Melbourne Veterinary School - Theses
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ItemAssessing and addressing the welfare of extensively managed ewes( 2019)The sheep industry is currently facing increasing social demands for assurances of good animal welfare, which indicates that assessing and addressing the welfare of sheep is critical if the current ‘social license to farm sheep’ is to be maintained. Farmers are key players in improving sheep welfare because they are responsible for the care of their animals and make the management decisions on their farm. Hence, a better understanding of the main factors underpinning farmer behaviour is important. According to the Theory of Planned Behaviour, farmer attitudes towards sheep management are likely to influence their behaviour in terms of the implementation of improved management practices. Subsequently, farmer management behaviour may impact on the welfare of their sheep. The aim of this thesis was therefore to examine the relationships between farmer attitudes, management behaviour and sheep welfare outcomes. To examine these relationships, animal welfare assessments and questionnaire interviews with farmers were conducted. A total of 6200 ewes (aged 2-5 years) and 32 farmers were sampled across Victoria, Australia. Farms were visited at mid-pregnancy and weaning, and the ewes were examined using six animal-based measures: body condition score (BCS), fleece condition, skin lesions, tail length, dag score and lameness. In addition, the number of ewes that needed further inspection/care (such as sick or injured sheep) was recorded and reported to the farmers. The welfare of the ewe flocks, based on the six indicators measured, was good overall. However, individual welfare compromise was considered significant. There were 185 (3.0%) ewes needing further care and cases were identified in all farms. Main reasons for further inspection/care were lameness or foot-related issues, BCS ≤ 2 and active dermatophilosis or broken wool. Farmer attitudes to sheep and management were in general positive and welfare was considered an important aspect of farm productivity. In terms of management, it was found that farmers relied mostly on visual monitoring to assess the flocks and pasture quality and quantity. However, close inspection of the flock and more detailed practices such as body condition scoring of sheep, veterinary interventions or keeping accurate records were less common activities. Indeed, mortality rates were frequently underestimated. Positive farmer attitudes were associated with positive management behaviour (active management style), and positive management behaviour was associated with positive ewe welfare outcomes. Farmers with an active management style had fewer ewes in need of further inspection/care after both welfare assessments (mid-pregnancy and weaning). Main results indicated that farmers were more likely to perform an activity (management behaviour) if they perceived the activity was valuable (behavioural attitudes) and if they perceived the activity could be realised (perceived behavioural control). The results of this thesis demonstrate that there is an opportunity to create change in farmer management behaviour and potentially improve sheep welfare via education programs targeting attitudinal change. The results reported in this thesis provide what is believed to be the first comprehensive study investigating the on-farm welfare of extensively managed ewes and the farmer-sheep relationship in extensive systems. Controlled trials to assess if education programs or other interventions are able to improve farmer attitudes and management behaviour, as well as sheep welfare, would allow causality to be investigated and would be a valuable next research step following on from the current work.