Assessment of Animal Welfare in Sheep Farming in Semi-Arid Regions ^†

Abstract

The welfare of farmed animals has become a major social demand in developed countries, as well as the quality of livestock products and the preservation of the environment. In Algeria, the concept of animal welfare in sheep farming remains neglected, although it has been the subject of several studies in developed countries. The objective of this study is to assess animal welfare at the level of sheep farms in the region of M’Sila on the basis of measurable indicators on the animal, allowing us to assess two indicators: good health and appropriate nutrition. The study was conducted between February and June 2024. It included 9622 sheep of different breeds on 55 farms. The results revealed that sheep in M’Sila Governorate enjoy a good level of well-being in most farms. This is attributed to a behavior accepted to some extent regarding the absence of prolonged hunger and thirst, something that is expressed by a good body condition (BCS) in the majority of animals (p < 0.001). It was found that the majority of animals showed (p < 0.01) no signs of illness, bodily injury (p < 0.0001), restricted breathing (p < 0.0001), or lameness (p < 0.0001), indicating their good health. Finally, it is highly recommended to assess the on-farm welfare for emphasizing the key points in improving sheep welfare in Algeria.

1. Introduction

Animal breeding (sheep, cattle, poultry, etc.) is necessary for feeding and must be performed under compatible conditions with animal welfare, including in industrial livestock buildings. Respecting animals also means maintaining harmony with nature and the environment [1,2]. Animal welfare requires human effort, including recognizing their needs and ensuring the success of measures taken to secure their welfare [3]. Farm animal care is increasingly important to consumers, farmers, veterinary practitioners, and governments as an indicator of food quality and safety [4]. Sheep in extensive environments may face a range of compromises to their well-being, but principally these relate to variations in climate, and the availability of adequate or suitable nutrition, and attacks by predators [5]. Welfare assessment is performed through a set of criteria of different types. It is not enough to consider the productivity of the farm to conclude that animal welfare is respected. Respect for welfare can only be guaranteed when the following criteria are met: absence of hunger, thirst and malnutrition; presence of adequate shelter and comfort; absence of disease and injury; absence of fear and anxiety; and the expression of natural behaviors of the species [5,6]. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of breeding conditions on the welfare of sheep at the level of farms in the M’Sila region. For this, the study will consist of evaluating the main welfare indicators in these farms based mainly on good health and appropriate nutrition indicators.

2. Materials and Methods

This study was conducted between February and June 2024 and included a total of 9622 sheep of different breeds spread across 55 farms in the M’sila region”. The assessment was conducted according to the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for sheep [7]. In this study, we assessed only the main indicators of good health and appropriate nutrition, namely: body injuries (score 0: no injuries; score 1: presence of injuries); obstructed breathing (score 0: absence and score 1 for presence of obstructed breathing); nasal discharge (score 0: no discharge; score 1: clear discharge; score 2: purulent discharge); hindquarters cleanliness (score 0: clean; score 1: slightly dirty; score 2: dirty; score 3: very dirty); lameness (score 0: absence; score 1: minor lameness; score 2: moderate lameness; score 3: severe lameness); and ecthyma (score 0: absence; score 1: oral ecthyma; score 2: papillomatous ecthyma). BCS was also assessed using scores ranging from score 1 (very thin sheep) to score 4 (fat sheep). Data were processed with the Graph Pad Prism statistics software. One-way ANOVA test was used to determine statistical significance between different scores. Differences were considered significant when p < 0.05.

3. Results and Discussion

The results of the animal welfare assessment in sheep farms in M’Sila Governorate show relatively good welfare (

Table 1. Evaluation of principal indicators of sheep welfare in M’Sila Governorate (percentage and number: mean ± S.E.M).

Indicators	Score	Score 0 % (n)	Score 1 % (n)	Score 2 % (n)	Score 3 % (n)	Average Score (Mean ± S.E.M)	p
Body injuries	[0–1]	99.42% (9567) ****	0.58% (55)	/	/	0.10 ± 0.69	p < 0.01
Obstructed breathing	[0–1]	96.61% (9296) ***	3.39% (163)	/	/	0.34 ± 0.71
Nasal discharge	[0–2]	98.2% (9456) ***	0.95% (91)	0.78% (75)	/	0.29 ± 0.31
Hindquarters cleanliness	[0–3]	98.66% (9493) ***	1.15% (111)	0.16% (16)	0.02% (2)	0.24 ± 0.09
Lameness	[0–3]	99.17% (9543) ***	0.32% (31)	0.44% (43)	0.05% (5)	0.17 ± 0.09
Ecthyma	[0–2]	99.01% (9527) ****	0.99% (95)	0% (0)	/	0.10 ± 0.31
BCS	[0–3]	2.22% (214)	1.65% (159)	81.54% (7846) ***	14.58% (1403) **	2.09 ± 1.02

** High significant difference (p < 0.01). *** significant difference (p < 0.001). **** Very high significant difference (p < 0.0001). BCS: body condition score.

).

For the first principle concerning adequate feeding, the majority of breeders distribute food twice a day and provide sufficient water, thus ensuring the absence of hunger and thirst in their animals, which is expressed by a good body condition in the majority of animals. Nenadović et al. [8] observed significant fluctuations in body condition scores between different physiological statuses of ewes. The differences in BCS found in our study could be due to the agonistic behavior of female sheep when resources are limited, and less dominant animals may suffer as previously assumed by Dwyer (2017) [9].

It was found that the majority of animals did not show any signs of illness, bodily injuries, hampered breathing, or lameness. In this context, Nenadović et al. [8] reported that lesions were found on all parts of the sheep body, with a high prevalence on the face/muzzle and legs, where some loss of fleece was present. This can be related to the fact that sheep are often foragers, seeking their nutrition mainly from pastures, but when the food resources are limited, they suffer lesions and lose fleece by seeking food through shrubs and other vegetation [10].

4. Conclusions

Sheep are not merely productive animals, but they are also living beings that require care to improve the quality and quantity of their products and therefore increase profits. Thus, animal protection and respect for their welfare are essential in livestock farming. Our results indicate that the vast majority of farms keep animals in good health, knowing that this coincided with the period of Aid Adha.