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- Title
The ClassyFarm System in Tuscan Beef Cattle Farms and the Association between Animal Welfare Level and Productive Performance.
- Authors
Mariottini, Francesco; Giuliotti, Lorella; Gracci, Marta; Benvenuti, Maria Novella; Salari, Federica; Arzilli, Luca; Martini, Mina; Roncoroni, Cristina; Brajon, Giovanni
- Abstract
Simple Summary: Interest in animal welfare has increased due to the growing ethical sensitivity of consumers and the awareness of its impact on food security and safety. In addition, respecting a high standard of animal welfare helps in the prevention of transmissible infectious diseases and the control of antimicrobial resistance. As a response to these needs, in 2018, the Italian Ministry of Health introduced the ClassyFarm system, which categorizes the level of risk arising from farm animal welfare and provides a specific checklist. This paper investigates the relationship between animal welfare and productive parameters on beef cattle farms. Animal welfare was assessed using the ClassyFarm system checklist for beef cattle. Our results demonstrated the influence of animal welfare on productive performance, suggesting that respecting high animal welfare levels helps to reach the full growth potential of beef cattle. In 2018, the Italian Ministry of Health introduced the ClassyFarm system in order to categorize the level of risk related to animal welfare. The ClassyFarm checklist for beef cattle is divided into four areas: Areas A "Farm management and personnel"; B "Structures and equipment"; C "Animal-based measures"; and "Emergency plan and alert system". Answers contribute to the final Animal Welfare Score (AWS) and to the score of each area. The aim of this work was to assess the animal welfare level on 10 Tuscan beef cattle farms through the ClassyFarm checklist and to examine the relationship between the level of animal welfare on final weight (FW), carcass weight (CW), weight gain (WG), and average daily gain (ADG). The AWS was divided into four classes, and the scores for each area were divided into three classes. The analysis of variance was applied, and AWS class, sex, and breeding techniques (open and closed cycle) were included in the model. The AWS class and sex had a highly significant influence on all parameters, while the breeding technique did not significantly influence any parameter. Farms classified as excellent presented a higher FW (677.9 kg) than those classified as good and insufficient, and the same trend was found for the ADG. The classes obtained in Areas A and C had a highly significant influence on all the parameters investigated. The classes obtained in Area B significantly influenced FW and WG. In conclusion, the productive response of the animals seemed to benefit from the welfare conditions.
- Subjects
ANIMAL welfare associations; BEEF cattle; EMERGENCY communication systems; ANIMAL welfare; CONSUMER ethics; FARM management; WEIGHT gain
- Publication
Animals (2076-2615), 2022, Vol 12, Issue 15, p1924
- ISSN
2076-2615
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/ani12151924