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Ruminant Welfare Assessment—Second Edition
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Ruminant Welfare Assessment—Second Edition

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2026) | Viewed by 9543

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Marek Gaworski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Production Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: animal behaviour; dairy equipment; dairy technology; progress; welfare
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The goal of this Special Issue is to identify the key factors in assessing the welfare of different groups of ruminants. This Special Issue is a forum for presenting the results of research covering a wide range of topics in ruminant welfare, in conjunction with its assessment indicators. Within the broad area of ruminant animal welfare assessment, groups of animals kept on farms perfectly fit and predominate. In relation to this group of animals, the following issues are raised:

  • Evaluation of the welfare of ruminants and their housing systems;
  • Assessing the welfare of ruminants and housing areas (feeding and watering area, lying/resting area, milking area, social area) in livestock housing;
  • Evaluation of ruminant welfare and environmental conditions (including livestock facility and paddock/pasture);
  • Evaluation of ruminant welfare and technical and technological progress in professional animal production.

Equally important are questions about tools for assessing the welfare of ruminants, including appropriate procedures/protocols, the effects of their implementation, limitations in practical use and opportunities for their further improvement resulting from the development of knowledge on welfare. A valuable contribution to the development and summary of knowledge about the welfare of ruminants is made by the previously known and new proposals for indicators of welfare assessment.

The subject formulated in this way is of interest to many research teams conducting research with ruminants. However, the subject of ruminant animal welfare assessment also includes studies with ruminants that live in the wild. This Special Issue of Animals aims to draw works from all these teams, providing a forum for interdisciplinary discussion on how to improve the assessment of ruminant welfare.

Prof. Dr. Marek Gaworski
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • assessment
  • indicator
  • progress
  • ruminants
  • welfare

