Page 294 - The Welfare of Cattle

ChaPter 23

herdsmanship and human
Interaction with Dairy Cattle

Kurt D. Vogel
University of Wisconsin

CONteNtS

Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 271
Importance of Stockmanship..................................................................................................... 271
Defining Stockmanship .............................................................................................................272
Dairy Cattle Handling ....................................................................................................................272
Impact of Human Interaction on Animal Welfare ..........................................................................273
Physiological Responses ........................................................................................................... 274
Behavioral Responses ............................................................................................................... 274
Impact of Human Interaction on Productivity ............................................................................... 275
Herdsmanship Assurance ...............................................................................................................276
Importance of Management ...........................................................................................................277
Prevention of Abusive Behavior ................................................................................................277
Impact of Personality Types .................................................................................................278
Impact of Attitudes ...............................................................................................................279
Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................279
Herdsmanship and Human Interaction Are Very Important ......................................................279
References ......................................................................................................................................279

INtrODUCtION

Importance of Stockmanship

A recent survey of dairy industry stakeholders, predominantly from North America with mini-
mal representation from European countries, identified concerns about poor handling and stock-
manship as one of the pressing animal welfare concerns for the dairy industry (Ventura et al., 2015).
The authors of the study reported that four out of five stakeholder focus groups within the study
shared this sentiment while the dairy producer focus group did not comment on stockmanship.
Animal handling was identified as a welfare issue for dairy cattle in the contexts of inducing stress
and other trickle-down effects on animals (Ventura et al., 2015). The duration of stockmanship’s
impact on animal welfare was specifically identified by one focus group member as a key factor in
identifying stockmanship as a welfare concern. The focus group member stated, “When it comes to

271