Increased Cattle Feeding Precision from Automatic Feeding Systems: Considerations on Technology Spread and Farm Level Perceived Advantages in Italy.

Automation reduces the impact of farming on climate change and helps farmers adapt to its financial impact. Automatic feeding systems (AFSs) increase the ruminant's feeding precision and ease operators' workload. Such systems exist on a spectrum, requiring varied levels of operator support and installation complexity. A recent survey on farmers pointed out that those already running an AFS and those willing to buy one appreciate its ease of use, the resulting animal welfare, and the resulting overall benefits (increased production, farm profitability, and reduced feed waste). Whether technologically complex or not, studies have confirmed the benefits that farmers perceive to be underlying the remarkable reduction in the environmental impact of feeding operations (AFSs are electrically powered), the increase in animal welfare resulting from reduced conflicts around accessing the feed bunk, and the constant availability of fresh feed. However, their introduction should follow accurate and holistic structural and economic planning for existing and newly built facilities. The availability of public subsidies plays an essential role in pushing farmers to adopt the most modern digital technologies, whose benefits may even increase when farmers couple them with interconnected sensors to monitor animals' physiological states.

Monitoring Means and Results of Biosecurity in Pig Fattening Farms: Systematic Assessment of Measures in Place and Exploration of Biomarkers of Interest.

Limited data are available regarding animal-based biomarkers over time as outcomes of biosecurity in pig farms. The aim of this study was to gain an insight into the biosecurity implementation in a convenience sample of 15 swine herds, and to describe potential biomarkers of interest; inputs from a systematic evaluation of biosecurity implementation were used to develop tailor-made biosecurity protocols monitored over a 12-month period. The farms' implementation was then described, and animal-based biomarkers were explored as output parameters. A significative biosecurity improvement was observed at the end of the study (p = 0.047), in particular in the professional zone (p = 0.012). Four clusters of farms were identified for their progress on biosecurity implementation by means of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA): 4/15 farms improved their biosecurity only in the professional zone, 8/15 showed scarce/null improvement of total biosecurity, 2/15 worsened their biosecurity, and 1/15 greatly improved biosecurity. The farm biosecurity profiles showing an improvement included farms with a reduction in lung lesions and scars at slaughter at the end of the study. The results suggest that a systematic evaluation of biosecurity is a useful approach to formulate tailor-made biosecurity plans and monitor their implementation; biomarkers might bring insight into the outcomes of biosecurity.

Does Immunocastration Affect Behaviour and Body Lesions in Heavy Pigs?

Immunocastration has been pointed out as an alternative to surgical castration; though, most of the scientific studies were performed in light pig production. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of immunocastration on animal welfare in heavy pig production through the evaluation of behaviour and body lesions. A total of 188 commercial-hybrid pigs were randomly allocated into two treatment groups: surgical castration (SC) and immunocastration with Improvac® (IC). Data on behaviour, body lesions, and salivary testosterone levels were collected the day before each vaccination at 15, 22, 32, and 36 weeks of age. IC and SC pigs were slaughtered at 40 and 41 weeks of age, respectively; productive and carcass traits data were also collected. Considering productive performance, our results confirmed that IC pigs grew faster and presented a higher weight at slaughter. A critical period for pig welfare was observed before 32 weeks: testosterone concentration and body lesion score were significantly higher in IC pigs compared to SC pigs; active behaviours were significantly more frequent in IC at 15 weeks. Immunocastration may represent a suitable alternative to surgical castration with profitable productive performances, whereas the impairment of welfare during the period before the effective vaccination should be further investigated as a potential critical aspect in heavy pig production.

Is the Piglet Grimace Scale (PGS) a Useful Welfare Indicator to Assess Pain after Cryptorchidectomy in Growing Pigs?

Pig cryptorchidism is a congenital anomaly, which requires surgical intervention. Pain assessment in pig farming has some limitations and consumers are increasingly concerned about suffering linked to on-farm procedures. The PGS seems to be a promising tool for pain assessment in piglets, although it has not been investigated whether this tool is applicable to growing pigs. This study was designed to determine whether the PGS could be useful to assess pain in growing pigs undergoing on-farm cryptorchidectomy. Ten mixed-breed cryptorchid pigs were pre-medicated with azaperone and ketamine. Anesthesia was induced and maintained using IV sodium based. Pigs were filmed pre- and 6 h post-surgery to evaluate their behavior (scan sampling every minute). Besides, 36 pictures of the face expressions (18 pre- and 18 6 h post-surgery) were scored with the PGS by three treatment-blind observers. The pre-surgery pig's activity ratio was 59%, while it was 2% 6 h post-surgery. While the PGS inter-observer reliability was excellent (Interclass Correlation Coefficient value of 0.87), the PGS score increased significantly in pigs 6 h post-surgery (Paired sample t-test, p = 0.02). The PGS proved to be a potentially effective method to assess pain associated with cryptorchidectomy. However, further validation studies are required to validate this tool for other potentially painful procedures.