number of VBNC forms decreased over time. Moreover, some VBNC forms of Campylobacter could be successfully resuscitated in specific-free-pathogen fertilized eggs via two routes, amniotic and yolk sac injecting

Preinfection chemotactic response of blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes to predict severity of Escherichia-coli mastitis.

Experimental mastitis was induced by inoculating rear right quarters of 10 healthy cows with 10(3) cfu of Escherichia coli. The chemotactic responses of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes at d -6, -5, -2, -1, and immediately prior to inoculation were measured. Chemiluminescence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes was measured immediately prior to inoculation. Severity of the experimental mastitis was assessed by bacterial growth in the inoculated quarters. Results of this study indicated that severity of the experimental mastitis may be predicted by the chemotactic response in vitro of polymorphonuclear leukocytes isolated from the peripheral blood at d 2, d 1, and immediately prior to inoculation. The number of circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes immediately prior to inoculation also showed a negative relationship with the severity of mastitis. No relationship existed between preinfection chemiluminescence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and the severity of the experimental mastitis. Preinfection chemotactic response of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and preinfection numbers of circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes appeared to be valuable as predictors of severity of experimental E. coli mastitis in cows

Severity of Experimental Escherichia coli Mastitis in Ketonemic and Nonketonemic Dairy Cows

The severity of experimental Escherichia coli mastitis in relation to in vitro chemotaxis of polymorphonuclear leukocytes was investigated in cows during negative energy balance. The negative energy balance was induced by feed restriction. Cows were classified into two groups, ketonemic and nonketonemic, based on the beta-hydroxybutyrate concentration in the peripheral blood at the moment of inoculation. Bacterial growth in the inoculated quarter was used as a parameter to indicate the severity of experimental mastitis. In the nonketonemic cows, experimental mastitis ranged from moderate to severe. Severity of experimental mastitis was negatively related to preinfection chemotactic response of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. In contrast, the course of experimental mastitis in the ketonemic group was relatively severe in all cows, regardless of preinfection chemotactic response