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1660 KB  
Article
Developing a Practical Welfare Assessment Tool for Intensive Sheep and Goat Farming in Hot-Arid Regions: Pilot Validation in the United Arab Emirates
by Ebru Emsen, Muzeyyen Kutluca Korkmaz, Bahadir Odevci, Aysha Alnuaimi, Maryam Almarzooqi, Anoud Alketbi and Dana Alhammadi
Animals 2026, 16(4), 563; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16040563 - 11 Feb 2026
Viewed by 855
Abstract
Intensive sheep and goat farming in hot-arid regions faces unique welfare challenges that differ substantially from those encountered in cooler climates; however, few practical and validated assessment tools are specifically designed to assess welfare under such extreme conditions. In this study, the term [...] Read more.
Intensive sheep and goat farming in hot-arid regions faces unique welfare challenges that differ substantially from those encountered in cooler climates; however, few practical and validated assessment tools are specifically designed to assess welfare under such extreme conditions. In this study, the term practical refers to field feasibility under routine farm conditions, limited assessment time, and suitability for reliability-based application, rather than comprehensive validation of welfare outcomes. This study aimed to develop and pilot-test a simplified welfare assessment protocol, based on a reduced set of clearly defined, field-applicable indicators supported by explicit operational definitions and standardized scoring criteria, tailored for the United Arab Emirates, with a specific focus on extreme heat and intensive husbandry conditions. Candidate indicators were identified from validated international sources and screened for applicability to arid climates, meat-oriented production, and intensive systems. The refined indicator set was converted into operational scoring sheets and applied by trained undergraduate animal science students as assessors to 100 animals at an intensive research farm. Inter-observer reliability was calculated using Fleiss’ Kappa to evaluate consistency across assessors. Most behavioural and health indicators demonstrated substantial to almost perfect inter-observer agreement (κ-based), while environmental and some tactile indicators, such as body condition and hydration tests, showed moderate reliability. Based on the most reliable indicators, a climate-sensitive Arid-Hot Small Ruminant Welfare Index (ASR-WI) was developed by weighting four welfare domains—Behaviour and Mental State, Environment, Nutrition, and Health. The findings confirm that a simplified welfare assessment protocol can be reliably implemented under intensive hot-arid conditions when clear scoring criteria and structured assessor training are provided. The resulting protocol and index offer a practical foundation for routine welfare monitoring under intensive hot-arid conditions, as well as for policymaking and future longitudinal research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ruminant Welfare Assessment—Second Edition)
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17 pages, 3321 KB  
Article
Non-Standard Technical Solutions in Polish Tie-Stall and Loose-Housing Barns: Farmer Initiatives to Improve the Comfort of Dairy Cattle
by Marek Gaworski and Michał Boćkowski
Animals 2026, 16(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16010064 - 25 Dec 2025
Viewed by 740
Abstract
Research on barn technology, technical equipment, and related cattle welfare indicates a growing emphasis on assessing sources of animal comfort as the subject of scientific research. In practice, dairy cattle housing conditions are also assessed directly by farmers responsible for the animals’ living [...] Read more.
Research on barn technology, technical equipment, and related cattle welfare indicates a growing emphasis on assessing sources of animal comfort as the subject of scientific research. In practice, dairy cattle housing conditions are also assessed directly by farmers responsible for the animals’ living conditions in barns; therefore, it is worthwhile to ask farmers about their approaches to improving the housing and comfort of dairy cattle in barns. The aim of this study was to evaluate non-standard technical solutions implemented by farmers in tie-stall and loose-housing barns; the research study design included visits to and observations at 40 dairy farms, selected purposively based on prior knowledge or expectations regarding equipping barns with non-standard technical solutions. An index of non-standard solutions in livestock buildings (Sns) was proposed based on the ratio of the number of non-standard solutions in a barn to usable floor space in the barn. The Sns index was higher in tie-stall barns (0.0012–0.0192) than in loose-housing barns (0.00–0.0023). Non-standard technical solutions implemented by farmers were most common in barns with tie-stall housing systems, especially in feeding areas. Knowledge about non-standard technical solutions in barns can be used in practice by various stakeholders as inspiration for barn retrofits, training materials for advisors, or a starting point for targeted welfare research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ruminant Welfare Assessment—Second Edition)
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12 pages, 275 KB  
Article
Positive Emotional States in Dairy Cows: Reflections in Milk Quality and Udder Health
by Silvana Popescu, Daniela Elena Babiciu, Eva Andrea Lazar, Anamaria Blaga Petrean and Sorana Daina
Animals 2025, 15(22), 3290; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15223290 - 13 Nov 2025
Viewed by 817
Abstract
Integrating positive welfare indicators into dairy science is gaining attention, yet the biological correlates of affective states in commercial herds remain poorly understood. This study explored associations between dairy cows’ emotional states quantified through the Positive Affect Index (PAI) derived from the Qualitative [...] Read more.
Integrating positive welfare indicators into dairy science is gaining attention, yet the biological correlates of affective states in commercial herds remain poorly understood. This study explored associations between dairy cows’ emotional states quantified through the Positive Affect Index (PAI) derived from the Qualitative Behaviour (QBA) Assessment and milk biomarkers, yield, and udder health indicators across 37 commercial farms. Descriptive statistics, housing-adjusted linear regressions, and partial Spearman correlations were used to explore these relationships. Higher PAI values, indicating more positive herd-level emotional states, were significantly associated with lower SCC (22% reduction, p = 0.016) and lower odds of elevated DSCC (OR = 0.69, p = 0.002), reflecting improved udder health. Positive affect was also linked to a higher lactose concentration (p < 0.001) and an increased fat-to-protein ratio (FPR). A tendency for higher milk yield (+1.07 L per milking, p = 0.077) and slightly lower protein content was observed, consistent with a dilution effect. These associations remained robust after sensitivity analyses and were independent of housing type. The results demonstrate that milk composition and udder health biologically reflect positive emotional states, supporting the integration of behavioural assessments and milk biomarkers as a non-invasive framework for advancing welfare-oriented and precision dairy farming. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ruminant Welfare Assessment—Second Edition)
17 pages, 1486 KB  
Article
Occurrence and Reasons for On-Farm Emergency Slaughter (OFES) in Northern Italian Cattle
by Francesca Fusi, Camilla Allegri, Alessandra Gregori, Claudio Monaci, Sara Gabriele, Tiziano Bernardo, Valentina Lorenzi, Claudia Romeo, Federico Scali, Lucia Scuri, Giorgio Bontempi, Maria Nobile, Luigi Bertocchi, Giovanni Loris Alborali, Adriana Ianieri and Sergio Ghidini
Animals 2025, 15(15), 2239; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15152239 - 30 Jul 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1208
Abstract
On-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) is employed when cattle are unfit for transport but still suitable for human consumption, thereby ensuring animal welfare and reducing food waste. This study analysed OFES patterns in Northern Italy, where a large cattle population is housed but information [...] Read more.
On-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) is employed when cattle are unfit for transport but still suitable for human consumption, thereby ensuring animal welfare and reducing food waste. This study analysed OFES patterns in Northern Italy, where a large cattle population is housed but information on the practice is rarely analysed. A total of 12,052 OFES cases from 2021 to 2023 were analysed. Most involved female cattle (94%) from dairy farms (79%). Locomotor disorders were the leading reason (70%), particularly trauma and fractures, followed by recumbency (13%) and calving-related issues (10%). Post-mortem findings showed limbs and joints as the most frequent condemnation sites (36%), often linked to trauma. A significant reduction in OFES cases occurred over time, mainly due to fewer recumbency and calving issues, likely reflecting stricter eligibility criteria introduced in 2022. Weekly variations, with peaks on Mondays and lows on Saturdays, suggest that logistical constraints may sometimes influence OFES promptness. These findings suggest that on-farm management and animal handling could be improved further to reduce welfare risks and carcass waste. Due to the lack of standardised data collection and regulatory harmonisation, a multi-country investigation could improve our understanding of this topic and inform best practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ruminant Welfare Assessment—Second Edition)
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13 pages, 3843 KB  
Article
A Survey on Biosecurity and Animal Welfare in Twenty-Five Beef Cattle Farms in the Marche Region, Central Italy: Application of the ClassyFarm Checklists
by Filippo Alquati, Martina Quagliardi, Alessandra Gavazza, Alessandra Roncarati, Livio Galosi and Corrado M. Corradini
Animals 2025, 15(3), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15030312 - 23 Jan 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2847
Abstract
In Italy, the livestock sector is facing a crucial transformation phase towards a production system able to guarantee a high standard of health and animal welfare. With this aim, the ClassyFarm platform (CFp) has been activated by the Italian Ministry of Health, with [...] Read more.
In Italy, the livestock sector is facing a crucial transformation phase towards a production system able to guarantee a high standard of health and animal welfare. With this aim, the ClassyFarm platform (CFp) has been activated by the Italian Ministry of Health, with a prominent role for farm veterinarians, who are responsible for the livestock farms’ evaluation and the entering of data for self-monitoring purposes into the information system. This work aimed to analyse the application of CFp in the biosecurity and animal welfare areas in twenty-five beef cattle farms of the Marche Region, Central Italy, using the checklists provided by the platform itself. The results, expressed in percentages, were compared with the national averages. The percentages of the animal welfare assessment, which were higher than the national average, are likely the result of improved management and a broad understanding of these indicators based on animal observations. At the same time, the biosecurity area, in line with the national average, resulted in much lower percentages, leading to the assessment that some farming areas should definitely be improved. This result reflects the non-intensive and family-run breeding type of breeding typical of this region, characterised by particular attention to animal welfare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ruminant Welfare Assessment—Second Edition)
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Review

