A method of assessing welfare in loose housed dairy cows at farm level, focusing on animal observations

The aim of the present paper is to describe the framework of a new method f or assessing dairy cows' welfare at farm level. In contrast with TGIs, the method is based on observations of animals and leads to several scores acco rding to the needs of the animals. We started with five general needs. Thes e were the five freedoms: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from disc omfort; freedom from pain, injury or disease: freedom to express normal beh aviour; and freedom from fear and distress. These were further subdivided i nto 16 basic needs. A list of the 49 indices, or welfare-indicators, most c ommonly measured in animals (behaviours, injuries etc.) was produced and th e patterns each index can have were described. Each pattern was rated on a value-scale with regard to any need. On this basis frequencies within a her d reflecting a very low, low, high or very high level of welfare were deter mined, allowing us to attribute a score to a given herd for any pattern. We then proposed to pool the scores obtained by a herd for all patterns of a given index into a single score for that index. To this end. we defined log ical rules that limited compensation between scores. Step by step, the info rmation can be pooled to obtain a single score for indices that are closely related, for basic needs, and finally for each of the five freedoms. Ways to validate such a method are discussed. The method can be used in a survey to detect relations between environmental conditions and animal welfare. I t can also be used in connection with dairy farm labelling.