FAWB articles

Dystocia is painful in cows. This is a welfare concern for the animals, but also for consumers who increasingly demand a “humane production” of food.

An uneventful calving is a prerequisite for a good start in life for the calf and one worry less in the critical transition period of the cow. In contrast, dystocia – difficult labour requiring assistance for calf delivery – is known to cause serious consequences, both for the dam and the calf.

Labour pain is inherent to the calving process and is, like in women, probably not completely avoidable. However, by having domesticated cattle - both physically and genetically - we have to accept our responsibility with regard to their health and welfare. As specified in the 5 freedoms of the Animal Welfare Council, we need to diagnose, prevent and treat pain as early as possible.

For decades, the treatment of clinical mastitis was focused on resolving the clinical signs, so the cow can continue to be milked. With a growing understanding of the biology and epidemiology of mastitis, as well as tightening market requirements for milk quality, bacteriological cure and a low cell count have become the main objectives of mastitis treatment.

Chronic pain or stress in farm animals impacts both their welfare and productivity1. Measuring chronic pain or stress can be problematic using hormonal or behavioural changes because hormones are modulated by homeostatic mechanisms and observed behaviour can be highly subjective. Heart rate variability (HRV) may quantify chronic pain or stress in farmed animal and represents a more robust and objective measure of their welfare.