Avaliação do bem-estar de vacas leiteiras sob a ótica do protocolo Welfare Quality: uma visita diagnóstica

Abstract

The following work’s goal was to analyze the animal welfare condition using the guidelines of the Welfare Quality® protocol and also the quality of the milk of six Holland cows in lactation. The work was developed in a property of Dom Pedrito’s town, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The animals were assessed for a period of three consecutive days during the milking. During this process, milk samples were collected to analyze the protein and fat grades and also the somatic cells count. According to the guidelines, it was found the absence of hungry, thirsty and clinical signs that indicates the occurrence of lesions and sickness, therefore the animals were found in a condition to express their normal behavior. The averages of protein and fat rates were 2.90% and 3.75% respectively. And the average of SCC was 168.000 cells/mL. The results show, by the Welfare Quality® guidelines, that the animals were in a good welfare condition and the milk quality fulfills all the legal requirements by the Normative Instruction of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply.