Welfare Issues Research Articles

The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway for England: an update

The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway was introduced in 2023 as a consequence of changes to the model for state support for farming following the decision to leave the European Union. Vets have been at the heart of the design of the pathway and will remain core in the delivery, particularly in relation to the Annual Health and Welfare Review. The review provides an opportunity for the farmer and vet to discuss health and welfare issues specific to the farm and agree the most relevant actions. A fundamental principle of the pathway is that it should be for everybody, and should move the level of understanding, standard of biosecurity and health and welfare aspirations forward a step on every farm, regardless of the starting point.

Perceptions of dairy cow–handling situations: A comparison of public and industry samples

Inappropriate cattle handling poses a reputational threat to the dairy industry. To enhance social sustainability, handling practices must resonate with societal values about animal care. However, it has yet to be determined to what extent industry and public stakeholders differ in their perception of common cattle handling situations. We administered an online survey to samples of dairy industry (IND) and public (PUB) stakeholders to examine how they perceive a variety of cow-handling scenarios ranging from positive to negative in terms of effects on animal welfare. Participants were presented with 12 brief videos depicting a range of realistic cow-handling situations and responded to measures designed to assess their attitudes and beliefs about each scenario, their perception of the emotional response of the cows depicted in each scenario, as well as their own personal emotional response. Preexisting beliefs about cow treatment on US dairy farms and demographic data, including self-reported dairy consumption, were also collected and analyzed. Before viewing the videos, 52.9% of PUB (vs. 79.0% of IND) believed cows were treated well while 27.2% (vs. 9.0% of IND) believed cows were treated badly. Within IND, believing cows were treated badly was more common among nonwhites, those with greater formal education, more liberal politics, or from urban or suburban environments. In PUB, female and younger participants were more likely to believe cows were treated badly before viewing the videos. In both samples, participants with more positive preexisting beliefs about dairy cow treatment in the US reported consuming dairy products more frequently. In both PUB and IND, scenarios which were rated more positively for attitudes or for the cows' or respondents' emotional experiences were also perceived as more common. Within a given cow-handling scenario, qualitative attitudes (i.e., a positive, negative, or neutral valence) did not differ between the samples. In both samples, at the participant level, overall attitudes toward cow-handling scenarios were highly correlated with both their personal emotional response to the scenario and their perception of the cows' emotional responses. Although the participants' overall personal emotional responses did not differ between the samples, IND rated cows as experiencing more negative emotions overall. The consensus between industry and public stakeholders around dairy cow-handling practices observed in this study could provide a common starting point for addressing other, more contentious animal welfare issues.

Review of the influence of farrowing and lactation housing and positive human contact on sow and piglet welfare

Farrowing crates continue to be the most common system of housing farrowing and lactating sows, however continuous confinement is one of the most contentious welfare issues in livestock production. This review aims to critically evaluate the scientific literature on the implications of two important determinants of sow and piglet welfare: housing and human contact. While the evidence in sows is contradictory, there is consistent evidence of a greater short-term cortisol response in gilts introduced to farrowing crates than pens and there is limited evidence of changes in the HPA axis consistent with sustained stress in gilts during the fourth week of lactation. Confinement of sows during lactation increases stereotypic behaviour, reduces sow-piglet interactions, nursing duration and lying behaviour, and may contribute to leg and shoulder injuries in sows. Piglets reared by sows in pens display more play and less oral manipulative behaviours and generally have better growth rates than those reared in farrowing crates. However, there is increasing interest in developing alternate housing systems with minimal sow confinement and reduced piglet mortality risk. Recent research on temporary crating of sows suggests that confinement briefly around farrowing may be the best compromise between continuous housing in farrowing crates and pens, as it may reduce live-born piglet mortality, while providing the opportunity for the sow to move more freely prior to parturition. Together with housing, the behaviour of stockpeople is a key determinant of pig welfare. Recent evidence shows that positive handling of piglets during lactation reduces fear behaviour and physiological stress responses of pigs to humans, novelty and routine husbandry practices, and thus may be enriching for piglets. As a source of enrichment, positive human interactions provide several advantages: close interactions with piglets usually occur several times daily, positive interactions can be combined with routine checks, human interactions invariably provide variability in their predictability which will minimise habituation, and positive interactions may not require additional physical resources. There is a clear need for comprehensive research examining both the short- and long-term welfare implications and the practicality of less confinement of the sow, and positive handling of both sows and piglets during lactation.

