Determination of Dairy Cattle Euthanasia Criteria and Analysis of Barriers to Humane Euthanasia in the United States: Dairy Producer Surveys and Focus Groups

摘要

Making and carrying out euthanasia decisions is a complex, multi-factorial process and effective on-farm euthanasia training tools are needed to increase consistency throughout the dairy industry. This two-part study evaluated the main factors influencing euthanasia practices on dairy farms across the United States using dairy producer surveys (Part I) and focus groups (Part II). Survey results suggest that farm owners are most commonly responsible for making and carrying out euthanasia decisions on-farm and most dairy farmers treat and monitor compromised cattle for a variety of health conditions. Non-ambulatory cattle represent a severely compromised subpopulation of animals; however, they were selected to never be euthanized by 6.3% and 11.7% of survey respondents, respectively. Focus group discussions identified three main themes and 15 subthemes including animal, human and farm operation factors. Animal welfare and health status were frequently discussed and participants readily recognized the multi-factorial nature of on-farm euthanasia. Dairy producers are nuanced in their thinking about euthanasia decision making. However, the high variability in euthanasia timelines represents a significant animal welfare challenge. Training programs that focus on implementing specific standards for euthanasia is a critical next step and more research is needed to understand the factors influencing producer psychological perspectives regarding euthanasia decision making.