{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T06:53:14Z","timestamp":1771915994376,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,25]],"date-time":"2015-09-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1443139200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Within the European AWIN project, a protocol for assessing dairy goats\u2019 welfareon the farm was developed. Starting from a literature review, a prototype includinganimal-based indicators covering four welfare principles and 12 welfare criteria was set up.The prototype was tested in 60 farms for validity, reliability, and feasibility. After testing theprototype, a two-level assessment protocol was proposed in order to increase acceptabilityamong stakeholders. The first level offers a more general overview of the welfare status,based on group assessment of a few indicators (e.g., hair coat condition, latency to thefirst contact test, severe lameness, Qualitative Behavior Assessment), with no or minimalhandling of goats and short assessment time required. The second level starts if welfareAnimals 2015, 5 935problems are encountered in the first level and adds a comprehensive and detailed individualevaluation (e.g., Body Condition Score, udder asymmetry, overgrown claws), supported byan effective sampling strategy. The assessment can be carried out using the AWIN Goatapp. The app results in a clear visual output, which provides positive feedback on welfareconditions in comparison with a benchmark of a reference population. The protocol maybe a valuable tool for both veterinarians and technicians and a self-assessment instrumentfor farmers.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani5040393","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,28]],"date-time":"2015-09-28T03:02:55Z","timestamp":1443409375000},"page":"934-950","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":44,"title":["On-FarmWelfare Assessment Protocol for Adult Dairy Goats in Intensive Production Systems"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6134-7759","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Monica","family":"Battini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health (DIVET), Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano,Via G. Celoria, Milan 20133, Italy"}]},{"given":"George","family":"Stilwell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculdade Medicina Veterin\u00e1ria, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica-P\u00f3lo Universit\u00e1rio Alto da Ajuda, Lisbon 1300-477, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Vieira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculdade Medicina Veterin\u00e1ria, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade T\u00e9cnica-P\u00f3lo Universit\u00e1rio Alto da Ajuda, Lisbon 1300-477, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"Barbieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health (DIVET), Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano,Via G. Celoria, Milan 20133, Italy"}]},{"given":"Elisabetta","family":"Canali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health (DIVET), Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano,Via G. Celoria, Milan 20133, Italy"}]},{"given":"Silvana","family":"Mattiello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health (DIVET), Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano,Via G. Celoria, Milan 20133, Italy"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"715","DOI":"10.3168\/jds.2013-6585","article-title":"Exploring the value of routinely collected herd data for estimating dairy cattle welfare","volume":"97","author":"Bokkers","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Dairy Sci."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"428","DOI":"10.5713\/ajas.14.0693","article-title":"Stockmanship competence and its relation to productivity and economic profitability: The context of backyard goat production in the Philippines","volume":"28","author":"Alcedo","year":"2015","journal-title":"Asian-Australas. J. Anim. Sci."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"Regmi, A. (2001). Changing Structure of Global Food Consumption and Trade, Market and Trade Economic Division, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Agriculture and Trade Report."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.3138\/jvme.37.1.83","article-title":"Animal welfare: An aspect of care, sustainability, and food quality required by the public","volume":"37","author":"Broom","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Vet. Med. Educ."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Blokhuis, H.J., Miele, M., Veissier, I., and Jones, R.B. (2013). Improving Farm Animal Welfare: Science and Society Working Together: The Welfare Quality Approach, Wageningen Academic Publishers.","DOI":"10.3920\/978-90-8686-770-7"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"445","DOI":"10.1017\/S096272860002604X","article-title":"Measuring and monitoring animal welfare: Transparency in the food product quality chain","volume":"12","author":"Blokhuis","year":"2003","journal-title":"Anim. Welf."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"FAOSTAT 2015. Available online: http:\/\/faostat3.fao.org\/browse\/Q\/QA\/E."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"774","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.c5892","article-title":"Assessment of welfare on 24 commercial UK dairy goat farms based on direct observations","volume":"167","author":"Anzuino","year":"2010","journal-title":"Vet. Rec."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"385","DOI":"10.7120\/09627286.22.3.385","article-title":"Development and testing of an on-farm welfare assessment protocol for dairy goats","volume":"22","author":"Muri","year":"2013","journal-title":"Anim. Welf."},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"5","article-title":"Conceptual and methodological issues related to welfare assessment: A framework for measurement","volume":"30","author":"Scott","year":"2001","journal-title":"Acta. Agr. Scand. Sect. A-Anim. Sci."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6625","DOI":"10.3168\/jds.2013-7493","article-title":"Animal-based indicators for on-farm welfare assessment for dairy goats: A review","volume":"97","author":"Battini","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Dairy Sci."