Table 59.
Summary of the expert elicited distributions for farm‐level ABMs. ABMs were elicited for farms (i) that were implementing best welfare practices (low), (ii) that were considered to have the poorest welfare practices (high) and (iii) that should have corrective action to improve cow welfare
| Farm‐level animal‐based measure | Distributional characteristics of the elicited threshold across experts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | Median | Upper quartile | |
| Whole farm annual mortality (%): low (best practice) | 1 | 1 | 1.5 |
| Whole farm annual mortality (%): high (poorest practice) | 12 | 15 | 16.5 |
| Whole farm annual mortality (%): threshold (corrective action) | 7.75 | 8 | 9.5 |
| Abdomen hygiene score (% score = 4): low (best practice) | 0 | 0 | 0.05 |
| Abdomen hygiene score (% score = 4): high (poorest practice) | 7.5 | 10 | 17.5 |
| Abdomen hygiene score (% score = 4): threshold (corrective action) | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Lameness (gait) score (% score > 1): low (best practice) | 5 | 5 | 5.5 |
| Lameness (gait) score (% score > 1): high (poorest practice) | 42.5 | 45 | 55 |
| Lameness (gait) score (% score > 1): threshold (corrective action) | 20 | 25 | 30 |
| Integument alterations (% score = 1): low (best practice) | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Integument alterations (% score = 1): high (poorest practice) | 57.5 | 62.5 | 65.25 |
| Integument alterations (% score = 1): threshold (corrective action) | 15 | 15 | 20 |
| Rising behaviour score (% score = 1): low (best practice) | 1 | 1 | 1.5 |
| Rising behaviour score (% score = 1): high (poorest practice) | 35 | 40 | 47.5 |
| Rising behaviour score (% score = 1): threshold (corrective action) | 11.5 | 13.5 | 15 |
| Agonistic interactions in feed area (number/cow/h): low (best practice) | 0.025 (a) | 0.2 (a) | 0.3 (a) |
| Agonistic interactions in feed area (number/cow/h): high (poorest practice) | 3.75 (a) | 5 (a) | 6 (a) |
| Agonistic interactions in feed area (number/cow/h): threshold (corrective action) | 1 (a) | 1.25 (a) | 1.5 (a) |
| Agonistic interactions in lying area (number/cow/h): low (best practice) | 0.0075 (a) | 0.01 (a) | 0.0625 (a) |
| Agonistic interactions in lying area (number/cow/h): high (poorest practice) | 0.2625 (a) | 0.4 (a) | 0.5 (a) |
| Agonistic interactions in lying area (number/cow/h): threshold (corrective action) | 0.05 (a) | 0.09 (a) | 0.125 (a) |
| Agonistic interactions in whole area (number/cow/h): low (best practice) | 0.04 (a) | 0.225 (a) | 0.3 (a) |
| Agonistic interactions in whole area (number/cow/h): high (poorest practice) | 5 (a) | 6.5 (a) | 7.125 (a) |
| Agonistic interactions in whole area (number/cow/h): threshold (corrective action) | 1 (a) | 1.65 (a) | 2.125 (a) |
(a)
For agonistic interactions, a value of 1.0 means, that on average each cow is displaced once per hour. Likewise, a value of 0.05 indicates that 5 out of 100 cows are displaced from the cubicles within 1 hour.