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Food, fibre and pharmaceuticals from animals
REVIEW (Open Access)

Cattle welfare aspects of production systems in the tropics

Adalinda Hernandez https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8989-6429 A * , Carlos S. Galina B , Mariana Geffroy B , Jens Jung A , Rebecka Westin A and Charlotte Berg A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 234, 532 23 Skara, Sweden.

B Departamento de Reproducción, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México.

* Correspondence to: adalinda.hernandez@slu.se

Handling Editor: Andrew Fisher

Animal Production Science 62(13) 1203-1218 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN21230
Submitted: 6 May 2021  Accepted: 24 January 2022   Published: 21 February 2022

© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

There is a growing demand for animal products, especially food for human consumption, including in developing countries in tropical regions of the world. Simultaneously, animal welfare and a reduced environmental impact are increasingly important to modern consumers and non-consumers. Increased efficiency of existing animal production systems is key to meeting the growing demand of animal products without ignoring societal concerns. Adequate animal welfare can play an important role in improving production and addressing consumer demands. This review describes the main cattle production systems in the tropics and considers how they meet the need for transparent animal welfare conditions. Several challenges to overcome are highlighted, including lack of information about the real cattle welfare status in the tropics. Adequate assessment protocols and improvements in animal nutrition, infrastructure, animal health and farming-related education need special attention in the region. Better animal welfare could improve tropical animal production in terms of productivity, and increase the volume of meat and milk delivered. It could also guarantee consumer acceptance and future consumption of animal products, secure incomes, alleviate poverty and reduce migration to urban areas and countryside abandonment.

Keywords: animal welfare, beef, Bos indicus, cow, dairy, developing countries, subsistence farming, welfare assessment.


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