Application of the ClassyFarm checklist as measurement tool to evaluate the welfare of cattle kept in tie-stalls in Aosta valley

Authors

  • Martina Moriconi Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta Via Bologna, 148, 10154 Turin, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1360-9520
  • Valentina Lorenzi Italian Reference Centre for Animal Welfare, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia-Romagna, via Antonio Bianchi, 7/9, 25124 Brescia, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5153-7794
  • Clara Montagnin Italian Reference Centre for Animal Welfare, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia-Romagna, via Antonio Bianchi, 7/9, 25124 Brescia, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1158-6505
  • Claudio Forte University of Turin, Department of Veterinsry Sciences https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0060-3851
  • Alessandro Dondo Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta Via Bologna, 148, 10154 Turin, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7681-2983
  • Mario Vevey Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Bovini di Razza Valdostana, Frazione Favret, 5, 11020 Gressan Aosta, Italy,
  • Sandra Gaino
  • Francesca Fusi Italian Reference Centre for Animal Welfare, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia-Romagna, via Antonio Bianchi, 7/9, 25124 Brescia, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1877-443X
  • Stefania Bergagna Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta Via Bologna, 148, 10154 Turin, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5390-4108

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21014/actaimeko.v13i1.1622

Keywords:

animal welfare, checklist, Classyfarm, tie stalls housing system, local cattle breeds

Abstract

The growing sensitivity of consumers about animal welfare and the awareness of its impact on food security and safety recently influenced international policies and law scenario. To response to these needs, in 2018, the Italian Ministry of Health commissioned the development of a system named ClassyFarm able to categorizes the level of risk arising from farm animal welfare. The experts involved in the project provided specific checklists to analyze different animal species and housing system. The developed welfare measurement protocols consist of both resource-based and animal-based measures and are divided into three areas: (Area A) “Farm management and staff training”, Area B) “Housing and equipment”, (Area C) “Animal-based measures”. The aim of this study was to measure welfare conditions in cattle herds reared in the Aosta Valley through the ClassyFarm checklist for tie-stall dairy cattle. The scores (%) for each area of assessment were divided into three classes (insufficient, acceptable, and optimal) while the total Animal Welfare Score (AWS), obtained by summing the scores of the 3 areas, was divided into five classes. The total AWS showed the majority of the farm included in good to optimal result.

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Published

2024-03-23

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2024)

Section

Research Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Martina Moriconi, Valentina Lorenzi, Clara Montagnin, Claudio Forte, Alessandro Dondo, Mario Vevey, Sandra Gaino, Francesca Fusi, Stefania Bergagna

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