Good practices for handling animals on farms are relatively well-known and widespread. Yet, farmers sometimes face special situations where routine handling methods do not apply: A difficult birth, one or more animals panicking when moved to a new paddock, an animal refusing to be milked, high stress when animals are sent to the slaughterhouse. In such situations, it is often difficult to know how to react and what to do so that both human and animal resolve the problem as efficiently and calmly as possible.
The aim of this project is to document the practices used by farmers in such situations. The chosen approach consists in visiting farms and conducting a short farm tour where an open discussion takes place. This is followed by a guided discussion using a pre-established questionnaire, focusing on the relationship between humans and animals and the communication between them.
The answers to the questions are anonymized, and the questionnaires completed on all farms are summarized. After drawing up an inventory of the practices used to deal with particular situations, the project includes the organization of a workshop where farmers can share their know-how and discuss new ideas.
Because each farm is unique, both in terms of the people who run it and of the animals who live there, the aim of the project is not to create a "set of rules on animal handling". Rather, we aim to create a guide that presents the range of existing practices, from which farmers can draw information and examples, in a way that suits their own farm.
Project manager