Assessing the impact of draught load pulling on welfare in equids.

About 112 million working equids are the source of income for 600 million people globally. Many equids are used for pulling loads (up to 15,000 kg per day) to transport goods. Most of them are associated with brick kilns, mining, and agriculture industries in developing countries. They may suffer from welfare issues such as overloading, being beaten, and being forced to work for long periods. These issues may occur due to a poor understanding of load-pulling equids. Understanding their capabilities and the elements that influence them is critical for efficient performance and welfare. The measurement of stride characteristics and gait kinematics can reveal loading adaptations and help identify loading limitations. It is known that both loading and fatigue change the locomotor patterns of load-pulling horses. Heart rate is a stress quantifying metric and an important representative of the speed of work and draught force. Heart rate variability is a regularly used statistic to quantify a physiological response to stresses, but it has never been used for load-pulling equids. Changes in blood lactate, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide contents are reliable biochemical indicators of the effects of load pulling. Changes in plasma cortisol levels reflect the intensity of exercise and stress levels in horses while pulling a load. However, eye blink rate is a cheap, simple, and immediate indicator of acute equine stress, and we suggest it may be used to aid in load-pulling equine welfare assessment. However, further research is needed for a standardized and evidence-based draught load pulling capacity of working horses, mules, and donkeys.

The Triple-E Model: Advancing Equestrian Research with Perspectives from One Health.

Equestrian sport has various welfare issues and educational needs. To address these complex interactions, we propose an integrated approach called the Triple-E Model, which focuses on the equine, equestrian, and environmental triad. A literature review of existing models suggests that complexities of these interactions are overlooked, despite the significant impact of equine industries on economics, healthcare, and animal welfare. This paper discusses current models and theories used to evaluate equine-equestrian-environmental interactions and introduces the Triple-E Model to foster multidisciplinary collaboration. Unlike the One Health triad, which focuses on disease emergence, transmission, and zoonosis, the Triple-E Model extends to non-infectious research, such as musculoskeletal injury. It promotes collaborative care and rehabilitation within the equestrian community by engaging multidisciplinary, multi-setting, and multi-sectoral teams. Given the nature of human-animal interaction and welfare considerations, this model fills the gap in understanding human-horse interactions. The paper highlights the limitations of existing models and explains how the Triple-E Model guides and encourages holistic team collaboration in the equestrian community.

Pasture shooting and mobile slaughterhouses from a consumer's point of view: alternative slaughter methods and the meat paradox

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate consumers' attitudes towards alternative slaughter methods (ASMs). ASMs present more animal-friendly and stress-free slaughter practices. However, these practices are not yet widespread due to strict regulations, high labor efforts and costs. Therefore, the market for meat products from ASMs is still small, and less is known about consumers' awareness, assessment and willingness to pay (WTP) for these products.Design/methodology/approachThis study aims to close the research gap using a standardized and representative online survey among 1,604 German participants. To identify target groups for these kinds of meat products, a factor and cluster analysis was conducted.FindingsThe results show that ASMs are not widely known among consumers. Overall, participants evaluated ASMs positively, but about 1/3 of the participants stated to also have concerns related more to hygiene than to animal welfare issues. The cluster analysis reveals two out of four clusters found that are interested in ASMs. These clusters are characterized by high trust in small butcheries and organic meat consumption.Originality/valueThe slaughtering sector has hardly been examined from an economic point of view in the animal welfare debate so far. This study identifies potential target groups for products originating from ASMs based on possible consumption drivers and barriers. Therewith, products from particular animal welfare friendly slaughter methods can be promoted purposefully to suitable target groups.

