Dr David Main BVetMed PhD CertVR DWEL Dip ECAWBM (AW) MRCVS�

BVA Animal Welfare Foundation Reader in Animal Welfare�

RCVS Recognised Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law�

Foundation Diplomat European College of Animal Welfare and Behaviour Medicine (AW)

Communication :

Improving advising strategies

Welfare improvement : 4 approaches

•  Economics

•  Education

•  Encouragement

•  Enforcement

 Financial incentive

 Provide knowledge

 Positive motivation

 Insist on action

2

Economic,educa-on,encouragementandenforcementinfluenceswithinfarmassuranceschemes DCJMain*andSMullanAnimalWelfare(InPress)

What affects welfare ?

Health & welfare

outcomes

System

Management

•  System : e.g. Cage vs free range

–  Number of animals –  Indoor / Outdoor –  Stocking density –  Behavioural confinement

•  Management : e.g. Cattle lameness

–  Stockperson knowledge, skills –  Stockperson attitude –  Veterinary involvement –  Day to day attention to detail

3

4

Ani

mal

Wel

fare

Productivity

Win – Win : Management issues Improve welfare & improve productivity

Win – Lose : System issues Reduce welfare & improve productivity

Economics & animal welfare ANIMAL WELFARE, ECONOMICS AND POLICY John McInerney, University of Exeter 2004

Which approach is more important ?

System issues

1. Economics

2.  Enforcement

3.  Encouragement

4.  Education

Management issues

1. Encouragement

2.  Enforcement

3.  Economics

4.  Education

5

6

Husbandry

Advisory Tool

Knowledge of

disease process

Knowledge of

husbandry risks

Farm specific

diagnosis

Farm specific risks

Suggested control

measures

•  Lameness in dairy cattle

•  Tail biting in pigs

•  Injurious pecking in hens

Experience from recent intervention studies

Action on farm ?

7

White line disease

Claw horn lesions / Sole

Ulcer

Digital Dermatitis

Foul

Lameness : many different conditions & many different risk factors

Supporting material : Farm specific risk, strategies, action plan 8

Tail biting & dairy lameness intervention studies

  If farms reduced risks during intervention

  Associated with reduced prevalence

  Advice was valid

 But providing advice on risks

 Not associated with more risk reduction

 Compliance was poor

9

Lack of knowledge : not (perceived) as a major barrier 10

•  But need detailed technical knowledge to solve

•  Knowledge needs to be available in right format

11 Encouragement example

•  Facilitation

–  People are more likely to change their behaviour if they think it is their own idea.

•  Benefits and Barriers

–  Knowing the benefits and barriers underpins the approach.

•  Norms

–  People are more likely to change behaviour if they know others have done the same.

•  Commitment

–  Commitment is key to sustaining behaviour change

•  Prompts

–  Prompts act to remind people of agreed activities and help sustain the new behaviour.

Healthy Feet Project Working together to reduce cattle lameness

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Cha

nge

in la

men

ess

(%)

Initial Lameness Prevalence (Dairy Co Score 2 & 3 %)

Case Example : Lameness in Dairy Cattle 12

•  73% reduced lameness

•  52% reduced lameness by more than 10%

•  Additional support reduced lameness if initial lameness problem

Healthy Feet Project Working together to reduce cattle lameness

----- Farms monitored with no additional support

Farms monitored and received additional support

13

Veterinary

Advice

Facilitated

discussion

Encouragement – More husbandry changes

Monitored only

14

Effect of QoL tool on client discussion / decisions 15

Number of discussions reported by owners (/100 consultations), with and without the tool for each category

+

+

  But no change in

“decisions” if used

by other vets

  Increase in

“decisions” if used

by tool designer

Welfare improvement

System issues

1. Economics

2.  Enforcement

3.  Encouragement

4.  Education

Management issues

16

1. Encouragement

2.  Enforcement

3.  Economics

4.  Education

o  Enforcement will have a role on farms that are

resistant to change

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Cha

nge

in la

men

ess

prev

alen

ce o

ver s

tudy

(%)

Initial Lameness Prevalence (Dairy Co Score 2 & 3 %)

Control intervention

Prioritising intervention 17

Needs more

intervention

Limited change

Improved

High initial Low initial

18 18 Enforcement approach using standardised assessment

Usingfarmassuranceschemes(marketpressure)

orlegislation(citizenpressure)

 Duringvisit:promotepositivediscussion

Observeanimals&discussresultswithfarmer

 Aftervisit:encouragehusbandrychange

Encouraged to seek specific advice & working with others

 Aftervisit:insistonchange(poorresponders)

Usestandardsthatrequireindividualtreatmentorflock/herdmanagement

Conclusions : Changes to veterinary profession

Increase interest in welfare means :

  Previous focus was physical / health needs

–  problem for farmer and animal

  Future focus is also mental / behaviour needs

–  problem for the animal and consumer

But to changing farmer behaviour requires change in our approach

  From reactive :

–  help with specific problems

  To proactive

–  can we work together ?

19

Conclusions : New skills needed for veterinary profession

•  Technical skills / knowledge

–  Standardised welfare assessment (Welfare Quality®)

–  Husbandry solutions i.e. managing welfare risks

•  Communication skills

–  Promote uptake of best practice

–  Increase “awareness”

–  Increase “ownership”

20

Vet Record 2011 168 : 383-384