Improving the attitude and behaviour of stockpersons towards pigs and the consequences on the behaviour and reproductive performance of commercial pigs

Abstract

This study examined firstly whether it is possible to improve the attitudinal and behavioural profiles of stockpersons towards pigs and, if successful, secondly the consequences of these attitudinal and behavioural changes on the behaviour and productivity of commercial breeding pigs. Two treatments were imposed: a modification treatment, consisting of a cognitive-behavioural intervention procedure designed to modify the behaviour of stockpersons towards pigs; a control treatment, where no intervention was attempted. Thirty-five commercial farms were selected for study on the basis of their suitability and 25 farms completed this 2 year study (13 modification and 12 control). The effectiveness of the intervention programme was assessed by monitoring the changes in the attitudinal and behavioural profiles of stockpersons, and the behaviour and reproductive performance of pigs at the two groups of farms from an 8 month pre-modification period to a 15 month post-modification period. An analysis of the proportional changes in the attitude, behaviour and production variables from the pre-modification period to the post-modification period revealed some significant treatment effects on both the attitude and behaviour of the stockpersons towards pigs, and the behavioural response of pigs to humans. For example, the modification treatment resulted in a greater ( P<0.05) increase in the total score given by the stockperson to those attitude questions relating to petting and talking to pigs, indicative of a more positive belief towards these behaviours. Corresponding with this relative improvement in the attitude of stockpersons at the modification farms was a significant ( P<0.01) reduction in the percentage of physical interactions displayed by the stockperson which were negative in nature at the modification farms relative to stockpersons at the control farms. These relative improvements in the attitude and behaviour of stockpersons at the modification farms corresponded with a significant relative reduction in the level of fear of humans by pigs at these farms. There were increases ( P<0.05) in the time that pigs spent within 0.5 m of the experimenter and in the number of interactions with the experimenter in the standard test for pigs at the modification farms relative to pigs at the control farms. While the difference was not significant ( P<0.11), there was a strong tendency for an increase in the number of pigs born per sow per year at the modification farms relative to the control farms (+6% and −3%, respectively). In general, these results, together with the results on the adverse effects of increasing the level of fear in experimental pigs, indicate that fear of humans may be an integral component in the pathway(s) in which human factors, such as human attitude and behaviour, affect animal productivity and welfare.