Equine Gunshot Euthanasia: Creation of a 3D-Printed Model with Integrated Sensors for Training.

Challenges and issues related to the use of pentobarbital euthanasia and disposal of animal remains within the US have recently been reviewed. Environmental and public health challenges increasingly necessitate consideration of alternative methods such as gunshots, an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) "acceptable with conditions" method, for the humane euthanasia of horses. A recent study reported a correctly aimed gunshot provides a humane option for euthanizing horses. However, although aiming guidelines exist, studies examining bullet trajectories in animals euthanized by gunshot have reported that inadequate disruption of the brain is a serious welfare issue. Here, we report the development and production of a portable, reusable, equine gunshot euthanasia training model. Using 3D printing, an anatomically accurate model of an equine head has been developed, with external aiming landmarks and equipped with integrated laser sensors and LED eyes. The laser sensors are embedded in two specific anatomical tracts (pons and medulla) with aiming paths associated with the aiming landmarks to train correct aiming angle. The LED eyes are linked to the laser sensors to provide instant feedback on aiming accuracy. When a beam from a commercially available blue training gun laser travels along the correct aiming path and strikes the sensor inside the head, the lights in the model's eyes go out and there is an audible signal, providing immediate feedback on the accuracy of the shot. The model facilitates the training of veterinary personnel and first responders in successful gunshot euthanasia, providing instantaneous feedback on the likelihood of a shot causing immediate, humane death in a live animal.

Space-Time Patterns of Poultry Pathogens in the USA: A Case Study of Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale and Pasteurella multocida in Turkey Populations.

Respiratory infections caused by Ornithobacterium rhinotrachealis (ORT) and Pasteurella multocida (PM) bacteria are significant threats to the poultry industry by causing economic losses and welfare issues. Due to characterization difficulties and underutilization of epidemiological tools, description of the spatio-temporal spread of these diseases in the field is limited. The objectives of this retrospective observational cross-sectional study were to (a) investigate the existence of space-time clusters (hotspots); and (b) investigate the association between genetic similarity and spatial proximity for both pathogens using molecular typing and a recently developed Core-Genome Multilocus Sequencing Typing (cgMLST) scheme. ORT (n = 103) and PM (n = 69) isolates from confirmed disease outbreaks from one commercial company between 2013 and 2021 were obtained from a veterinary diagnostic laboratory, characterized using a cgMLST scheme and visualized using a minimum spanning tree. Spatio-temporal cluster analysis using SaTScanTM and a Spearman's rank correlation were performed to investigate clustering and any association between allelic diversity and geospatial distance. The cgMLST sequencing revealed three allelic clusters for ORT and thirteen clusters for PM. The spatio-temporal analysis revealed two significant clusters for PM, one with a 259.3 km cluster containing six cases between May and July 2018 and a 9 km cluster containing five cases between February 2019 and February 2021. No spatio-temporal clusters were found for ORT. A weak negative correlation between allelic diversity and geospatial distance was observed for ORT (r = -0.04, p < 0.01) and a weak positive correlation was observed for PM (r = 0.11, p < 0.01). This study revealed regional spatio-temporal clusters for PM in commercial turkey sites between 2018 and 2021 and provided additional insight into bacterial strain subgroups and the geographical spread of ORT and PM over time.

New development: Improving accident compensation for public officials

IMPACT Public officials undertake challenging tasks to ensure safety and order in society; however, accidents can still occur at their workplace. In the event of an occupational accident, compensation is often dealt with as a labour, welfare, or legal issue in many countries; as such, there is little discussion on accident compensation in the public management field. In this context, the South Korean government’s accident compensation experience will be a useful reference for public management to improve accident compensation systems in other countries. The South Korean government implemented compensation reforms for public officials’ accidents in 2018 and enacted the Public Officials’ Accident Compensation Act to address the various identified problems. Consequently, after 2018, the Ministry of Personnel Management took charge of accident compensation for public officials and delivered the relevant services in a more transparent and accountable manner. Thus, the overall quality of public officials’ accident compensation has improved. In addition to providing examples and lessons for other jurisdictions, this study makes recommendations for improvements in South Korea.

