RESUMO
What is the future for livestock agriculture in the world? Consumers have concerns about sustainability but many widely used livestock production methods do not satisfy consumers' requirements for a sustainable system. However, production can be sustainable, occurring in environments that: supply the needs of the animals resulting in good welfare, allow coexistence with a wide diversity of organisms native to the area, minimize carbon footprint and provide a fair lifestyle for the people working there. Conservation need not just involve tiny islands of natural vegetation in a barren world of agriculture, as there can be great increases in biodiversity in farmed areas. Herbivores, especially ruminants that consume materials inedible by humans, are important for human food in the future. However, their diet should not be just ground-level plants. Silvopastoral systems, pastures with shrubs and trees as well as herbage, are described which are normally more productive than pasture alone. When compared with widely used livestock production systems, silvopastoral systems can provide efficient feed conversion, higher biodiversity, enhanced connectivity between habitat patches and better animal welfare, so they can replace existing systems in many parts of the world and should be further developed.
Assuntos
Agricultura/tendências , Bem-Estar do Animal/normas , Biodiversidade , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais/tendências , Ecossistema , Gado/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Agricultura/métodos , Animais , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais/métodos , HumanosRESUMO
The preslaughter handling and transport of broilers are stressful operations that might affect welfare and meat quality and could increase numbers of deaths before slaughter. However, the influence of thermal factors during transportation and lairage at slaughterhouses is complex in subtropical regions, where increasing temperature and high RH are the major concerns regarding animal survival before slaughter. In this study we assessed the influence of a controlled lairage environment on preslaughter mortality rates of broiler chickens that were transported during different seasons of the year and had varying lairage times in the subtropical climate. Preslaughter data from 13,937 broiler flocks were recorded daily during 2006 in a commercial slaughterhouse in southeastern Brazil. The main factors that influenced daily mortality rate were mean dry bulb temperature and RH, lairage time, daily periods, density of broilers per crate, season of the year, stocking density per lorry, transport time, and distance between farms and slaughterhouse. A holding area at the slaughterhouse with environmental control was assessed. Using a double GLM for mean and dispersion modeling, the seasons were found to have significant effects (P < 0.05) on average mortality rates. The highest incidence was observed in summer (0.42%), followed by spring (0.39%), winter (0.28%), and autumn (0.23%). A decrease of preslaughter mortality of broilers during summer (P < 0.05) was observed when the lairage time was increased, mainly after 1 h of exposure to a controlled environment. Thus, lairage for 3 to 4 h in a controlled lairage environment during the summer and spring is necessary to reduce the thermal load of broiler chickens.
Assuntos
Galinhas/fisiologia , Clima , Mortalidade , Estações do Ano , Matadouros , Animais , Brasil , Ambiente Controlado , Manobra Psicológica , Fatores de Tempo , Meios de TransporteRESUMO
Animal welfare related issues have been intensely discussed in recent years as a consequence of changes in public attitudes and regulatory reforms that are taking place in many countries. A combination of public opinion pressure and trade policy has driven requirements for regulation and the World Trade Organization (WTO) assigned the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to develop guidelines that could be used as international standards. However, trade disputes related to animal welfare are not likely to be resolved under the auspices of OIE, and access to international markets may be questioned in a way that does not necessarily reflect attitudes to animal production in emerging economies, such as those in South America. This paper presents an overall view of basic welfare issues and points out specific items related to the present scenario of norms and regulations that are being implemented in South America, where the growing poultry industry is an important economic activity.
Assuntos
Animais , Aves/classificação , Bem-Estar do Animal/normas , América do Sul , Controle Social Formal , Normas JurídicasRESUMO
Animal welfare related issues have been intensely discussed in recent years as a consequence of changes in public attitudes and regulatory reforms that are taking place in many countries. A combination of public opinion pressure and trade policy has driven requirements for regulation and the World Trade Organization (WTO) assigned the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to develop guidelines that could be used as international standards. However, trade disputes related to animal welfare are not likely to be resolved under the auspices of OIE, and access to international markets may be questioned in a way that does not necessarily reflect attitudes to animal production in emerging economies, such as those in South America. This paper presents an overall view of basic welfare issues and points out specific items related to the present scenario of norms and regulations that are being implemented in South America, where the growing poultry industry is an important economic activity.(AU)
Assuntos
Animais , Bem-Estar do Animal/normas , Aves/classificação , América do Sul , Normas Jurídicas , Controle Social FormalRESUMO
1. This study was conducted to verify the impact of different kinds of material and the number of times of litter reuse on the incidence of chicken pathologies. Approximately 4·5 million broilers from conventional Brazilian farms were evaluated in the abattoir for cellulitis, arthritis and contact foot-pad dermatitis. 2. Four different kinds of litter material, Brachiaria grass, corncob, sawdust and rice shell, were used. Brachiaria grass litter showed the highest incidence of contact foot-pad dermatitis. Corncob litter also showed some negative effects on foot quality. Broilers raised on rice shell litter showed good results in terms of the incidence of contact foot-pad dermatitis. The best results were obtained with sawdust litter, because the incidence of cellulitis and arthritis were the lowest and the incidence of contact foot-pad dermatitis was also very low.