Agricultural Animal Welfare
Does
Agriculture
improve the
welfare of
animals…?
…or cause unnecessary suffering?
This is not a question asked by many people
of the world
“A chicken in every pot, every Sunday!”
General Concerns
(all species)
1. Decreasing Genetic Variability
Over 95% of Dairy cows in the U.S. are
Holsteins, yet there are hundreds of breeds
representing a broader range of genetics
19 breeds just on BRITISH watch list
(Rare Breeds Survival Trust)
Scottish Highland Cattle
145 British
breeds of sheep
(22 on Watch list)
Rambouillet
Predominant
In U.S.
Muscovy Duck
Lack of genetic diversity occurs in many
species, including chickens, ducks, cattle, and
sheep (and is potentially dangerous - recall
Irish potato famine).
General Concerns
(all species)
1. Decreasing Genetic Variability
2. Selection for Single Trait
Selection pressure is often specific to one
trait which can create problems in other
areas.
~ Selection for lean pigs with low fat
content led to pigs with nervous
and high strung temperaments.
~ Chickens with extra large breasts
grew so fast they developed
arthritis and deformed legs.
Grandin & Johnson 2005
Also, breeds are not always suited for their
environment: Hereford cattle in hot, humid
south, for example.
General Concerns
(all Ag species)
1. Decreasing Genetic Variability
2. Selection for Single Traits
3. Dystocia
Parturition problems can be the cause of severe
suffering in individual animals
Causes of Dystocia
~ Selection for large offspring in meat breeds
~ Stress
~ Age (less a problem on large operations)
General Concerns
(all Ag species)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Decreasing Genetic Variability
Selection for Single Traits
Dystocia
Transport
General Concerns
(all Ag species)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Decreasing Genetic Variability
Selection for Single Traits
Dystocia
Transport
Slaughter
Humane Slaughter Act (USDA enforced)
Meat Institute’s Good Mgt Practices for
Animal Handling & Stunning
Humane Slaughter Act
~ Passed 1978, enforced by USDA
~ All animals must be dead or
stunned before “painful practice”
~ # inspectors decreasing, USDA no
longer tracks violations.
Other concerns about the implementation
of the Humane Slaughter Act:
PROCESSING SPEED
(~ In US, remove hooves from 309/hour, or
5 animals a minute or 3 seconds a hoof).
~ Much slower in Europe (EU days)
More guidelines from industry:
Meat Institute’s Good Management
Practices for Animal Handling and
Stunning
Improvements in Welfare
in Processing Plants
A la Temple Grandin and McDonald’s
(1999)
Industry Wide Changes (Cattle)
1996
2002
2004
30%
90%
97%
% Killed when first stunned
Video of processing plant design
Sheep
• Most “natural” life, though protected from disease &
predation (to an extent)
• Most on pasture whole life, some lambs go to “finishing
pens” for last month
Sheep Welfare Concerns
6.35 million head in 2003
(56 mil in 1942)
• Predation
Sheep Welfare Concerns
• Predation
• Dystocia
Sheep Welfare Concerns
• Predation
• Dystocia
• Stress/ pain of vaccinating, tagging, docking
& castration
Fly Strike
Sheep Welfare Concerns
• Predation
• Dystocia
• Stress/ pain of vaccinating, tagging, docking
& castration
• Shearing?
• Transport and slaughter
Beef Cattle
• Most of life on pasture (approx 1.5 years)
• “Finished” in feedlots, high protein corn
diet
• 35 million breeding cows in U.S.
• 1.3 billion in world
Beef Cattle Welfare Concerns
• Castration
Beef Cattle Welfare Concerns
• Castration
• Transport & Slaughter
Beef Cattle Welfare Concerns
• Castration
• Transport & Slaughter
• Time in feed lot: odor, access to shade, food
& additives
Dairy Cattle Welfare Concerns
9.4 million in U.S.
Dystocia
Mastitis
Dairy Cattle Welfare Concerns
Dystocia
Mastitis
Housing
Veal calves (culled males)
Dairy Cattle Welfare Concerns
Dystocia
Mastitis
Housing
Veal calves (culled males)
Female calves taken away
Tail Docking
Transport/slaughter when culled
Docking increase cleanliness,
udder health?
Tucker, Fraser and Weary 2001
~ 223 docked
~ 190 undocked
No treatment differences in cleanliness
or health
Individuals differences significant
Choice Experiment re Handling
Pajor, Rushen and Passille 2003
~ Choice in Y-maze between:
~ Shouting Handler
~ Cattle Prod
~ Tail twist
~ Pail Feeding
~ No difference between shout vs cattle
prod; tail twist not aversive
Poultry Welfare: Egg producers
• Male chicks
Poultry Welfare: Egg producers
Battery Cages
banned in EU by 2012
Stocking density = 5 hens/18” by 20”
Poultry Welfare: Egg producers
• Male chicks
• Battery Cages
– Cost of building vs. labor ($$$ in US)
Average consumption per capita
= 254 eggs/year (402/yr in 1945)
~ 6.45 billion table eggs produced in
2004
~ 64 companies with over 1 million
layers each, 11 companies with over 5
million layers each
~ Total of 283 million hens in 2004
Behavioral Observations & Welfare
University of Guelph, Ian Duncan” 2006
~ How hard laying eggs “work” to
reach a nest box?
~ Asked to push against weighted
door to get to nest box.
~ Use same force, for same duration
As if food deprived for 30 hours.
Poultry Welfare: Broilers/ fryers
23 million/year
• Aggression/ debeaking
• “Free range”
• Selection for rapid growth - Satiety Center
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
“Free Range” Irrelevant
Broiler/fryers grow up to 22 wks
“normal” growth in 5 weeks.
~ Chickens (and turkeys) found to
have serious degenerative hip
disorders.
~ When administered pain killing
meds, turkeys lay down less, walked
more, showed more spontaneous
activity.
Hocking et al. 1999
Consumer Choice Criteria
1.
2.
3.
4.
Cost
Taste (fatter is better)
Convenience
Nutrition/ “wholesomeness”
Not ethics/ welfare…
Environmental Plusses
Grazing Land is preserved
from development