IECA 2020 - 16 articles
Online| 5–20 December 2020
Volume Editor:
Clive J. C. Phillips, 1 Estonian University of Life Sciences, Estonia; 2 Curtin University, Australia
At the UN-level, it has only recently been acknowledged that the welfare of animals is not, but should be, part of the sustainable development agenda. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the interconnections between animal welfare and protect...
Synbiotics are a mixture of probiotics (live microbes) and prebiotics (nutrients for intestinal microbiota—soluble fibers, polyphenols, and polyunsaturated fatty acids) that are now being considered important tools to help in maintaining animals in g...
The demand for animal-based food products is growing across the world, and many are consciously consuming a protein-rich diet. However, the growing consumption of animal proteins contradicts the Earth’s ability to sustainably feed its population. Cu...
We investigated the current knowledge of animal welfare issues, the perception of current welfare of laying hens, and the willingness-to-pay in consumers in Santiago, the main city and capital of Chile. Most people were well educated in animal welfar...
Goat production in Chile is carried by small-scale farmers obtaining milk and cheese as the main products. The welfare of goats under these types of production systems is currently unknown and no appropriate validated operational welfare indicators a...
Over the last 20 years, the dairy industry has implemented new technologies related to automatic milking systems (AMS). AMSs have the potential to maximize milk production and animals’ welfare thanks to voluntary milking access, as well as to increas...
Finding practicable and cost-effective enrichment for cattle in feedlots is challenging. While enrichment should not negatively impact productivity, it could assist in improving feedlot sustainability by addressing societal concern that cattle have r...
This study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of the Dorper and Merino breeds to pre-slaughter condition stress at a commercial abattoir and how it affects the quality of the meat produced. The objective of this study was to investigate dif...
The ability of dairy farmers to keep their cows for longer could positively enhance the economic performance of farms, reduce the environmental footprint of the milk industry, and provide overall help in justifying a sustainable use of animals for fo...
Intensive livestock production devoid of elementary foundations for the welfare of farm animals is nowadays identified as one of the main factors contributing to the growing environmental and social threats. Public opinion associates the welfare of f...
As the world’s human population continues grow in number and mobility, and the impacts of climate change take effect, the opportunities for problematic relationships with non-human animals multiply. There are escalating threats to health from wild ve...
Depending on the breed or crossbreed line, cows have to cope with a more or less severe negative energy balance during the period of high milk yields in early lactation, which can be detected by beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) and non-esterified fatty a...
Buffalo and cattle are main dairy animals of Pakistan, making 30% of the total livestock. Out of total milk produced in the country, buffalo contributes about 68%, followed by cattle (27%), rest (5%) by sheep, goats, and camels. They are kept both in...
Laying hens with poor feather cover eat more feed, are less productive, and have higher levels of morbidity and mortality. This welfare and sustainability issue is complex, requiring a proactive, multi-pronged approach. The aim of this UK study was t...
Rodents are an important part of agricultural ecosystems, including within commercial orchards. In 2018–2020, we studied small mammals in commercial orchards in Lithuania (northern Europe), snap-trapping them twice a year (in June–July and September...
Despite abundant evidence about the large contribution of livestock production to climate change and its serious negative impacts on sustainability, it has only recently started to come under scrutiny. Greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, biodive...
