The Animal-Human Interface in Farm Animal Production: Animal Fear, Stress, Reproduction and Welfare.

A negative human-animal relationship (HAR) from the perspective of the animal is a limiting factor affecting farm animal welfare, as well as farm animal productivity. Research in farm animals has elucidated sequential relationships between stockperson attitudes, stockperson behaviour, farm animal fear behaviour, farm animal stress physiology, and farm animal productivity. In situations where stockperson attitudes to and interactions with farm animals are sub-optimal, through animal fear and stress, both animal welfare and productivity, including reproductive performance, can be compromised. There is a growing body of evidence that farm animals often seek and enjoy interacting with humans, but our understanding of the effects of a positive HAR on stress resilience and productivity in farm animals is limited. In this review, we explore the pathways by which stress induced by human-animal interactions can negatively affect farm animal reproduction, in particular, via inhibitory effects on the secretion of gonadotrophins. We also review the current knowledge of the stockperson characteristics and the nature of stockperson interactions that affect fear and physiological stress in farm animals. The contents of this review provide an insight into the importance of the HAR on farm animal welfare and reproduction while highlighting the gap in knowledge regarding the effects of a positive HAR on farm animals.

Enrichment with Lucerne Hay Improves Sow Maternal Behaviour and Improves Piglet Survival.

This study investigated the effects of providing lucerne hay on the behaviour and the performance of sows housed in farrowing crates during farrowing and lactation. Seventy-two mixed parity sows received either 1 kg lucerne hay daily from entry into the farrowing crate (-2 d from expected farrowing date) until weaning at 17 d (lucerne group, n = 36), or received no additional enrichment (control group, n = 36). In the 18 h prior to farrowing, the sows in the lucerne treatment spent more time performing nest-building behaviour (14.8% lucerne vs 11.1% control, p = 0.0009) and less time sham-chewing (1.0% lucerne vs 1.9% control, p = 0.01) than control sows, and gave birth to fewer stillborn piglets/litter (0.1 lucerne vs 0.4 control, p = 0.027). After farrowing (Day 3), the control sows spent less time lying than the lucerne sows (26% control vs 43% lucerne, p < 0.05). The control sows also spent less time interacting with their piglets during early lactation compared to late lactation (25.5% Day 5 vs 47.3% Day 12, p < 0.05), suggesting reduced maternal behaviour in this group. The lucerne sows continued to interact with the lucerne throughout lactation, indicating that they still found the enrichment rewarding after the nesting period had ceased. Based on these results, lucerne enrichment was considered to improve sow welfare during farrowing and lactation and reduce the number of stillborn piglets.

Human amnion epithelial cells as a treatment for inflammation-induced fetal lung injury in sheep.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs) can modulate the pulmonary developmental consequences of intrauterine inflammation in fetal sheep that are exposed to intraamniotic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. STUDY DESIGN: At 117 days' gestation, fetal sheep (n=16) received intraamniotic LPS (20 mg). hAECs were delivered at 0, 6, and 12 hours into the fetal jugular vein (n=4), trachea (n=4), or both (n=4). Controls (n=6) received equivalent administration of saline solution. Lungs were collected at 124 days. RESULTS: Intraamniotic LPS caused pulmonary inflammation and altered lung structure and function. hAECs attenuated changes in lung function and structure that had been induced by LPS: lung volume, 40 cm H2O (P<.05, intravenous+intratracheal hAECs vs LPS), tissue-to-airspace ratio (P<.05, intravenous+intratracheal hAECs vs LPS), and septal crest density (P<.001, all hAEC groups vs LPS). Leukocyte infiltration of the lungs was not reduced by hAECs; however, inflammatory cytokines were reduced (tumor necrosis factor-α, P<.01, vs LPS; interleukin-1b, P<.01, vs LPS; interleukin-6, P<.01 vs LPS). Surfactant protein A and C messenger RNA was increased by LPS, although this was not statistically significant (P>.05 vs control); there were significant increases in all hAEC-treated animals (surfactant protein-A, P<.05 vs LPS; surfactant protein-C, P<.01 vs LPS). CONCLUSION: Human amnion epithelial cells attenuate the fetal pulmonary inflammatory response to experimental intrauterine inflammation and reduce, but (as administered in our study) do not prevent, consequent alterations in lung development.