Abstract
Simple SummaryThe welfare of farm animals is a growing concern in the EU and across the world. In milk production, there is a strong need to assess the welfare of dairy cows. One of the most sound assessment initiatives has been practiced using protocols developed by the Welfare Quality project. These protocols mainly support the assessment of cow welfare with animal-based indicators. However, evaluating these indicators is time-consuming and expensive, so using precision livestock farming (PLF) solutions is a way forward and is becoming a reality in the dairy industry. This review presents advances in PLF solutions, particularly in the last five years, and for assessing the animal-based indicators of lameness, mastitis, and body condition in dairy cattle farming.Specific animal-based indicators that can be used to predict animal welfare have been the core of protocols for assessing the welfare of farm animals, such as those produced by the Welfare Quality project. At the same time, the contribution of technological tools for the accurate and real-time assessment of farm animal welfare is also evident. The solutions based on technological tools fit into the precision livestock farming (PLF) concept, which has improved productivity, economic sustainability, and animal welfare in dairy farms. PLF has been adopted recently; nevertheless, the need for technological support on farms is getting more and more attention and has translated into significant scientific contributions in various fields of the dairy industry, but with an emphasis on the health and welfare of the cows. This review aims to present the recent advances of PLF in dairy cow welfare, particularly in the assessment of lameness, mastitis, and body condition, which are among the most relevant animal-based indications for the welfare of cows. Finally, a discussion is presented on the possibility of integrating the information obtained by PLF into a welfare assessment framework.
Highlights
Animal welfare has long been considered a high priority within the European Union (EU), with several legislative initiatives from the late 1980s to the present day [1]
The developments achieved in the last two decades in precision livestock farming (PLF), with close collaboration between researchers associated with engineering and the livestock sector, have driven a significant evolution in animal welfare assessment
The results showed that the length can be reduced by about 33% (4.88 to 3.28 m), while the downscaling of the sensor resolution by up to four times the original resolution was possible without decreasing the lameness detection performance for successfully monitoring one complete gait cycle [41]
Summary
Animal welfare has long been considered a high priority within the European Union (EU), with several legislative initiatives from the late 1980s to the present day [1]. PLF has developed rapidly in recent years, and animal welfare can be objectively assessed in real-time using a wide variety of indicators [11] This assessment of welfare indicators is already possible, and it is expected to undergo extraordinary progress in the near future for livestock production. An analysis will be made of the recent work of PLF in evaluating lameness, mastitis, and body condition, which are considered welfare indicators for dairy cows It was the objective of this review to point out future perspectives for PLF solutions, to automatically include animal-based indicators in a dairy farm welfare framework, allowing for the creation of better welfare for the animals and value for the farmer
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