Rearing conditions, health and welfare of dairy cows

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of recent developments in rearing conditions, health and welfare issues of dairy cows. The last approximately 30 years has witnessed worldwide increasing scientific research, consumer activity, and political response towards housing condition, health and welfare issues of dairy cattle. All buildings and housing systems for dairy cattle should be designed, constructed, maintained and managed to assist in the achievement of the Five Freedoms: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury and disease, freedom to express normal behavior and freedom from fear and distress. Whether dairy cows are housed in cubicles, straw yards or cow sheds, in order to maximize their performance and to ensure satisfactory standards of welfare, the accommodation must provide the most basic behavioral and physiological needs. As an absolute minimum, the housing must provide a comfortable, clean, well drained and dry lying area together with shelter from adverse weather. Also, it must allow the cow to move freely around without risk of injury and certain diseases. If the housing system does not provide for these basic needs, then not only will health, welfare and production of dairy cattle be compromised, but it is likely that failure to comply with the welfare codes and the law relating to animal welfare will occur.

Ovaj rad daje pregled dosadašnjeg napretka po pitanju uslova smeštaja, zdravlja i dobrobiti mlečnih goveda. Poslednjih 30 godina je došlo do povećanja obima istraživanja, aktivnosti kupaca uz politički odgovor kada su u pitanju uslovi smeštaja, zdravlja životinja i dobrobiti.. Svi objekti i sistemi za smeštaj moraju biti projektovani, izgrađeni i održavani da omoguće postizanje pet sloboda, koje predstavljaju logičnu osnovu ostvarenja dobrobiti životinja unutar sistema držanja čine: sloboda od gladi i žeđi, sloboda od neudobnosti, sloboda od bola, povreda i bolesti, sloboda ispoljavanja normalnog ponašanja i sloboda od straha i uznemiravanja. Bilo da se krave nalaze u boksovima, ležištima sa slamom (duboka prostirka) ili pod nastrešnicama, u cilju ispoljavanja maksimuma u proizvodnji i postizanja standarda dobrobiti, smeštaj mora zadovoljiti najosnovnije potrebe krava. Kao apsolutni minimum, smeštajem se mora obezbediti udoban, čist, ocedit i suv prostor za ležanje sa skloništem od lošeg vremena. Pored toga, mora svakoj životinji biti omogućeno da se slobodno kreće, bez rizika od povrede i određenih bolesti. Ako sistem držanja ne obezbeđuje ove osnovne potrebe, ne samo da će zdravlje, dobrobit i proizvodnja biti ugroženi, već će i zakonski propisi u pogledu dobrobiti ostati neispunjeni.