WELANIMAL Animal welfare is our culture Animal welfare

WELANIMAL Animal welfare is our culture Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Tsvetana Harizanova Marya Peneva

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Farm animals – necessary resources for livestock farming Producing food for human consumption Production process - farm animal welfare Laws and regulations about the animal welfare

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Farm animal welfare standards influence production costs The aim of the paper is to analyse the interactions between the economic effectiveness of livestock production and animal welfare in the pig breeding and cattle breeding.

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Public concern leads to higher animal welfare standards Raising welfare standards result in cost increase The animal welfare and production costs relationship is complex

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Improved animal welfare could decrease the costs Farmers could compensate the increased costs by increased income, obtaining price premiums for products that are perceived to be associated with high welfare

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms PIG BREEDING The intensive systems aims to produce more piglets per a year The problems – the piglets are not mature enough and their digestive system is not adapted to anything but mother’s milk.

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Necessity to feed the sow with enough, well balanced forage in order to produce milk The level of feeding is one of the indicators of animal welfare

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms The next 3 figures perform • the influence of weaning age on weaning weight and weight at 42 days post weaning • the influence of weaning age on finishing mortality • the influence of weaning age on finishing weight

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Conclusion: The data show that piglets, which are weaned 21 days, have highest weight at 42 days post weaning, highest finishing weight and lowest finishing mortality.

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms CATTLE BREEDING Cow’s welfare - basic factor for economic effectiveness of cattle breeding Factors and technological elements, from which depend the economic effectiveness: level of milk productivity, environment, concentration of the production, feeding …

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Economic effectiveness in pig breeding Farm animal welfare - the efforts which animals make in order to cope with the environment The adaptation and the stress process influence the production results

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Early weaning - short-lasting stress - classical weaning Economic point of view – Increase of production costs Decrease the profit and economic effectiveness

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Poor welfare of the sows lead to the mastitis which is limiting factor in piglet production Improving animal welfare increase the profit possibilities and economic effectiveness

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Economic effectiveness in cattle-breeding Poor welfare of cows may lead to sub clinical mastitis Loss of milk Need of medical treatment Increase of variable costs Decrease revenues and economical effectiveness

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms Conclusion: Animal welfare and production costs interaction in pig and cattle breeding is complex. If the farmers wants to be competitive and to deliver higher standards products should improved the animal welfare in their farms.

Animal welfare and Economic effectiveness in Bulgaria and EU farms THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION Tsvetana Harizanova Institute of Animal Science, Kostinbrod, Bulgaria E-mail: ts_harizanova@abv. bg Marya Peneva University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria E-mail: peneva_mm@yahoo. co. uk