Animal Health & Welfare

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Concepts and management measures to prevent dystocia problems (including stillbirths and infertilities post partum). Different strategy examples focusing on one or more risk factors (e.g. feeding, breeding, obstetrics etc.) and managing them (i.e. which approach is most promising).  

View the Good Practices and Research Innovations relating to this topic on the BovINE Knowledge Hub here

Assessing methods of health and welfare indicators for lameness (i.e. tools, knowledge sources, external expertise or training) and from available data of on-farm self-assessments or from slaughter. Additionally, examples of improved housing concepts (including floor and space arrangements) in refurbished or new built stables.  

View the Good Practices and Research Innovations relating to this topic on the BovINE Knowledge Hub here

View the Good Practices and Research Innovations relating to this topic on the BovINE Knowledge Hub here

Tools that allow fast and effective farmer inspections and on-farm assessments through mobile devices and paper exercises. Knowledge transfer and training programmes for farmers.

Animal products that are produced with a high AHW standard are increasingly in demand. This is particularly true in situations where beef is marketed directly from a farm and/or under specific sustainability labels. In order to be certified to sell beef under labels indicating high levels of animal health and welfare, certain standards must be achieved and communicated through the recording and documentation of the specific animal health and welfare indicators. Subsequent results can also be used for internal identification of problems and risks to animal health, feedback-oriented communication in marketing and as a basis of discussion for advice, operational decision-making or training. Simple and time-saving tools and procedures are therefore needed to reduce the labour and organisational effort required of farmers to measure such standards. 

Our TWG will therefore filter sophisticated methods and inspection procedures of targeted animal control, present their parameters and animal indicators and assess their practicability (time and scope of the recordings, available tools). The focus is on methods for (a) calf health, (b) postnatal care and animal health and (c) lameness and damage to the integument in beef bulls. Particularly successful methods on other subtopics are not excluded. 

We will look in scientific literature to determine the parameters with the highest informative value and in their context to other parameters and indicators. Another aim should be to present recommended quantitative or qualitative limit and threshold values. These are seen as essential in order to be able to achieve a harmonization of different AHW evaluation schemes worldwide in the future (ICAR / IDF webinar: OIE, ISO, SSAFE). We will formulate different research innovations to carry out targeted animal controls with the necessary science-based background knowledge. In addition, it also seems important to us to point out and collect routines with non-targeted animal control. These include GP procedures, how and with what aids/tools abnormalities among the animals or unexpected husbandry problems are communicated within the company and between employees until these can be clarified in a targeted manner. If necessary, we want to give recommendations as to which housing facilities are appropriate in order to be able to carry out a targeted animal control, especially on individual animals, quickly and safely. Finally, our RI should be linked with options for further education and training. 

Influence of stressors such animal handling operations and antagonistic interactions between animals or access to resources, on ADG and thus economic performance.

Availability of resources and animal management can have a large impact on the performance and otherwise animal health and welfare of beef animals. A win-win situation is achieved when the interests of the farmer and the needs of the livestock are equally considered and secured. The requirements and demands of the animals in rearing and finishing units can be described by specific animal welfare criteria (WELFARE QUALITY) or by the “Five Freedoms for animal welfare”. Using these criteria, influencing factors can be derived, which effectively ensure animal health and animal performance are maintained thereby enabling a stress-free and competition-free environment for all individuals. 

The Animal Health & Welfare (AHW) technical working group will therefore select husbandry factors and management measures that influence animal performance in beef production units. A focus will be placed on factors with the strongest economic effects on mean weight gain will be identified and linked to AHW indicators. Practical examples of successful technical designs for animal housing units that ensure the correct environmental conditions (adequate supply of animals with feed, litter, etc.) will be presented. Innovations from national recommendations on animal husbandry and scientific reports that lead to or ensure stable animal performance will also be unearthed. Since not every change in the influencing factors on animal health and welfare can be represented as a specific change in animal performance, the innovations found will use both performance-based and welfare-based indicators.  

Introduced disease are a major problem when buying youngstock from outside the farm which can have consequences for calf/herd health and welfare. The topic focuses on possible tools to prevent introducing disease into the farms including vaccination programs.

1. We are looking for tools to assess the potential risks prior to purchase that include but are not limited to health, nutrition, management and immune status.
2. The focus of this topic aims to find control strategies prior to purchase that can assess the potential health risks including disease and exposure risk.
3. For this topic, we also aim to find solutions for minimizing the risk of introducing disease, such as vaccination status and vaccination programs as well as post purchase management of animals.
4. Also, non-disease problems that can affect herd health by introducing youngstock from other farms will be included in this topic, e.g. group size, feeding practices, facility design, transport etc.

Different countries have different regulations regarding the training of animal keepers, handlers or transporters especially in the area of animal welfare. This topic does not focus on the multiple regulations in each country but rather on general principles in beef cattle handling with the aim to reduce stress and improve welfare in beef cattle during handling. During weighing and transport cattle are especially exposed to increased stress and the role of an experienced handler and/or specifically designed equipment to minimize stress are important.

1. The topic aims to find tools and animal welfare indicators for beef cattle that are able to assess animal welfare in a farm setting that can easily be applied by farmers, but also by animal handlers, transporters and staff of slaughterhouse.
2. We are seeking concepts and/or training programs of stress-free handling of beef cattle especially during weighing and transport, including innovative designs of equipment and facilities that improve animal welfare, prevent injuries and reduce stress for animals during handling.