Challenges and Pathways in Dissemination and Adoption of Better Practices for Dairy Cattle Welfare in India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijapm.2024.40.SI.20Keywords:
dairy farming, animal welfare, sustainableAbstract
The rapidly growing global human population, currently at 8 billion (UN, 2022), poses significant challenges to food and nutritional security. Livestock, especially dairy production, has the potential to play a transformative role in addressing these challenges by converting low
value, inedible resources into essential animal source foods such as milk, meat, and eggs. Despite ongoing efforts to enhance productivity in this sector, there are growing concerns about the ethical implications, particularly regarding animal welfare. The rising consumer awareness and changing attitudes toward the treatment of farm animals have made animal welfare a crucial factor in modern dairy farming. The welfare of dairy animals is not only a matter of ethical concern but is also closely linked to the efficiency of production systems and the quality of the end products. In the Indian context, where dairy cattle hold both economic and cultural significance, the reality often contrasts with the ideal, as evidenced by the high number of stray cattle and compromised animal welfare. Addressing these challenges is essential for the sustainability of dairy farming, and this can be achieved through the integration of welfare-oriented management practices. Such practices include proper feeding, breeding, housing, health management, and humane handling during transportation. By adopting these strategies, which also align with changing consumer preferences, dairy farming can become more sustainable and economically viable, benefiting both animals and farmers.
References
Adamczyk, K. (2018). Dairy cattle welfare as a result of human-animal relationship – a review. Annals of Animal Science, 18(3): 601- 622
Aggarwal, A. and Upadhyay, R. (2013). Heat stress and milk production. In: Heat Stress and Animal Productivity, Springer, India. pp. 53-77
Ahsan, M; Hasan, B; Algotsson, M. and Sarenbo, S. (2014). Handling and welfare of bovine livestock at local abattoirs in Bangladesh. Journal of Applied Animal WelfareSciences 17: 340–353
Alam, M; Gregory, N; Uddin, M; Jabbar, M; Chowdhury, S. and Debnath, N. (2010). Frequency of nose and tail injuries in cattle and water buffalo at livestock markets in Bangladesh. Animal welfare 19: 295–300
Anjali, K. B. and Senthilkumar, R. (2020). Constraints as perceived by Vechur cattle farmers of Kerala. Journal of Krishi Vigyan, 8(2):
29-34
Annabelle, B; Kathryn, L; Proudfoot; Marina, A.G, and Von, K. (2020). Symposium review: Considerations for the future of dairy cattle housing: An animal welfare perspective,
Journal of Dairy Science 103(1): 5746- 5758
BAHS. Basic animal husbandry statistics (2019). Department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries. Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, Available from, 2019
Calamari, L; Calegari, F. and Stefanini, L. (2009). Effect of different free stall surfaces on behavioural, productive and metabolic parameters in dairy cows. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 120(1-2): 9-17
Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries. (2019). 20th Livestock Census. https://dahd.nic.in/documents/statistics/livestoc k-census
Bayvel, A. D. and Cross, N. (2010). Animal welfare: a complex domestic and international public policy issue—who are the key players?. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 37(1): 3-12
Bhatt, N; Singh, N. P; Mishra, A. K;Kandpal, D. and Jamwal, S. (2021). A detailed review of transportation stress in livestock and its management techniques. International Journal of Livestock Research 11(1): 30-41
Broom, D. M. (2010). Animal welfare: an aspect of care, sustainability, and food quality required by the public. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 37:83–88
Burdick, N. C; Carroll, J. A; Hulbert, L. E; Dailey, J. W; Willard, S. T. and Vann, R. C. (2010). Relationships between temperament and transportation with rectal temperature and serum concentrations of cortisol and epinephrine in bulls. Livestock Science, 129(1-
3): 166–172.
Choudury, R. R. and Deka, R. J. (2016). Dairy animal welfare: Review on scientific concept and assessment methodologies. Indian Journal of Animal Production and Management, 32(3-4): 140-149.
Fox, M.W. (1999). India’s Sacred Cow: Her Plight and Future. Animal Issues 3:1-35. Available online:https://ro.uow.edu.au/ai/vol3/iss2/1 (acce ssed on 5th July 2024).
