On farm welfare assessment of European fattening lambs

Abstract In order to evaluate the welfare of lambs reared up to 4 months of age in different management systems in Europe, nine lamb meat farms (3 in Spain, 2 in Portugal, 1 in Germany, 1 in Slovenia and 2 in Italy) belonging to different production systems (intensive, semi-intensive, semi-extensive, extensive, shepherded) throughout Europe were visited. The first level welfare assessment according to the AWIN protocol for sheep was used, the data collection flow being as follows: (1) qualitative behaviour assessment (QBA), social withdrawal, stereotypy, excessive itching, panting; (2) fleece cleanliness, fleece quality, tail length, faecal soiling, lameness; (3) familiar human approach; (4) stocking density, access to shade/shelter, water availability; (4) lamb mortality. A great heterogeneity was observed because the breeds and the productive systems in which the animals have been raised are very different; only one of the purely extensive farms had no sheds for the animals, whereas the stocking density in confined animals was always appropriate. The results showed a high degree of compliance with the needs of the animals, which also corresponded to good productive results, but the objectification of the emotional state through the QBA yielded highly variable results, those animals reared under intensive and semi-intensive farms grouped around positive descriptors, which may indicate that lambs reared in intensive conditions show a different and apparently calmer mental state than those reared in very extensive conditions.