Attitudes of clients of Dutch pest controllers towards integrated pest management (IPM) and preventive measures in relation to rodent nuisance.

BACKGROUND: Rodent management with lethal methods (e.g., rodenticides) comes with downsides for rodent welfare, the environment and non-target species. To reduce chemical use and prevent rodent nuisance, pest controllers in the Netherlands must work according to the principles of integrated pest management (IPM). A condition for the success of IPM is that there is sufficient engagement of all parties involved, including clients of pest controllers. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the attitudes of clients regarding rodent control, IPM and the application of preventive measures. Insight into their attitudes may contribute to a better implementation of IPM and with that to a more sustainable rodent management based on more effective prevention. An online survey among 248 clients of Dutch pest controllers from both the agricultural and other sectors was carried out. RESULTS: Respondents from the agricultural sector had a relatively negative attitude towards IPM, the new IPM regulations in the Netherlands and had little confidence in prevention. In other sectors, respondents were more positive about IPM and had more confidence in prevention. The respondents from the latter subgroup had a similar attitude compared to Dutch pest controllers who participated in a previous survey. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study provide information for the further development and practical implementation of IPM and preventive measures and with that a more sustainable and animal friendly rodent management. They can also be helpful for a better communication and cooperation between pest controllers and their clients. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

The development of animal welfare science in China: An explorative analysis.

This paper presents results of a search and analysis of research projects on animal welfare registered in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database in the period 1996-2019, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of developments in animal welfare science in China. The title-abstract search of publications in this database resulted in over 260 articles that could be linked to 200 research projects with an animal welfare component. These projects were analysed for: (a) involved academic disciplines; (b) studied animal species; (c) contexts of animal use; (d) concepts of animal welfare; and (e) attention to ethical dimensions of animal welfare. The analysis shows an increased attention to animal welfare science, with a particular focus on farm and laboratory animals. We observed an increase in the number of studies and of animal species studied. The majority of research projects start in or include a view of animal welfare that is close to Fraser's 'biological function' view. We conclude that the increased attention to animal welfare in science reflects recent developments in China in terms of public concern about animal use, academic debate about the importance of animal welfare, and animal-related political and economic developments linked to China's ambitions to be a global player in science and food production. For the further development of animal welfare science in China stable funding and more interdisciplinary collaboration are necessary to study and publish on fundamental aspects of animal welfare, on issues not directly related to applied problems, and on the ethical dimensions of animal welfare.

Attitudes of clients of Dutch pest controllers towards animal welfare in the management of liminal rodents.

Rodent control tends to involve methods that cause animal suffering, but little attention has been paid to the animal welfare implications of rodent control. The aim of the current study was to gain insight into the opinions and attitudes of clients of Dutch pest controllers, regarding liminal rodents, rodent control, and rodent welfare. A better understanding of their attitudes may contribute to more ethical rodent management programmes. An online survey among 248 clients of Dutch pest controllers was carried out. Respondents, especially those within the agricultural sector, have a relatively negative attitude towards rats and mice. Respondents in the agricultural subgroup do not consider the welfare of liminal rodents important. They also think that the welfare impact of commonly used control methods is limited, and they have low tolerance levels for the presence of rodents. Respondents from other sectors have a far more positive attitude towards rats and mice, consider their welfare to be of greater importance, have a greater estimation of the welfare impact of control methods and show greater tolerance levels towards rodents. The respondents from the latter subgroup have a similar attitude compared to Dutch pest controllers participating in a previous survey. The findings of the current study firstly provide useful information for the further development and practical implementation of preventive control methods. Secondly, they provide input for a more animal-friendly rodent control and for the development of an assessment framework to support ethical decision-making. Finally, they can be helpful for further research and the communication and co-operation between professional pest controllers and their clients.

Animal models for cystic fibrosis: a systematic search and mapping review of the literature. Part 2: nongenetic models.

Various animal models are available to study cystic fibrosis (CF). These models may help to enhance our understanding of the pathology and contribute to the development of new treatments. We systematically searched all publications on CF animal models. Because of the large number of models retrieved, we split this mapping review into two parts. Previously, we presented the genetic CF animal models. In this paper we present the nongenetic CF animal models. While genetic animal models may, in theory, be preferable for genetic diseases, the phenotype of a genetic model does not automatically resemble human disease. Depending on the research question, other animal models may thus be more informative.We searched Pubmed and Embase and identified 12,303 unique publications (after duplicate removal). All references were screened for inclusion by two independent reviewers. The genetic animal models for CF (from 636 publications) were previously described. The non-genetic CF models (from 189 publications) are described in this paper, grouped by model type: infection-based, pharmacological, administration of human materials, xenografts and other. As before for the genetic models, an overview of basic model characteristics and outcome measures is provided. This CF animal model overview can be the basis for an objective, evidence-based model choice for specific research questions. Besides, it can help to retrieve relevant background literature on outcome measures of interest.

Animal models for cystic fibrosis: A systematic search and mapping review of the literature - Part 1: genetic models.

Animal models for cystic fibrosis (CF) have enhanced our understanding of the pathology and contributed to the development of new treatments. In the field of CF, many animal models have been developed and described. To our knowledge, thus far, none of the reviews of CF animal models has used a systematic methodology. A systematic approach to creating model overviews can lead to an objective, evidence-based choice of an animal model for new research questions. We searched Pubmed and Embase for the currently available animal models for CF. Two independent reviewers screened the results. We included all primary studies describing an animal model for CF. After duplicate removal, 12,304 publications were left. Because of the large number of models, in the current paper, only the genetic models are presented. A total of 636 publications were identified describing genetic animal models for CF in mice, pigs, ferrets, rats and zebrafish. Most of these models have an altered Cftr gene. An overview of basic model characteristics and outcome measures for these genetic models is provided, together with advice on using these data. As far as the authors are aware, this is one of the largest systematic mapping reviews on genetic animal models for CF. It can aid in selecting a suitable model and outcome measures. In general, the reporting quality of the included publications was poor. Further systematic reviews are warranted to determine the quality and translational value of these models further.