There’s no evidence that reducing feed space allowances, when feeding an ad-lib ration, had a detrimental effect on dairy cow performance parameters measured.
Continuous monitoring of physiological variables in ‘real’ animal production and transport conditions is an essential tool for assessing physiological stress and welfare.
It is more effective to treat herds with a high prevalence of digital dermatitis with a 5% rather than a 2% copper sulphate solution in a weekly footbathing regime.
Measures to reduce culling for lameness in breeding stock should be directed towards the young replacement animals and should include minimising aggression associated with re-mixing and feeding but, most importantly, protecting gilts feet and limbs from the concrete floor either by the use of bedding or cushioned flooring such as slat mats.
Pig producers using a straw bedding system should consider straw as a component of the diet and it should be tested as part of any veterinary investigation of mycotoxicosis.
Shelly hoof is the most significant problem for the majority of the flocks recorded, although the extent to which it causes lameness is not known.
The environmental assessment of the raising of fattening pigs on the welfare-friendly straw-flow system seems to conflict, with lower manure N content and lower greenhouse gas emissions but higher NH3 emissions in comparison with the conventional slatted-floor system.
Increasing the proportion of forage in the diet of dairy-origin bulls has only a marginal effect on carbon footprint.
Dietary inclusion of benzoic acid linearly reduced urinary nitrogen and total nitrogen excretion, as well as linearly reduced manure ammonia emissions.
Both soya and linseed oil have the potential to reduce enteric CH4 emissions from grazing dairy cows.
