Applying a New Proposed Welfare Assessment Protocol to Suckler Herds from Three Different Autochthonous Breeds

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In recent years, there has been a large increase in consumers’ demands for farm animal welfare. The Council of the European Union emphasizes that high animal welfare is an integral part of sustainable animal production. Farmers must be able to meet these requirements by assessing animal welfare on the basis of well-defined and structured protocols for each species and production system. Only then will it be possible to guarantee welfare certification throughout all the production chain, from farm to fork. This work aims to study and apply indicators already used and validated for animals with other productive aptitudes and in other regions of the world. To this end, three cattle farms in the Center of Portugal were analyzed. Each of these farms is dedicated to the production of a Portuguese autochthonous beef breed. The welfare on these farms was rated as good and excellent in most of the criteria. This evaluation will enable the farms to meet the conditions for certification and to modify some of the less positive aspects. ABSTRACT: The welfare of farm animals has become an increasingly important issue for society, especially for consumers of animal products. Currently, there is no standardized and validated protocol in Portugal for assessing the welfare of suckler cow herds in extensive systems. This work aims to study and apply previously used indicators, based on behavior, mental status, health, body condition, and interactions with the environment. Criteria and measures were adapted from protocols for cattle in other production systems (Welfare Quality(®), WQ) or protocols set for pasture-based cattle in New Zealand. To the WQ measures, such as body condition, absence of injuries and diseases, positive emotional state and management indicators, we added behavior when in the chute, distance to water points, positioning of ear tags, and thermal comfort. The feasibility of the protocol was assessed in herds with cows belonging to three different Portuguese autochthonous beef breeds. The welfare of the herds was considered good or excellent, with only the behavior at the chute being negatively scored in the Brava breed. The application and validation of indicators to correctly assess animal welfare all along the production chain is crucial to achieve certification, and to the identification and correction of causes of poor welfare.