Acknowledgements Book of abstracts - Publicaties - Vlaanderen.be

Kate Phillips presents Workshop paper 7
In workshop 3: Do extensive production systems provide high animal welfare?
Friday, 12 September 2008 from 14h00-15h45 in the Aula chaired by Pete Goddard
ADAS, Ceres House, 2 Searby Road, Lincoln, UK
THE FARMERS’ PERSPECTIVE
K. Phillips
182
Workshop paper 7
Sheep and cattle are a key part of the natural landscape of Europe and ‘natural’ systems of
production help to promote lamb and beef to the wider population, but is the welfare of animals in
extensive/hill systems any better than welfare in intensive systems of production?
Extensive systems of sheep and beef production allow animals greater opportunity to exhibit normal
behavior, for instance freedom to choose where to give birth or freedom to seek out shelter, aspects
valued by members of the public. Conversely these systems do not allow easy access for human
intervention and allow far greater opportunity for misadventure (predators etc). The hill
environment can be extremely inhospitable in terms of weather conditions and nutritional supply
and in the absence of significant food inputs by stock keepers, ‘nature would take its course’ and
many animals would perish. In these situations, ‘natural’ may not be synonymous with good
welfare. A compromise is reached where the stockman steps in to protect his animals from disease
(e.g. vaccination) and starvation (provision of forage and/or concentrates) in order to secure a
financial return from the enterprise. The stockman is often working in extreme weather conditions
and over difficult terrain and hill farming demands significant specialized knowledge and
dedication.
Hill sheep and cattle are naturally adapted to their environment, can make use of poor quality
forage, are excellent mothers and can support a single lamb/calf on hill pastures with limited
support from the stockman. Breed selection is therefore a crucial decision in hill farming.
The welfare of animals in extensive systems is a trade off between environmental and nutritional
limitations on the one hand and economic production on the other. The two are inextricably linked
if we are to have a viable hill farming sector in the future.
Contact information: Kate Phillips or email Kate.Phillips@adas.co.uk
Complete address: ADAS, Ceres House, 2 Searby Road, Lincoln, UK
Species: General