Abstract Animal welfare assurance is of great importance as dairy farming is recently under increasing pressure to meet societal and commercial expectations. Therefore, this study aims to determine the current welfare situation of dairy cattle housed in tie-stalls and free stalls in South Tyrol (Eastern Italian Alps) in order to evaluate the need for establishment of an animal welfare assurance programme. For reasons of research economy, a protocol was used for data collection that would also be applicable for practical use in an animal welfare assurance scheme. Analyses of resource-based and animal-based indicators recorded in 204 farms in North and South Tyrol (1891 dairy cows) reveal some important animal welfare problems mainly related to the provision of resources and the prevalence of skin alterations especially in tie-stall barns, which are still widely spread in mountain areas. Hence, the implementation of an animal welfare assurance scheme is urgently needed to reflect public concerns through regular and standardised monitoring of welfare indicators and continuous encouragement of improvements in dairy cattle welfare towards predefined targets. Concerning tie-stalls, interventions in stall design as well as the selective use of local breeds best adapted to the mountainous conditions appear to be appropriate measures to optimise dairy cattle health and welfare. These findings substantiate the high value of the data that would be collected as part of the assurance programme to gain insights, which could be used in preventive and corrective health plans to improve welfare-friendliness in dairy farming of South Tyrol. Highlights An adverse effect on animal welfare in tie-stalls was pointed out, even though this housing system is still widely spread in the Alpine region. An animal welfare assurance programme for dairy cattle is urgently needed in South Tyrol, where some welfare problems currently exist. Regular and standardised monitoring of indicators encourages improvements in dairy cattle health and welfare.

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评估南蒂罗尔奶牛场动物福利保障计划的必要性

摘要 动物福利保证非常重要，因为最近奶牛养殖面临着越来越大的压力，以满足社会和商业期望。因此，本研究旨在确定南蒂罗尔（意大利东部阿尔卑斯山）圈养畜栏和自由畜栏内奶牛的当前福利状况，以评估建立动物福利保障计划的必要性。出于研究经济的原因，使用了一个协议来收集数据，该协议也适用于动物福利保证计划的实际应用。对北蒂罗尔和南蒂罗尔 204 个农场（1891 头奶牛）中记录的基于资源和基于动物的指标的分析揭示了一些重要的动物福利问题，主要与资源提供和皮肤改变的流行有关，尤其是在牛栏牛舍中，至今仍广泛分布于山区。因此，迫切需要实施动物福利保障计划，通过对福利指标进行定期和标准化监测，并不断鼓励奶牛福利朝着预定目标改善，从而反映公众的关切。关于平栏，畜栏设计的干预以及有选择地使用最适合山区条件的当地品种似乎是优化奶牛健康和福利的适当措施。这些发现证实了作为保证计划的一部分收集的数据的高价值，以获得洞察力，这些数据可用于预防和纠正健康计划，以提高南蒂罗尔奶牛场的福利友好度。亮点 有人指出，即使这种圈舍系统在阿尔卑斯地区仍然广泛传播，也会对动物福利产生不利影响。在目前存在一些福利问题的南蒂罗尔，迫切需要一项针对奶牛的动物福利保障计划。定期和标准化的指标监测可促进奶牛健康和福利的改善。