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An Indication of Reliability of the Two-Level Approach of the AWIN Welfare Assessment Protocol for Horses.

ABSTRACT: To enhance feasibility, the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) assessment protocol for horses consists of two levels: the first is a visual inspection of a sample of horses performed from a distance, the second a close-up inspection of all horses. The aim was to analyse whether information would be lost if only the first level were performed. In this study, 112 first and 112 second level assessments carried out on a subsequent day by one observer were compared by calculating the Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient (RS), Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), Smallest Detectable Changes (SDC) and Limits of Agreements (LoA). Most indicators demonstrated sufficient reliability between the two levels. Exceptions were the Horse Grimace Scale, the Avoidance Distance Test and the Voluntary Human Approach Test (e.g., Voluntary Human Approach Test: RS: 0.38, ICC: 0.38, SDC: 0.21, LoA: -0.25-0.17), which could, however, be also interpreted as a lack of test-retest reliability. Further disagreement was found for the indicator consistency of manure (RS: 0.31, ICC: 0.38, SDC: 0.36, LoA: -0.38-0.36). For these indicators, an adaptation of the first level would be beneficial. Overall, in this study, the division into two levels was reliable and might therewith have the potential to enhance feasibility in other welfare assessment schemes.

SUBMITTER: Czycholl I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5789302 | biostudies-other | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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An Indication of Reliability of the Two-Level Approach of the AWIN Welfare Assessment Protocol for Horses.

Czycholl Irena I Büttner Kathrin K Klingbeil Philipp P Krieter Joachim J

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 20180105 1

To enhance feasibility, the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) assessment protocol for horses consists of two levels: the first is a visual inspection of a sample of horses performed from a distance, the second a close-up inspection of all horses. The aim was to analyse whether information would be lost if only the first level were performed. In this study, 112 first and 112 second level assessments carried out on a subsequent day by one observer were compared by calculating the Spearman's Rank Co ...[more]

PMID: 29303962

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Project description:Simple Summary Many horses are transported each year to slaughterhouses worldwide and are exposed to journey conditions that can be hazardous and detrimental to their welfare. In this study, hypothesizing that journey conditions would affect the welfare of broken/handled horses traveling toward slaughterhouses, the journey conditions and welfare status of horses on arrival at two slaughterhouses in Italy were described. Injuries (151/613 horses, 24.6%), reluctance to unload (136/613, 22.2%), and nasal (71/612, 11.6%) and lacrimal (62/613, 10.1%) discharges were the most common welfare problems, while journey duration, unloading duration, stopping at control posts, vehicle changes, traveling tied, poor driving experience, improper handling (i.e., beating with sticks), season, arrival temperature, and horse characteristics (i.e., age, BCS, long coat) were their risk factors (i.e., hazards). Our findings could be useful to provide evidence for the policymakers to implement current regulations on the protection of the welfare of horses during transport. Abstract During horse transportation, the journey conditions are considered a welfare risk. This study aimed to document journeys, journey conditions, and welfare status of handled horses on arrival at two different slaughterhouses in Northern and Southern Italy, to find possible associations between journey conditions and welfare problems. The welfare status of 613 draft-breed and light-breed horses from 32 different journeys was evaluated on arrival at the slaughterhouses with a standardized protocol, using animal-based (ABMs) and environmental-based (EBMs) measures. The drivers’ skills and vehicle characteristics were found to be mostly compliant with EC 1/2005. The horses traveled in single bays, 90° to the direction of travel for an average journey duration of 26.5 ± 14 h. On arrival at the slaughterhouses, the horses were unloaded by handlers, via halter and rope. The prevalence of reluctance to unload, injuries, nasal, and lacrimal discharge was 22.2%, 24.6%, 11.6%, and 10%, respectively. Journey duration, unloading duration, vehicle changes, long stops, handlers/drivers’ skills, temperature, season, and horse individual characteristics were associated with horses’ welfare and health status (all p < 0.05). Our study confirms the hypothesis that appropriate journey conditions are of crucial importance to safeguard the welfare of broken/handled horses transported over long distances for slaughter.

Dataset Information

An Indication of Reliability of the Two-Level Approach of the AWIN Welfare Assessment Protocol for Horses.

Publications

An Indication of Reliability of the Two-Level Approach of the AWIN Welfare Assessment Protocol for Horses.

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