HANDLING OF EXTENSIVELY KEPT ANIMALS

The development of modem European agriculture, especially in extensive management systems, leads to an increase in the number of animals per stockman. Thus, the time allocated to each animal by the farmer is de creasing, In extensive management systems animals are often fed by the ir mothers and receive only neutral or aversive contacts from humans ( e.g. sanitary treatment). Many welfare problems related to interaction s between the animals and their caretakers can arise when changing fro m intensive management systems to such extensive environments. Managem ent methods and selection of the appropriate animals are being studied to minimise handling problems and the negative consequences for the h andlers and the animals. Intensive rearing conditions, such as calves drinking milk provided by humans, lead to animals easy to handle with very little aggressive behaviour. By contrast, research on cattle, goa ts and sheep has shown that a lack of human contact when young results in animals which are fearful and sometimes aggressive towards the car etakers. This is especially true for cattle in range conditions. The s tress on the animals is also likely to be increased during particular events such as artificial insemination, veterinary visits or pre-slaug hter handling. It is also suspected that a poor temperament is associa ted with more bruising and dark-cutting on cattle carcases and increas ed mismothering in sheep. Such problems can be reduced by brief and no n aversive handling during particular periods. For example, calves rec eiving 10 days of handling during the first three months of age or jus t after artificial weaning when 8 months of age are easier to handle t han non-handled animals. Another problem associated with a change to e xtensive management systems is the use of breeds not selected for thes e new conditions. Experiments on cattle and sheep have shown an intera ction between genetic and environmental factors. Bulls can produce dau ghters which are aggressive towards humans in range conditions, wherea s other daughters are easy to handle in intensive systems. In the same way, Romanov ewes, well known for their good maternal behaviour in in tensive systems, are easily disturbed at lambing by human presence whe n they are reared in extensive conditions. The use of appropriate gene tic types or of genetic selection for ease of handling in extensive ma nagement would help to improve animal reactions toward human. A herita bility coefficient of 0.22 for this criterion has been calculated for a population of French Limousin cattle.