114. Animal Welfare – A Four- or Two-legged Issue?.

Abstract The North American livestock industry is a vast ecosystem that farms 111M domestic ruminant animals and employs hundreds of thousands of people across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Across this large bionetwork of ruminant livestock systems, animal welfare is perceived and enforced in diverse ways. However, evidence across all industry segments and regions indicates that animal caretaker well-being is closely linked to animal welfare outcomes, and this relationship can influence both the quality of animal care and sustainability of production systems. Improving animal welfare standards and practices has primarily focused on enhancing the animal’s state of welfare and its physical environment, but the influence of caretakers who directly interact with animals on a daily basis has often been overlooked as a focus for solutions. Furthermore, farm workforce retention rates are a common challenge across North American livestock operations, with significant impacts to productivity, economic stability, and animal welfare. A revised approach on addressing animal welfare challenges should include the following caretaker needs and perspectives for improvements in both animal welfare and workforce retention: human-animal interactions, effective employee management, building a positive and professional workplace culture, and empowering caretakers to fulfill their daily tasks with confidence, motivation, fulfillment, and safety.