Animal welfare and sustainability of production under extensive conditions—A European perspective

Abstract

Many factors associated with welfare of animals kept under extensive conditions differs from those in intensive systems. Across Europe both the welfare of the animals and the sustainability of production are under pressure. This paper concentrates on Scottish hill sheep systems because they provide particularly powerful examples of links between welfare, sustainability and forces to further extensify production. These systems are currently extensive with relatively little daily care of stock. Lamb mortality is taken as an indicator of welfare within the flock. Links are described between level of nutrition of the pregnant ewe, supervision and nutrition during the period of lambing and level of lamb mortality. The impact of reductions in flock income upon the capacity to support fixed costs, particularly those of labour are discussed. In a worked example, a 30% reduction in both flock size and income would need a 74% reduction in fixed costs to achieve the same flock gross margin. Converting this to labour saving would increase sheep to shepherd ratio from 817: 1 to 1485:1. The impact of this type of reduction on animal care is discussed. A model considering shepherding at lambing time at different densities of sheep clearly demonstrates how more extensive stocking rates during lambing dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the shepherd and the number of sheep he can provide close attention to during lambing. It is concluded that forces to extensify already extensive systems are likely to lead to possibilities of poorer welfare through reduced animal care. Conflict is predicted between policies which seek to reduce stocking rates for environmental reasons and those that in combination achieve social and animal welfare objectives by attempting to maintain labour.