Animal welfare in intensive livestock production systems.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63618/omd/revinvlid/v1/n3/19Keywords:
animal welfare, intensive livestock production, welfare indicators, livestock sustainability, animal managementAbstract
Animal welfare is a strategic component of livestock sustainability, given its relationship to health, productivity, economic efficiency, and environmental performance in intensive systems. The objective of this study was to analyze animal welfare and its associated factors in intensive livestock production systems in Ecuador and Latin America. A qualitative, documentary, non-experimental, and retrospective longitudinal study was conducted through thematic analysis of scientific publications, technical documents, regulations, and institutional statistics covering the period 2020–2025. The results showed a predominance of indicators related to feeding, housing, and the environment, while health, behavioral, human-animal interaction, and painful practices were less represented. Furthermore, differences were identified among cattle, swine, and poultry systems, along with non-uniform relationships between welfare, productivity, economic efficiency, health, and environmental impacts. The findings suggest that production and health records provide useful information but do not replace direct assessment of the animals nor allow for the interpretation of welfare through a single dimension. It is concluded that assessing welfare requires comprehensive and context-specific models that integrate indicators focused on animals, resources, and management.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Guamán-Rivera, Santiago Alexander, Herrera-Sánchez, Daniela Jaqueline (Autor/a)
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