Understanding Swedish dairy farmers’ view on breeding goals - ethical aspects of longevity

TY - GEN

T1 - Understanding Swedish dairy farmers’ view on breeding goals - ethical aspects of longevity

AU - Röcklinsberg, H.

AU - Gamborg, Christian

AU - Gjerris, Mickey

AU - Rydhmer, L.

AU - Tjärnström, E.

AU - Wallenbeck, A.

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - What values underlie farmers’ choice of breeding goals? Typical dairy breeding goals cover production traits (e.g. yield, feed conversion, and lactation curve) and functional traits (e.g. leg health, fertility and calving ability). One central and multifunctional trait correlated to all these traits is longevity. Even so, dairy cows in Sweden are culled on average after only 2.4 lactations (about 4.5 years of age) i.e. before the housing and management of the heifer has paid off. Reasons for culling given in the literature include infertility, mastitis, disease or leg and claw problems, but also problems related to resources like milking system or grazing and to management practices like herd size or pasture management. Farmers’ practice varies depending on their values or attitudes, farm size and breed, but no previous study has mapped their values underlying choice of breeding goals or values related to longevity. A first part of the study mapped dairy farmers’ ranking of breeding traits via a web questionnaire. Here we present and discuss the second part: results from follow up qualitative focus groups interviews aimed at getting a deeper understanding of how farmers reason about longevity in relation to ethical issues concerning welfare and non-welfare issues (e.g. death, age at death or life span). We notice two interesting discrepancies between the breeding goal of longevity and (a) the farming practice of culling at an age of 4.5 years; and(b) the lack of robustness in dairy cows. Leaving genetic concerns (b) aside we will now map factors leading to farmers culling a healthy cow even before the investment has been secured. Results show that although culling is emotionally difficult, curiosity in breeding and hope for even better heifers keep up recruitment levels and hence culling. Further, cow integrity is mentioned with regard to handling but not to culling. The results are discussed in the light of Farm Animal Welfare Council’s concept ‘life worth living’ and ethical aspects of lifespan.

AB - What values underlie farmers’ choice of breeding goals? Typical dairy breeding goals cover production traits (e.g. yield, feed conversion, and lactation curve) and functional traits (e.g. leg health, fertility and calving ability). One central and multifunctional trait correlated to all these traits is longevity. Even so, dairy cows in Sweden are culled on average after only 2.4 lactations (about 4.5 years of age) i.e. before the housing and management of the heifer has paid off. Reasons for culling given in the literature include infertility, mastitis, disease or leg and claw problems, but also problems related to resources like milking system or grazing and to management practices like herd size or pasture management. Farmers’ practice varies depending on their values or attitudes, farm size and breed, but no previous study has mapped their values underlying choice of breeding goals or values related to longevity. A first part of the study mapped dairy farmers’ ranking of breeding traits via a web questionnaire. Here we present and discuss the second part: results from follow up qualitative focus groups interviews aimed at getting a deeper understanding of how farmers reason about longevity in relation to ethical issues concerning welfare and non-welfare issues (e.g. death, age at death or life span). We notice two interesting discrepancies between the breeding goal of longevity and (a) the farming practice of culling at an age of 4.5 years; and(b) the lack of robustness in dairy cows. Leaving genetic concerns (b) aside we will now map factors leading to farmers culling a healthy cow even before the investment has been secured. Results show that although culling is emotionally difficult, curiosity in breeding and hope for even better heifers keep up recruitment levels and hence culling. Further, cow integrity is mentioned with regard to handling but not to culling. The results are discussed in the light of Farm Animal Welfare Council’s concept ‘life worth living’ and ethical aspects of lifespan.

UR - http://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/abs/10.3920/978-90-8686-834-6_7

M3 - Article in proceedings

SN - 978-90-8686-288-7

SP - 61

EP - 66

BT - Food futures

A2 - Olsson, I.Anna S.

A2 - Araújo, Sofia M.

A2 - Vieira, M. Fátima

PB - Wageningen Academic Publishers

T2 - EurSafe 2016

Y2 - 28 September 2016 through 8 October 2016

ER -