Document type: technical summary published byEURCAW Ruminants & Equines
Authors: Brunet Valentin, Fusi Francesca, Bernardo Tiziano, Canali Elisabetta, Ruet Alice, Faye Bernard, Aubé Lydiane
Preview: Pasture access allows ruminants and equines to graze or browse plants, and also provides opportunities to express a large behavioural repertoire, generally increasing animal welfare. Indeed, animals at pasture spend more time moving and exploring, can express social facilitation with their conspecifics, can have improved lying comfort and better social interactions with conspecifics. Pasture access also improves expression of feeding behaviour by increasing the time spent foraging and allows animals to choose their preferred feed. Finally, several benefits on health parameters have been reported, such as a decrease of locomotion disorders, skin lesions, mastitis, and also the possibility of self-medication against parasitism. When access to pasture is restricted (no access at all or no access after a period of grazing), there is generally an increase in abnormal behaviours, which may be associated with changes in physiological and health parameters, indicative of impaired welfare. However, pasture access for ruminants and equines may also present some risks. Nutritional deficiency may occur depending on several factors such as climate, soil properties, variation in feed quality or botanical composition of pasture that can lead to insufficient forage intake (quality or quantity), and also the presence of toxic plants. Thermal stress is another major issue due to extreme hot and cold weather conditions. Ruminants and equines may also be at risk regarding locomotory and health disorders (e.g. parasitism). Finally, to ensure adequate access to pasture, recommendations are provided on feed, water, shelter, disease prevention and walking tracks and roads.