The effects of Meloxicam application on quality of life and development in calves

Although it is stated that there is an increase in calf loss rates at the global level and especially in modern dairy farms, this issue, which is an international animal welfare issue, has not been adequately defined at the national, large farm, or small farm level in most developing Countries. The rate of calf deaths before, during, and after birth is between 2–20% in heifers and cows. Previous studies showed that 75% of deaths occur during birth or within the first hour after birth, 10% before birth, and 15% within 48 hours after birth. This study aimed to determine the effect of Meloxicam administration on the quality of life and development of calves. An experimental method was used to achieve the aim of this research. A total of 60 Holstein calves, 30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group, were included in the study for the study group. MELOXICAM (0.5 mg·kg-1) was administered to the mother cow and the calf immediately after birth, 2 days before the expected delivery. In this study, an 8 week process was passed to collect the data. It was concluded that Meloxicam did not affect the BHBA values of maternal cows. No calves died from pneumonia and diarrhea–related diseases after being treated with Meloxicam. From the total protein and total albumin values of the calves, it was concluded that Meloxicam did not affect the protein ratio, but did affect the albumin ratio. It was concluded that Meloxicam application increased the vital activity of calves.

Plastic Entanglement Poses a Potential Hazard to European Hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus in Great Britain.

A questionnaire to gather evidence on the plastic entanglement of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) was sent to 160 wildlife rehabilitation centres in Great Britain. Fifty-four responses were received, and 184 individual admissions owing to plastic entanglement were reported. Death was the outcome for 46% (n = 86) of these cases. A high proportion of Britain's hedgehogs enter rehabilitation centres annually (approximately 5% of the national population and potentially 10% of the urban population), providing a robust basis for assessing the minimum impacts at a national level. We estimate that 4000-7000 hedgehog deaths per year are attributable to plastic, with the true rate likely being higher, since many entangled hedgehogs-in contrast to those involved in road traffic accidents-will not be found. Population modelling indicates that this excess mortality is sufficient to cause population declines. Although the scale of the impact is much lower than that attributable to traffic, it is nevertheless an additional pressure on a species that is already in decline and presents a significant welfare issue to a large number of individuals.

Dog breeds and conformations in the UK in 2019: VetCompass canine demography and some consequent welfare implications.

Growing concerns over health and welfare impacts from extreme phenotypes in dogs have created an urgent need for reliable demographic information on the national breed structures of dogs. This study included all dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK during 2019 at practices participating in VetCompass. Demographic data on these dogs were analysed to report on the frequency of common breeds and also to report on conformation, bodyweight, sex and neuter associations with these breeds. The study included 2,237,105 dogs under UK veterinary care in 2019. Overall, 69.4% (n = 1,551,462) were classified as purebred, 6.7% (149,308) as designer-crossbred and 24.0% (536,335) as nondesigner-crossbred. Across 800 unique breed names, the most frequent breeds at any age were nondesigner-crossbred (n = 536,335, 24.0%), Labrador Retriever (154,222, 6.9%) and Jack Russell Terrier (101,294, 4.5%). Among 229,624 (10.3%) dogs aged under one year, the most frequent breeds were nondesigner-crossbred (n = 45,995, 20.0%), French Bulldog (16,036, 7.0%) and Cockapoo (14,321, 6.2%). Overall, based on breed characteristics, 17.6% (395,739) were classified as brachycephalic, 43.1% (969,403) as mesaticephalic and 8.3% (186,320) as dolichocephalic. Of 1,551,336 dogs that were classifiable based on breed, 52.6% (815,673) were chondrodystrophic. Of 1,462,925 dogs that were classifiable, there were 54.6% (n = 798,426) short haired, 32.6% (476,883) medium haired and 12.8% (186,934) long haired. Of 1,547,653 dogs that were classifiable for ear carriage, 24.5% (n = 379,581) were erect, 28.1% (434,273) were semi-erect, 19.7% (305,475) were v-shaped drop and 27.7% (428,324) were pendulous. Overall, there was a 1.09:1.00 ratio of male (n = 1,163,512; 52.2%) to female dogs (n = 1,067,552; 47.8%). Health and welfare issues linked to popular breeds with extreme phenotypes suggest that there is much work to do to help owners to make more welfare-friendly decisions when choosing which type of dog to own.