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"227","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.153.8.227","article-title":"Effect of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme on the welfare of dairy cattle","volume":"153","author":"Main","year":"2003","journal-title":"Vet. Rec."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"179","DOI":"10.1016\/S0301-6226(99)00067-6","article-title":"A review of the animal needs index (ANI) for the assessment of animals\u2019 well-being in the housing systems for Austrian proprietary products and legislation","volume":"61","author":"Bartussek","year":"1999","journal-title":"Livest. Prod. Sci."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"European Food Safety Authority (2012). Statement on the use of animal-based measures to assess the welfare of animals. EFSA J., 10.","DOI":"10.2903\/j.efsa.2012.2767"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"197","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smallrumres.2014.12.009","article-title":"Hair coat condition: A valid and reliable indicator for on-farm welfare assessment in adult dairy goats","volume":"123","author":"Battini","year":"2015","journal-title":"Small Rumin. Res."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Battini, M., Barbieri, S., Fioni, L., and Mattiello, S. (2015). Feasibility and validity of animal-based indicators for on-farm welfare assessment of thermal stress in dairy goats. Int. J. Biometeorol.","DOI":"10.1007\/s00484-015-1025-7"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6597","DOI":"10.3168\/jds.2015-9428","article-title":"Development and validation of a visual body condition scoring system for dairy goats with picture-based training","volume":"98","author":"Vieira","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Dairy Sci."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Battini, M., Barbieri, S., Ferrari, L., Bruni, G., Zanatta, G., Canali, E., and Mattiello, S. (2014). Large Animal Review, Sivar. (In Italian)."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Conti, M. (2014). Ripetibilit\u00e0 Tra Osservatori Di Indicatori Per La Valutazione in Campo Del Benessere Della Capra Da Latte. [Master Thesis, University of Milan]. (In Italian)."},{"key":"ref_20","unstructured":"Can, E.M.A.V. (2015). Welfare Assessment in Portuguese Dairy Goat Farms: On-Farm Overall Feasibility of an International Prototype. [Master Thesis, University of Lisbon]."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dai, F., Dalla Costa, E., Battini, M., Barbieri, S., Minero, M., Mattiello, S., and Canali, E. (2014, January 3\u20135). An innovative tool for on-farm data collection and information sharing. Proceedings of the 6th WAFL Conference, Clermont-Ferrand, France.","DOI":"10.3920\/9789086867981_121"},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"Battini, M., Barbieri, S., Bruni, G., Zanatta, G., and Mattiello, S. (2015, January 9\u201312). Testing the feasibility of a prototype welfare assessment protocol in intensive dairy goat farms. Proceedings of ASPA 21st Congress, Milano, Italy."},{"key":"ref_23","unstructured":"Vieira, A., Battini, M., Ajuda, I., Mattiello, S., and Stilwell, G. (2012, January 23\u201327). Set up of a sampling strategy for the collection of animal-based welfare indicators during milking. Proceedings of the XI International Conference on Goats, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain."},{"key":"ref_24","unstructured":"AWIN (2015). AWIN Welfare Assessment Protocol for Goats, AWIN."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"357","DOI":"10.1016\/S0003-4878(00)00071-5","article-title":"Definition and assessment of sampling and analytical accuracy","volume":"45","author":"Bartley","year":"2001","journal-title":"Ann. Occup. Hyg."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1970","DOI":"10.3168\/jds.2009-2500","article-title":"Sampling strategies for monitoring lameness in dairy cattle","volume":"93","author":"Main","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Dairy Sci."},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"Vieira, A., Battini, M., Ajuda, I., Mattiello, S., and Stilwell, G. (2013, January 4\u20135). Is the collection of animal-based welfare indicators during milking affected by the order of goats entry into the milking parlor?. Proceedings of the UFAW International Animal Welfare Science Symposium, Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain."},{"key":"ref_28","unstructured":"European Food Safety Authority 2009 (2009). Scientific opinion of the panel on animal health and welfare on a request from the commission on the risk assessment of the impact of housing, nutrition and feeding, management and genetic selection on behaviour, fear and pain problems in dairy cows. EFSA J., 1139, 1\u201368."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1978","DOI":"10.1017\/S1751731114002018","article-title":"Navigating the iceberg: reducing the number of parameters within the Welfare Quality\u00ae assessment protocol for dairy cows","volume":"8","author":"Heath","year":"2014","journal-title":"Animal"},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"Welfare Quality\u00ae (2009). Assessment Protocol for Cattle, Welfare Quality\u00ae Consortium."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1188","DOI":"10.1017\/S1751731107000547","article-title":"Aggregation of measures to produce an overall assessment of animal welfare. Part 2: Analysis of constraints","volume":"1","author":"Botreau","year":"2007","journal-title":"Animal"}],"container-title":["Animals"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/5\/4\/393\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T20:49:19Z","timestamp":1760215759000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/5\/4\/393"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,25]]},"references-count":31,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,12]]}},"alternative-id":["ani5040393"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ani5040393","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-2615"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-2615","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,25]]}}}