Exploring the role of nutrition in expression of positive and negative social behaviours to improve pig welfare

这个博士项目旨在研究猪的营养和社会行为之间的联系。全球每年生产约10亿头猪。大多数猪与其他猪有着有害的社会互动，比如咬尾巴和打架。随着时间的推移，这些行为越来越严重，很难通过对住房环境进行成本效益高的改变来改善。有害的社会互动极大地损害了福利以及经济和环境的可持续性。营养在这些行为表现中的作用没有得到充分的探讨。同样，营养对积极的社会互动（如玩耍）的影响几乎完全被忽视了。该项目将与世界上最大的养猪公司猪改良公司（PIC）合作。PIC有证据表明，目前推荐的营养标准不适合现代猪的基因型，加强营养管理可以改善行为。因此，该研究将专门探讨商业农场高遗传价值PIC猪的负面和亲社会行为对选定氨基酸水平，纤维与能量比和阶段喂养的敏感性。我们关注这些问题的理由是，特定的氨基酸是已知参与调节社会行为的神经递质的前体，而改变纤维与能量的比例可能会影响饲料的竞争。修订关于饲料规格和阶段饲喂的建议有可能缓解主要畜牧业中根深蒂固的福利问题，并有利于世界各地猪的福利。学生将在爱丁堡大学注册，总部设在苏格兰农村学院（SRUC;靠近爱丁堡，英国），并在PIC合同农场进行两次实习（预计每次3 - 6个月;一次在N。一个在美国，一个在欧洲）。该学生将成为SRUC动物行为和福利团队的一员;该团队是同类中最大的团队之一，拥有15名学术人员和17名博士生。在项目期间，学生还将成为PIC内受过学术培训的工作人员的国际研发团队的一员。PIC是Genus plc的一部分，Genus plc是世界上最大的动物育种公司，为学术和非学术受众提供实验和项目管理，业务发展，财务管理和沟通方面的无与伦比的培训机会。该项目是真正的多学科，汇集了动物行为，福利，营养和育种领域。监督团队带来了必要的补充专业知识，在每个这些领域，并将支持学生在每个学科的学术技能的发展。将育种和营养方面的学术培训与行为和福利相结合，再加上获得农场行为和福利评估技能，以及接触世界领先的公司，预计对未来的雇主具有很大的吸引力。该项目在通过营养的透镜解决有害行为问题方面具有真正的新颖性，并将为理解和促进积极的社会互动的表达做出重要的科学和实践贡献，这正在迅速引起应用动物行为学和动物福利科学的兴趣。

This PhD project aims to investigate the link between nutrition and social behaviour in pigs. Globally around 1 billion pigs are produced each year. Most experience harmful social interactions with other pigs, such as tail biting and fighting. These behaviours are becoming worse over time and are difficult to improve through cost-effective changes to the housing environment. Harmful social interactions greatly compromise welfare and both economic and environmental sustainability. The role of nutrition in expression of these behaviours has been poorly explored. Similarly, the effect of nutrition on positive social interactions, such as play, has been almost entirely ignored. The project will partner with the Pig Improvement Company (PIC); the largest pig breeding company in the world. PIC has evidence that currently recommended nutritional standards do not fit modern pig genotypes and that enhanced nutritional management can improve behaviour. Thus, this studentship will specifically explore sensitivity of both negative and pro-social behaviours to selected amino acid levels, fibre to energy ratio and phase feeding in high genetic merit PIC pigs on commercial farms. Our rationale for focussing on these issues is that specific amino acids are precursors to neurotransmitters known to be involved in regulation of social behaviour, whilst varying the fibre to energy ratio may impact competition for feed. Revising advice on diet specification and phase feeding has the potential to alleviate entrenched welfare problems in a major livestock industry with benefits for the welfare of pigs across the world. The student will be registered at the University of Edinburgh, based at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC; near Edinburgh, UK) and undertake two placements on PIC contracted farms (expected to be 3-6 months each; one in N. America, one in Europe). The student will become part of the Animal Behaviour and Welfare Team at SRUC; one of the largest groups of its kind with 15 academic staff and 17 PhD students. During the project, the student will also become part of an international research and development team of academically-trained staff within PIC. PIC is part of Genus plc, the world's largest animal breeding company, offering unparalleled training opportunities in experimental and project management, business development, financial management and communication to academic and non-academic audiences. The project is truly multidisciplinary, bringing together the fields of animal behaviour, welfare, nutrition and breeding. The supervisory team brings the necessary complementary expertise in each of these fields and will support the student in the development of academic skills within each discipline. The combination of academic training in breeding and nutrition applied to behaviour and welfare, coupled with gaining skills in behavioural and welfare assessment on-farm, and exposure to a world-leading company, is expected to be highly attractive to future employers. The project has true novelty in tackling the problem of harmful behaviour through the lens of nutrition and will make an important scientific and practical contribution to understanding and promoting expression of positive social interactions which is rapidly gaining interest in applied ethology and animal welfare science.