MEASUREMENT OF STRESS LEVEL IN BUFFALOES BY THE EFFECT OF REPEATED RECTAL PALPATION IN TEACHING ENVIRONMENT

Livestock contributed 60.1 percent to the agriculture value added and 11.5 % in overall GDP during 2020-21 (Economic Survey 2020-21). Livestock plays a major and vital role in socio economic development of rural region of country. According to economic survey of Pakistan, 42.4 million buffalo population is present in Pakistan. Small holding buffalo farming system is present in rural areas of Pakistan. Rectal palpation is the most useful method for conducting pregnancy diagnosis, artificial inseminations and detection of various reproductive anomalies in large domestic animals like cows and buffaloes. This procedure, however, can prove to be stressful and painful for these animals which raise an animal health and welfare issue. Blood picture in terms of changed levels of cortisol, glucose, cholesterol and blood cells may occur in animals subjected to this procedure. Similarly, behavioral symptoms of elevated heart rate and respiratory rates may also occur. The aim of the current project, therefore, was to study the effects of repeated rectal palpation-related stress response in blood constituents in buffaloes so that the appropriate counter measures could be adapted to save the animals from impending pain and stress. The study was conducted on ten buffaloes divided into two groups each i.e. experimental and control. Buffaloes were subjected to rectal palpation procedure. Blood samples were collected before and after rectal palpation for serum cortisol and complete blood cells count. Blood samples were also collected from buffaloes of control group without rectal palpation. Physical parameters were also noted. No statistically significant difference found in cortisol levels, CBC or physical parameters i.e. TPR that demonstrates that rectal palpation procedure inflicts no harm to buffaloes and can be used for the training of students.

Ear health and quality of life in pet rabbits of differing ear conformations: A UK survey of owner-reported signalment risk factors and effects on rabbit welfare and behaviour.

The impacts of ear disease on animal welfare and behaviour are little documented. Ear disease may be common in rabbits, but difficult to recognise, and lop-ears have previously been indicated as a risk factor for ear disease. We aimed to better understand the range of ear conditions in pet rabbits, signalment risk factors, and impacts on welfare and behaviour. Through an online questionnaire, we investigated owner-reported signalment, veterinary diagnosis of ear conditions, impaired hearing, and ear pain for UK pet rabbits. Relationships between ear condition measures and ear conformation, quality of life, and behaviour were analysed using logistic regression. Of 551 valid responses, 28.5% of rabbits reportedly had experienced ear conditions; 21.2% diagnosed or mentioned by vets, with otitis and excess cerumen most common. Approximately 25% of lop-eared rabbits had ear conditions indicated by a vet versus 10% of erect-eared rabbits. Lop-eared, half-lop, and older rabbits were most at risk (P<0.050). Rabbits reported as showing ear pain responses had reduced owner-reported quality of life compared with other rabbits (P<0.050). Rabbits with ear problems were less likely to be responsive to relevant sounds, and performed binky behaviour (joy jumps) less frequently, than rabbits without such issues. Understanding prevalence and risk factors for ear conditions is critical to improving welfare standards across this widely owned pet species. The findings suggest that improved recognition and treatment of ear conditions, and avoiding breeding from rabbits with early signs, or a family history, of ear disease are necessary to help combat this animal welfare issue.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of pantoprazole in calves

Abomasal ulcers occur commonly in veal calves as well as and hospitalized beef calves. One of the recognized therapeutic in­terventions for abomasal and gastric ulceration is the increase of the gastric pH. The lack of efficacy data for gastroprotec­tants, such as pantoprazole, for ulcer prevention and treatment in cattle is a health and welfare issue. The goal of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of pantoprazole administered to healthy calves.