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34 pages, 775 KB  
Review
The Effect of Environment and Husbandry Practices on Sheep Welfare
by Małgorzata Bąkowska, Renata Pilarczyk, Marta Juszczak-Czasnojć, Beata Seremak, Agnieszka Tomza-Marciniak, Ewa Kwita, Lidia Felska-Błaszczyk and Bogumiła Pilarczyk
Animals 2025, 15(22), 3314; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15223314 - 17 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2065
Abstract
The amount of attention paid to the welfare of animals and their maintenance conditions has grown considerably in recent years. This paper examines the effects of extensive and intensive housing systems on the environmental, behavioural, health, nutritional and social aspects of sheep welfare. [...] Read more.
The amount of attention paid to the welfare of animals and their maintenance conditions has grown considerably in recent years. This paper examines the effects of extensive and intensive housing systems on the environmental, behavioural, health, nutritional and social aspects of sheep welfare. It presents the current state of knowledge regarding this welfare, and its significant contributing factors, based on a search of PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus using defined keywords. It compares the impact of the two systems on the physical, psychological and social comfort of the animals, and identifies husbandry practices conducive to improving welfare. In doing so, it pays particular attention to the role of social bonding and the importance of grooming interventions. The paper reviews the factors shaping welfare in different production systems, with a particular focus on extensive and intensive rearing. It demonstrates that while the extensive system is conducive to the realisation of natural behaviour and the formation of social bonds, it can also be associated with a higher risk of nutritional deficiencies and environmental stressors. In contrast, an intensive system allows better control of health and nutrition, but often limits the ability to meet behavioural needs. The study also discusses the importance of feeding strategies, herd structure and thermal comfort, as well as the impact of routines such as shearing and hoof correction. It demonstrates that high levels of welfare can be achieved in both extensive and intensive systems, provided that husbandry practices are appropriately adapted to the needs of sheep as a species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ruminant Welfare Assessment—Second Edition)
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