On-farm management survey launched
As part of research aiming to improve knowledge of how on-farm management of pregnant animals influences the health, welfare and productivity of their offspring later in life, the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) has undertaken a survey of 4000 UK farms.
A questionnaire on feeding, husbandry and health care of pregnant livestock has been developed by the College to gather the relevant information from randomly selected beef, dairy, sheep and pig farmers.
Previous research has identified some management practices that may have implications for the welfare of pregnant animals themselves and also for the future of their offspring. However, past research has been carried out under controlled conditions; therefore, little is known about whether such management practices occur commonly on commercial farms.
Kenny Rutherford, an animal welfare scientist at the SAC, commented: “A substantial body of research – including that carried out at SAC – strongly suggest that prenatal conditions do affect animals later on life but no one has ever attempted to see how relevant these studies are for real-life conditions on UK farms.
“The survey will shed light on which practices carry most risk and also help identify those that bring benefits. The ultimate aim is to help farmers review how their management of breeding animals could affect their business and to provide evidence-based advice enhancing the heath, welfare and productivity of their stock.”
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