DETERMINATION OF NEW WELFARE AND STRESS INDICATORS OF THE ANIMALS ON CATTLE AND PIG FARMS BASED ON DIFFERENT PUBLICATIONS

Abstract

In recent years, numerous plans and programs, instructions, recommendations, scientific opinions, analyses, reports, best practices, regulations, codes of practices and assurance schemes have been published in publications which were not published in journals and symposiums proceedings that consider indicators of welfare and stress of the animals on cattle and pig farms intending to improve their health and productivity. These indicators were created mainly as results of research in numerous national and international projects. Mentioned projects consider key indicators and prescribe on-farm assessments of animal welfare and stress in cattle and pig farms. In the assessments of the welfare and stress of the animals in different systems of keeping and accommodation, the need to determine new welfare and stress indicators on cattle and pig farms was observed. The publications about plans and programs, instructions, recommendations, scientific opinions, analysis, reports, best practices, regulations, code of practices and assurance schemes related to animal welfare and stress contain numerous indicators. The analysis of these publications aims to determine the main characteristics of the existing and to generate ideas to define new welfare and stress indicators of the animals on cattle and pig farms.