Interactive euthanasia training program for swine caretakers; a study on program implementation and perceived caretaker knowledge

Abstract

Implementing timely and humane euthanasia on-farm is of key importance for safeguarding animal welfare. Equally important is the skill, attitude, and knowledge among caretakers to successfully perform euthanasia on-farm. This study investigated the potential of an interactive euthanasia training program in conjunction with a survey designed to investigate attitudes and perceived knowledge of the Common Swine Industry Audit euthanasia guidelines. The survey results showed that caretakers self-reported improved knowledge of industry expectations immediately post training compared to their perceived knowledge pre-training. This study provides insight regarding interactive training programs and identifies variation in perceived euthanasia knowledge within swine caretaker demographics.