Fraser, D. (2003). Assessing of animal welfare at
farm and group level: The interplay of science and values. Animal Welfare, 12(4): 433–443.
Grandin, T. (1987a). Animal handling. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice 3 (2): 323-338
Gupta, J; Subash, S. and Mandi, K. (2020). Constraints Faced by Dairy Farmers in Adoption of Animal Welfare Practices in Uttar Pradesh. Advances in Research, 21(9): 55–59
Guzmán-Luna, P; Mauricio-Iglesias, M; Flysjö, A. andHospido, A. (2022). Analysing the interaction between the dairy sector and climate change from a life cycle perspective: A review. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 126: 168-179
Harrison, R. (1964). Animal Machines. London, UK, Vincent Stuart, 1st ed., 186 pp.
Kang, B. (2003). The Milky Way. Outlook 10th March 2003. Available online: http://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/s tory/the-milkyway/219289
Kaur, J; Jadoun, Y. S; Singh, J. and Kansal, S. K. (2022). Constraints perceived by dairy farmers in adoption of animal welfare management practices. Journal of Community Mobilization. 17(1): 221-226
Kennedy, U; Sharma, A. and Phillips, C. J. (2018). The sheltering of unwanted cattle, experiences in India and implications for cattle industries elsewhere. Animals, 8(5): 64
Kumar, C; Kamboj, M. L; Chandra, S, and Kumar, A. (2017). Dairy cattle welfare in India: A review. Asian Journal of Dairy and Food Research, 36(2): 85–92
Kumar, K; Chander, M; Dixit, V. B. and Tripathi, H. (2020). Constraints Perceived by Buffalo Farmers in Interaction with Information Providing Stakeholders. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics and Sociology, 38(11):199-205
Mandi, K; Subash, S; Koloi, S; Kumar, R. and Singh, N. P. (2020). Analysis of Animal Welfare Practices Adopted by Gaushalas (Cow Shelters) in Karnataka State. International Journal of Livestock Research, 10(2): 20-29
Mandi, K. and Subash, S. (2022). Adoption of Animal Welfare Practices by Selected Gaushalas (Cow-Shelters) in the State of Karnataka, India. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics and Sociology, 40(11): 365-372
Medhi, D; Paul, V. and Hussain, M. (2016). Feeds and Feeding strategies for Dairy Animals ICAR National Research Centre on Yak, Dirang, West Kameng District Arunachal Pradesh-790101, India Technical Bulletin: pp 19-20.
Mullan, S;Bunglavan, S. J; Rowe, E; Barrett, D. C; Lee, M. R. F; Ananth, D. and Tarlton, J.(2020). "Welfare Challenges of Dairy Cows in India Identified Through On-Farm Observations" Animals, 10(4): 586.
Nair J. (1986). Many Faces of Drought. Economic and Political Weekly 21:767–769.
National Code of Practices for Management of Dairy Animals in India. Available online: https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.i n/sites/default/files/in_files/engli sh national-dairy-code.pdf (accessed on 10 July 2024)
OIE (2008). Animal welfare in terrestrial animal health code. World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Paris Section 1(7): 235-319
Owusu-Sekyere, E; Hansson, H;Telezhenko, E; Nyman, A, K. and Ahmed, H. (2023). Economic impact of investment in animal welfare– enhancing flooring solutions – Implications for promoting sustainable dairy production in Sweden. British Food Journal, 125(12): 4415- 4444
Ponnusamy, K and S P Lal. (2015). Challenges and opportunities in promoting good dairy farming practices. Indian Journal of Dairy Science, 68 (4): 305-310
Ponnusamy, K., Rajiv Baliram Kale, Sohanvir Singh, Manjit Panwar and Teena Saini. (2017). Socio-economic pattern of fodder markets in urban and peri-urban areas. Range Management and Agroforestry, 38 (2): 266-273
Ponnusamy K, Singh V and Chakravarty R. (2021). Research in agricultural extension: Review of its contribution and challenges. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 91 (6): 430–437
Poonia A, Payasi, A. and Kumar, D. (2014). Management issues and prospects of dairy industry in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Asian J. Dairy Food Res., 33(3): 159-165
Ran, W; Chong, X. B; Cheng, W. R; Hong Ru, G. and JunJie, C. (2010). Design and implementation of an intelligent environmental monitoring system for animal house based on wireless sensor net (WSN). Jiangsu Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 26(3): 562-566