An evaluation of early intervention protocols based on camera-based autonomous mobility score trends

Lameness is a major animal welfare issue in the dairy indus­try and its measurement is a component of both industry- and processor-led animal welfare audits. Although lameness is highly prevalent on dairy farms, farm personnel have difficul­ties identifying mild cases of lameness. Reasons for this diffi­culty include the time, human resources and training required to detect lameness, along with the lack of belief that early inter­vention works. Automatizing the process of lameness detection through the implementation of autonomous camera-based deep learning will provide dairy farms with an effective and easy-to-implement tool to reduce lameness duration. Combining early and accurate lameness detection with appropriate treatment protocols will result in lower levels of lameness. The objective of this project was to determine if changes in camera-based au­tonomous mobility scores could be used to reduce the duration of lameness.

Comparing Pixel Changes and Manual Observations for Mapping Broiler Activity during Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens) Provisioning.

Welfare issues in broilers include inactivity and poor leg health. Activity can be stimulated by providing whole dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BFSL), but it is unknown whether this effect changes over time. Therefore, effects of BSFL provisioning on broiler activity per minute were assessed in detail. Additionally, the use of pixel changes as a proxy for broiler activity was explored. Broilers were housed in groups of 28 (n = 4 pens, <33 kg/m2). Dried BSFL were scattered through the pen of treatment groups at 08:00, 11:00, 14:00, and 17:00. Activity was assessed per minute both manually using scan sampling, and automatically as percent pixel changes for 30 min around BSFL provisioning, and at 14, 21 and 28 days of age. Both methods were moderately positively correlated and showed that BSFL provisioning increased activity. Activity as assessed by manual observations decreased at 17:00, at 21, and 28 days in both groups. The pixel changes indicated that this could be due to low activity levels in the control group. Using pixel changes seems to be a promising, timesaving tool to score broiler activity, but future research is necessary to validate this method and determine how high activity can be maintained over time.

Ethical standards for research on marine mammals

Conducting marine mammal research can raise several important ethical issues. For example, the continuation of whaling for commercial purposes despite the international moratorium provides opportunities for scientists to obtain data and tissue samples. In 2021 we analysed 35 peer-reviewed papers reporting research based on collaborations with Icelandic whalers. Results highlighted little consideration or understanding of the legal and ethical issues associated with the deliberate killing of whales amongst those researchers, funding bodies, universities and journals involved. Ethical statements were rarely provided. Those that were written were incomplete. Whilst research using whaling data may seem acceptable to some, it often becomes hard to justify when subject to scrutiny by the media and the public. Thus, there is a particular danger of reputational harm for early career researchers who may become unwittingly involved in such activities. Here we also consider the broader variety of ethical issues raised by non-lethal research (both historical and recent) on marine mammals including tagging and biopsy. We discuss instances where study animals were harmed or even killed and where the public mistook tags for harpoons. Without clear guidelines, reviewers and journal editors are put in an impossible position when considering whether to reject papers on ethical grounds. We propose that for such studies, universities, funders, journals, and permit issuers must require ethical assessments and that journals more effectively implement their existing policies on publishing ethical statements. The professional marine mammal societies need to work together to produce modern ethical guidance. Such guidance should require transparency in the provenance of data and samples while including advice on law, welfare issues, involvement of local scientists, and offshoring. Furthermore, it should require appraisal of and justification for the absolute necessity of invasive procedures. As is already the case in biomedical disciplines, ethical statements should be required in marine mammal science.

