Another great day in Italy in the books! We began our day with a visit to Teramo’s vet school. It was great to not only see their school and hospital but to also be able to chat with some students about the structure of their vet school. I think the biggest shock for all of us was learning that all of their exams are oral exams and that other students could come watch! Definitely a terrifying thought for all of us!
Next up on the agenda was a visit to IZS’s research farm. The farm has several species present and all are participating in different fascinating studies. From sheep being used for cognitive bias trials where they study the sheep’s brain activity in certain scenarios to cows and buffalo being used for vaccine trials, it was impressive to see the wide variety of projects taking place. One very interesting thing was the use of buffalo for the purpose of developing a Brucellosis vaccine and determining the chance of placental transfer of the vaccine to the fetus. Buffalo are being used as the test animals given that they pose the biggest threat of possible transmission to humans with the popularity of using their milk to make mozzarella cheese. It was very interesting to hear about the long and involved process to gain approval from the Italian Ministry of Health for the use of any animal in a research study. One large difference between the United States and Italy that we noticed was their aversion to the use of dogs and cats for research purposes and therefore the difficulty to gain Italian approval for their use. Comparatively, dogs and cats are routinely used in the US for research studies.
Our afternoon began with several lectures on the importance and regulation of transport of farm animals. Transporting animals, whether it’s to slaughter or just to another location, is one of the most stressful events in an animal’s life. From the process of being re-grouped to being loaded/unloaded to the actual journey, every aspect of this process can lead to extreme stress in an animal. Thus, it is critical to heavily evaluate each step for points where changes can be made to improve welfare. Beginning with re-grouping, it is very important to allow the animals time to settle into their new groups prior to transport. Many times the animal’s usual social group has been disrupted and now a new social structure needs to be established. Being sure to re-group animals several days prior to transport, rather than directly before, is a simple change that can be done to remove the added stress of being put with new animals.
In the loading and unloading process, several areas can be examined. The first is that each animal should be evaluated for its ability to travel prior to being loaded. An already compromised animal, whether from disease or other physical disability, will be even more susceptible to the stress of transport. Animals with respiratory disease or other health problems can fall even deeper into illness. Animals that are blind should have extra care given to include the animals they rely on to guide them in the transport group. Not only is the animal’s health important but also the actual environment of transport. Ramp material, transportation vehicle structure, bedding, etc. are all structural points that should be evaluated. Handling during transport can be a critical point in controlling the stress level in these animals. Gentle handling when loading and unloading animals, for example allowing them to take their time rather than rushing them on or off the truck, can greatly improve their perception of the process.
As was stated in the previous post regarding horse welfare, one key point when studying welfare and applying it to real world scenarios is remembering that welfare is animal dependent. Too many times we anthropomorphize our animals and assume that what we, as humans, want or perceive is what animals want and perceive. When thinking about moving animals you have to put your mind in the position of the animal’s if you have any hope of improving welfare. For example, we talked greatly about how lighting is critical in this process. Well lit pathways will encourage animals to continue moving since animals tend to move towards light. But lighting of just any kind will not suffice. As humans, we know a shadow is just a shadow. But when moving livestock you will quickly notice that coming upon a shadow will cause them to stop. Another apparently scary thing for livestock is 90 degree turns. Pens and pathways with corners will cause the animal to stop since they cannot see what is coming. Forcing these animals to move through areas of shadow or around 90 degree turns can induce fear and stress. If we don’t take the time to approach animal welfare from the view point of each species, considering their specific needs and perceptions of the world, and only view things as humans, we will miss small aspects like shadows and corners in our efforts to improve welfare. If you are not familiar with the work of Temple Grandin, a revolutionary on animal behavior and welfare in the animal science world, I highly suggest looking into her. She was one of the first people to notice the things I mentioned above and is highly regarded in her thoughts of redesigning slaughter houses and animal movement paths to reduce stress in movement. Trust me that she has always been on the forefront of animal welfare and should be someone that the whole world should be familiar with. So go pick up one of her books or at least check out the HBO movie about her life! You won’t be disappointed!
Of course my favorite part of the day was a visit to a dairy farm! It was wonderful to hear about the farmer’s dedication to improving his family run farm and get to see the facilities. He has grown his farm from one consisting of 15 cows in 1980 to one of over 400 cows presently with a lot of determination, a focus on genetic improvement, facility improvement, and welfare considerations. The facilities were impressive with their strong structures, able to withstand earthquakes and the horribly tough winter storms in the region, with thoughtful consideration to structural improvements that can improve welfare. From ceilings that can open and close to maintain appropriate light level to stalls that are sized appropriately in each pen for the size that age group needs to the largest ceiling fans I have ever seen to improve ventilation, cow comfort is at the forefront of his mind. As I have touched on before, welfare is always tailored towards the animals. When we think about food animal comfort, unfortunately it can be difficult for those of us not as familiar with food animals to see the value in such seemingly boring structural aspects like grooved concrete for flooring or extremely well done ventilation. It is this challenge that can arise when trying to educate the public about food animal welfare. We can all relate to the cat on the plush bed and say “Oh that cat looks comfortable!” But it can be a bit trickier to see these less visually appealing things, like concrete grooving, big fans, stalls that aren’t too small or too big, waterers with systems to prevent freezing, as an improvement in welfare if we aren’t as familiar with these animals. But a cool cow basking in the breeze from giant fans in an appropriately sized stall with clean water and food available is a happy cow!
A highlight of our trip was getting to see his robotic milker in action! He was so proud to show it to us and explain how it recognizes each cow and milkers her as needed. The use of robotic milkers can greatly improve farmer and animal welfare. Farmers don’t have to get up at 3 am to milk their cows with a robot doing it for them and cows can be milked as they please simply entering into the milker when their udder is full! Sounds like great human AND animal welfare!
-Emily
PennVet Explores Europe 