Rathod, P. and Dixit, S. (2020). Dairying in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh: Constraints to realizing the potential. The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 90(1): 3-11
Rathore, A.K. (2007a). Animal genetic resources: Conservation and improvement. In: proceedings of National Symposium on Role of Animal Genetic Resources in Rural Livelihood Security, held at Ranchi, Jharkhand, India, February 8-9, 2007, pp 89-100
Sahu, D; Mandal, D. K; Hussain Dar, A; Podder, M. and Gupta, A. (2021). Modification in housing system affects the behavior and welfare of dairy Jersey crossbred cows in different
seasons. Biological Rhythm Research, 52(9): 1303-1312
Sarkar, A. and Dutta, A. (2020). Challenges and opportunities of dairy sector in India vis-à-vis world: a critical review. Exploratory Animal & Medical Research, 10(1): 9-17
Singh, B; Oraon, J; Pandey, A; Anand, M.and Rewani, S. (2017). Dairy animal welfare in calf rearing practices and the constraints experienced by the farmers in following the practices. International Journal of Livestock Research, 7(10): 53-58
Singh, A. K; Yadav, D. K; Bhatt, N; Sriranga, K. R. and Roy, S. (2020). Housing management for dairy animals under Indian tropical type of climatic conditions-a review. Veterinary Research International, 8(2): 94-99
Sharma, M. (2015). Bottlenecks in adoption of feeding practices for dairy animals in district Kapurthala. Journal of Krishi Vigyan, 3(2): 12-18
Smith, J; Sones, K; Grace, D; MacMillan, S; Tarawali, S. and Herrero, M. (2013). Beyond milk, meat, and eggs: Role of livestock in food and nutrition security. Animal Frontiers, 3(1): 6-
13
Sprynchuk, N; Voronetska, I; Yudova, O; Korniychuk, O. and Zadorozhna, I. (2023). Priority areas for the development of field fodder production in view of the climate crisis. Ekonomika APK, 30(6): 34-44
Szűcs E; Jezierski T; Kaleta T; Ábrahám C; Poikalainen V; Sossidou E. and Praks J. (2006).Ethical views concerning how to treat animals. Part A: Social concerns. Chapter IV. In: Geers R, Madec F, editors. Livestock
Production and Society. Wageningen Academic Publishers; Netherlands: pp. 65–67
Thornton, P. K. (2010). Livestock production: recent trends, future prospects. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, B365:2853- 2867
Turnbull, J. and Barua, M. (2022). Living waste, living on waste: A bioeconomy of urban cows in Delhi. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 48(3): 474-490
United Nations. (n.d.). Global issues: Population. UnitedNations. Available online: https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/population
Yeates, J. W. and Main, D. C. (2008). Assessment of positive welfare: A review. The Veterinary Journal, 175(3): 293-300
Yadav, B; Pandey, V; Yadav, S; Kumar, V. and Sirohi, R. (2016). Effect of misting and wallowing cooling systems on milk yield, blood and physiological variables during heat stress in lactating Murrah buffalo. Journal of Animal Science and Technology,58:1-10
Yadav, R; Yadav, S. K; Singh, A. K. and Singh, P. (2021). Constraints and way forward for boosting income from dairy farming in India: A review. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, 27(8): 55-64
Vohra, K. (2012). The Plastic Cow. Karuna Society for Animals and Nature; 34 min. Top Documentary Films. Available online:http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/plastic
cow/
Wagh, R. U; Patil, R. A. and Padghan, P. V. (2017). Present scenario of draught animal power utilization in Aurangabad district. Journal of Pharmacognosy Phytochemistry, 6(6): 88-92
Whay, H.R; Main, D.C.J; Green, L.E and Webster A.J.F. (2003a). Animal-based measures for the assessment of welfare state of dairy cattle, pigs and laying hens: Consensus of
expert opinion. Animal Welfare, 12: 205- 217
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) (2011). Terrestrial animal health code, chapter 7.8. Available at: http://web.oie.int/eng/normes/mcode/en_chapitr
e_1.7.8.htm.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
How to Cite
