Field survey to evaluate space allowances for dairy cows in Great Britain.
Field survey to evaluate space allowances for dairy cows in Great Britain.
复制标题
评估英国奶牛空间配额的实地调查。
DOI：
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发表时间：
2020
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Martin J. Green
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
J. Thompson;Jon Huxley;Chris Hudson;Jasmeet Kaler;Jenny Gibbons;Martin J. Green
饲养条件会增加奶牛暴露在生物、化学和物理危害中，导致疾病增加，从而影响奶牛的健康。2014年的一份报告显示，英国99%的奶牛是在冬季饲养的，越来越多的农场承诺实行全年室内奶牛管理系统。目前的文献没有对奶牛的健康、福利、生产和住房环境之间的关系提供明确的理解。在这种情况下，闲置空间被定义为非饲喂、非卧位和非高流量的饲养环境的区域，被认为是奶牛饲养场的重要组成部分；然而，与此相关的科学文献在国际上很少。这项研究的目的是探索目前英国各地奶牛的饲养场，特别侧重于了解与空间津贴相关的做法和变异性。第二个目的是探索农民对生存空间价值的看法和知识。一名研究人员在2017-18年冬季住房期间从具有代表性的样本组中随机挑选了53个农场进行了一次访问。数据收集包括三个要素：基本农场细节的整理，成年奶牛住宿的精确测量，以及收集农民对空间津贴意见的问卷。统计分析评估了不同农场在总空间、闲置空间和每头奶牛的生活空间方面的差异。定义了一个名为“生活空间”的新指标，用于描述奶牛超过基线要求的额外空间可获得性。每头奶牛的总可用空间在不同农场之间差异很大，范围在5.4-12.7平方米之间[平均值=8.3平方米，中位数=8.2平方米，四分位数范围(IQR)=1.9平方米]。平均居住面积2.5m2，范围0.5~6.4m2(中位数2.4m2，IQR=1.6~3.2m2)。一份关于闲置空间重要性的农民问卷调查显示，农民认为这对奶牛的福利是必不可少的，超过一半的农民在0到10分的范围内给这款≥8打分。根据农民对闲暇空间重要性的态度，他们被分为4个潜在阶层。在预测每个农场提供的“生存空间”的线性模型中，地理位置和潜在的农民态度类别是与提供的空间数量显著相关的协变量。这项研究是世界上第一个量化奶牛群闲逛和生活空间变化的研究；还需要进一步的研究来评估空间数量和质量的变化对奶牛健康、福利和生产力以及农场经济和排放的影响程度。
Housing conditions can affect health of cows by increasing exposure to biological, chemical, and physical hazards, resulting in increased disease. A report in 2014 indicated that 99% of UK dairy cows are housed during winter months and that an increasing number of farms are committing to year-round indoor-housing management systems. Current literature does not provide a clear understanding of the relationship between cow health, welfare, and production, and the housing environment. Loafing space, in this case defined as non-feed, non-lying, and non-high traffic areas of the housed environment, is considered an important component of housing for dairy cows; however, the scientific literature associated with this subject is sparse internationally. The aim of this research was to explore current housing of dairy cows across Great Britain, with specific focus on understanding the practices and variability associated with space allowance. A secondary aim was to explore farmer opinions and knowledge on the value of living space. A single researcher visited 53 randomly selected farms, from a representative sample group, once during the winter housing period 2017-18. Data collection consisted of 3 elements: collation of basic farm details, precise measurement of adult dairy cow accommodation, and a questionnaire to capture farmer opinions on space allowances. Statistical analysis was undertaken to assess variation among farms in total space, loafing space, and living space per cow. A new metric, termed "living space," was defined to describe the additional space availability for dairy cows above that deemed to be a baseline requirement. Large variability was identified between farms in total space available per cow, with a range from 5.4 to 12.7 m2 [mean = 8.3 m2, median = 8.2 m2, interquartile range (IQR) = 1.9 m2]. The mean living space was 2.5 m2, with a range of 0.5 m2 to 6.4 m2 (median = 2.4 m2, IQR = 1.6 to 3.2 m2). Responses from a farmer questionnaire on importance of loafing space revealed that farmers felt it was essential for cow welfare, over half of farmers scoring this ≥8 on a 0 to 10 scale. Farmers were categorized into 4 latent classes based on their attitudes toward the importance of loafing space. In a linear model to predict the "living space" provided on each farm, geographical location and latent class of farmer attitude were covariates significantly associated with the amount of space provided. This study is the first worldwide to quantify variability in loafing and living spaces for dairy herds; further research is required to evaluate the extent to which variation in quantity and quality of space influences cow health, welfare, and productivity, as well as farm economics and emissions.