Policies to promote breeding for lice-resistant salmon: Incentives designed for resilient and sustainable growth in aquaculture.

Sea lice represent a persistent and growing problem, challenging the resilience and growth of the salmon aquaculture industry. In this Norwegian case study, we studied and discuss how the absence of policy instruments directed at stimulating breeding for lice resistance (LR) might be explained. We found well-documented opportunities for selection progress for LR. Hence, breeding on LR appears with an untapped potential. We discuss how market-based, legal, institutional and interest-based factors can explain the absence of policy instruments stimulating LR breeding. Methodologically, we obtained data from document and literature studies and interviews with key players (salmon breeders, farmers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and governmental bodies in Norway). First, LR is a polygenic trait, which makes it poorly suited for patenting. Furthermore, if only a small proportion of fish farmers choose seeds with higher LR, other operators can easily take on the free-rider role because they will not suffer from reduced gain in growth performance as a result of a much stronger emphasis on LR in the breeding goal. The market is thus not expected to stimulate stronger selection for LR in Norwegian salmon breeding. Second, neither genetic engineering (e.g., gene editing), still struggling with consumer acceptance, nor the uncertainty associated with possible changes in the Norwegian Gene Technology Act stimulate investment in LR via, for example, CRISPR technology. Thirdly, public policy instruments in their entirety have targeted other types of innovations against salmon lice, and none have so far been used to stimulate breeding companies to emphasize LR more strongly in their breeding programmes. From a political point of view, it seems that breeding has been left to the market and the private sector. However, neither the NGOs nor the public seem to be aware of, or pay significant attention to, the breeding potential to improve LR and fish welfare. Fragmented management of the aquaculture sector can camouflage the close ties between political and business interests. The industry is hesitant to invest significantly in long-term breeding targets such as significantly higher genetic LR. This may strengthen the assumption that strong economic interests will reduce the role of science in knowledge-based management. As farmed salmon are increasingly being exposed to stressful delousing treatments, mortality and associated welfare problems have increased significantly. For instance, large fish die more often from cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS), resulting in growing demand for CMS-resistant salmon. This gives rise to a paradoxical situation: increasing treatments with high mortality and fish welfare issues in farmed salmon, while the lice threat to wild salmon persists.

Lipidated brartemicin adjuvant p-C18Brar is a promising α,α′-trehalose 6,6′-dilipid for use in ovine pneumonia vaccines

Abstract Ovine pneumonia is a disease in sheep that is associated with major animal welfare issues and economic losses and for which there is no effective vaccine. We tested the adjuvanticity of our most promising α,α′-trehalose 6,6′-glycolipids, lipidated brartemicin adjuvants p-C18Brar (3), o-C18Brar (4), and amide-TDB (5) in vaccines for ovine pneumonia containing Mannheimia haemolytica and Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae whole cell antigens. p-C18Brar (3) and o-C18Brar (4) led to strong antigen-specific IgG antibody titres that were better than those elicited by the prototypical α,α′-trehalose glycolipid trehalose dibehenate (TDB, 2) and amide-TDB (5). T-cell responses, as determined by measuring IFN-γ and IL-17A production from antigen-stimulated whole blood cultures, revealed that p-C18Brar (3), but not TDB (2), o-C18Brar (4), or amide-TDB (5), led to statistically significant increases in these cytokines. We then optimised the synthesis of p-C18Brar (3) (3 steps, 72 % overall yield) and undertook further vaccination studies to determine the optimal dose of p-C18Brar (3) that would be used for future large scale ovine pneumonia field trials. At a dose of 3.75 mg per vaccine, the adjuvanticity of p-C18Brar (3), as measured by levels of anti-M. haemolytica IgG antibody and T-cell responses (IFN-γ and IL-17A) was better than that elicited by the commercially available adjuvant Quil-A, and had reduced reactogenicity. Taken together, the excellent immunological profile of p-C18Brar (3) and its ease and efficiency of synthesis makes it an attractive adjuvant for use in veterinary vaccines.