Genaro C. Miranda-de la Lama

Effect of Postweaning Handling Strategies on Welfare and Productive Traits in Lambs

Postweaning management strategies that include an element of social enrichment may reduce weaning stress and improve welfare and productive performance. We analyzed the effect of postweaning handling strategies on welfare and production traits in lambs. After weaning, 36 lambs were assigned to 3 experimental groups with 12 lambs each (control [C], fattening with gentle human female contact [H], and fattening with 2 adult ewes [E]). The average daily gain (ADG) was estimated. Blood samples were taken, and infrared thermography was used to estimate stress variables. There were significant differences among treatments (in favor of alternative strategies) regarding production and stress variables (cortisol, glucose, and creatine kinase). The results suggest that the lambs handled gently during the fattening were less reactive and better able to modulate their physiological stress. The E group adapted better to acute stress than the C group but was less efficient in modulating chronic stress. Both treatments showed higher slaughter live weights and better ADGs compared with the control. The use of social enrichment at weaning, especially to establish a positive human–nonhuman animal bond, alleviates lamb weaning stress and improves welfare and performance.

Pre-slaughter cattle welfare indicators for use in commercial abattoirs with voluntary monitoring systems: A systematic review

Animal welfare has become an important subject of public, economic and political concern, leading to the need to validate indicators that are feasible to use at abattoirs. A systematic review was carried out, which identified 72 cattle welfare indicators (CWI) that were classified into four categories (physiological, morphometric, behavioral and meat quality). Their validity and feasibility for use in abattoirs were evaluated as potential measures of cattle welfare during transportation to the abattoir and at the abattoir itself. Several highly valid indicators were identified that are useful to assess welfare at abattoirs, including body condition score, human-animal interactions, vocalizations, falling, carcass bruising, and meat pH. In addition, some intermediate valid indicators are useful and should be investigated further. Information along the food chain could be used systematically to provide a basis for a more-risk-based meat inspection. An integrated system based on the use of key indicators defined for each inspection step with the setting of alarm thresholds could be implemented.

Triaxial accelerometers for recording grazing and ruminating time in dairy cows: An alternative to visual observations

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to validate the recordings of a commercial triaxial accelerometer (HOBO Pendant G data loggers) with respect to visual observations of grazing and ruminating time of dairy cows. Seven lactating Holstein cows with a mean body weight of 602 ± 45 kg were used for the study. Grazing and ruminating times were recorded using HOBO loggers (31.5 hours of total observations for grazing and ruminating) that were attached to the lateral‐medial side of the jaw using a strap attached to the head of each cow in a position such that the X‐axis was parallel to the ground, the Y‐axis was perpendicular to the ground pointing upward, and the Z‐axis was parallel to the ground pointing away from the sagittal plane; these relative positions were defined when the cow was in a natural head‐up position. Median acceleration (m/s2) readings in the X‐axis >0.175 and <0.95 indicated grazing activity, whereas readings in the Z‐axis >−0.275 and <0.0875 indicated ruminating activity. The degree of vertical tilt (° Y‐axis) was used to determine grazing position (readings >0° and <61°) and ruminating (readings >0° and <25.8°). Results showed a significant (P < 0.001) relationship of estimated grazing time against visual observations when acceleration (X‐axis) was used only; nonetheless acceleration (Z‐axis) was not significant (P > 0.05) for estimating ruminating time. When acceleration and tilt were used for estimating grazing (X‐ and Y‐axis) and ruminating (Z‐ and Y‐axis) time, the slope in both showed a significant (P ≤ 0.001) relationship. The prediction R2 in both activities indicated that acceleration (X‐ and Z‐axis) and tilt (Y‐axis) of HOBO loggers explained 0.961 and 0.945 of the variance in visual observations per cow/day. Therefore, the validation of the HOBO loggers was successful on a per cow/day and per day basis.

Consumer Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare-Friendly Products and Willingness to Pay: Exploration of Mexican Market Segments

ABSTRACT The study aim was to identify consumer segmentation based on nonhuman animal welfare (AW) attitudes and their relationship with demographic features and willingness to pay (WTP) for welfare-friendly products (WFP) in Mexico. Personal interviews were conducted with 843 Mexican consumers who stated they purchased most of the animal products in their home. Respondents were selected using a quota sampling method with age, gender, education, and origin as quota control variables. The multivariate analysis suggested there were three clusters or consumer profiles labeled “skeptical,” “concerned,” and “ethical,” which helped explain the association between AW attitudes, some demographic variables, and WTP for WFP. This study is one of the first to address consumer profiling in Latin America, and the findings could have implications for the commercialization of WFP. Hence, customers should receive information to consider welfare innovations when deciding to purchase animal products. The growth of the WFP food market establishes an element of a far more multifaceted phenomenon of sustainable consumption and support of a new paradigm called responsible marketing in emerging markets such as Mexico.