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Animal Welfare Initiatives in the Dairy Industry
Alan Davenport
National Dairy Industry Animal Welfare Strategy
• Consultation– ADF AH&W Advisory Group– Dairy Australia Animal Welfare Reference Group
• Assessment– Extension Programs– On-farm Quality Assurance– Regular Reviews
• Investigation– Animal Husbandry Survey– Barriers & Drivers for change
• Change Management– Communication / Education
Key findings of the 2008 survey
Substantial changes in animal husbandry practices since 2005 linked to the following:
– Information on best practices read by 68% of dairy farmers– Increased awareness of the Code of Practice for the welfare of
animals (92%)– Desire to improve animal comfort and reduce stress levels– Peer and industry encouragement– Concern over potential impact on international dairy markets.
Animal welfare priorities
• Calf management
• Tail docking
• Lameness
• Induction
• Disbudding
Development of action plans for priorities
• Areas of consideration when developing action plans for key priorities in animal welfare include
– Effective regulation and industry policy– Issues management process– Industry support– Appropriate R & D– Evaluation and review– Communication strategy
Calf management
• Calf trial in Victoria to investigate more efficient mechanisms for
traceability of calves from farm to slaughter
• Communication of industry
standards and guidelines
across the supply chain
Tail docking• Dairy industry does not
support tail docking and actively promotes alternatives to tail docking
• 2005 Animal Husbandry Survey – 16% of farmers routinely docked
tails (51% in Tasmania)
• 2008 Animal Husbandry Survey– 10% of farmers routinely docked
tails (37% in Tasmania)
Lameness
• 100% of all dairy farms in Tasmania have a lameness strategy in place– Maintaining laneways– Ensuring cows are not
pushed to walk too fast or – left standing on concrete
for too long– Most herds are fed zinc or
some other supplement.
Induction
• Significant reduction in the number of people using induction as a fertility management tool often in Tasmania– Down from 59% in 2005 to
22% in 2008
Disbudding
• Disbudding calves is the preferred management tool by the industry for horn removal
• Significant increase in the number of farmers that disbud calves rather than dehorn heifers– Increase in Tasmania from 71% in
2005 to 90% in 2008