56 Section 3
Stress affects the lactic acid content in muscle and also the keeping
ability of meat, having an impact on the quality and eventually profit mar-
gins. Conditions that harm animal welfare negatively affect animal health
and productivity, and damage specific food quality aspects, thereby jeopard-
izing profitability and ultimate product quality (Velarde and Dalmau, 2012).
Initiatives that promote increased profitability in farming produc-
tion systems will and should contribute to welfare improvements. For
example, good welfare and health in dairy cows contribute to reduced
mortality and improved longevity, which result in reduced costs and in-
creased profits.
While there can at times be some conflicts between animal welfare
and efficiency, a One Welfare approach encourages us to explore further
and identify areas where better livestock welfare has beneficial effects on
a number of areas directly affecting farmers’ well-being, such as labour
satisfaction or overall productivity and profit. While animal welfare and
productivity are not always directly correlated, within the same production
system animal welfare improvements can often help to improve profit mar-
gins and productivity. Livestock with good welfare generally will have better
immune systems, which are reflected in decreased levels of disease and lower
need for the use of antibiotics (Broom, 2016). This has an indirect effect on
the use of antibiotics, and supports the global trend to reduce their use to
help prevent antimicrobial resistance, which is becoming a major human
and animal health and welfare problem. The disease and health aspects of
this section are addressed by ongoing One Health efforts alongside issues
where there is a connection between livestock and wildlife disease.
Case Study 15 – The Farming Community Network (by Charles Smith, The
Farming Community, Network, England)The Farming Community Network in England and Wales is a national charity
providing pastoral and practical support for farmers and farming families suf-
fering periods of stress and anxiety caused by issues in the farm business or
within the family. Such issues may be financial; bureaucratic; or related to phys-
ical or mental health, or to animal health and welfare difficulties, relationship
breakdowns or disagreements about succession. Frequently, a combination of
issues occurs simultaneously to create a seemingly insurmountable barrier to
progress (FCN, 2015).
Over the years, strong anecdotal evidence backed up by FCN casework data
has confirmed that there is a strong link between animal welfare and farmer
well-being. This has led many groups to create informal but strong working rela-
tionships with other stakeholders such as the Animal and Plant Health Agency
(APHA), Trading Standards, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (RSPCA), vets and medical practitioners. These relationships have proved
mutually beneficial and led to outcomes that benefitted farmers and animals
alike, while helping to avoid costly and often destructive legal interventions.Continued