This thesis presents three classes of mechanism that may explain reported associations between pet ownership and health benefits. The first suggests any association is noncausal. Studies 1-3 examine candidate factors to explain both health advantages and likelihood of pet ownership. Type A behaviour was hypothesised to be associated with higher risk of illness and lower likelihood of pet ownership. Hardiness was hypothesised to be associated with better health and increased likelihood of pet ownership. Neither hypothesis was supported. The second class of explanation suggests that pets indirectly effect health by acting as social facilitators of human-human interactions. Enhanced social contact may lead to health advantages. Studies 4-6 examine the robustness of the catalysis effect of Pets and its impact on owners' social networks. Whilst the catalysis effect was found to be robust in generating social contacts, these were superficial and not regarded as providing relationship functions likely to enhance health. The third class of explanation suggests pets have direct effects on health through the nature of the relationship with the owner, or through physiological effects such as reduced cardiovascular arousal to stress. Study 7 indicates that pets serve valuable supportive functions for normal children. Study 8 found that young people with autism demonstrate positive behaviours within their relationships with pets which they do not with people. Study 9 found the relationships between people with physical disabilities and their service dogs serve many supportive, as well as instrumental, functions and that this is associated with better self-perceived health. Studies 10 and 11 found no evidence that pet presence moderates cardiovascular reactivity to a laboratory stress task. Little evidence was found of an association between pet ownership and health advantages, although it is clear that pets can be significant and valued relationships for their owners.

This thesis examines the activities of four groups of four sows, allocated to one of two space allocations, in a novel farrowing system design, over parturition and during lactation. The two pen configurations provided 13.4m² (L) and 8.6m² (S) per sow, respectively. A lactation diet providing 14MJ/kg DE and 18% CP was supplied ad libitum via a sow operated feeder, adapted to facilitate the calculation of individual feed intakes. The influence of environmental, physical, management and production factors upon the way in which sows allocated their time to different activities, suckling behaviour, feed intakes and feeding and drinking strategies was investigated. Sows in the small pen area were generally less active than those housed in the large pen configuration. During the first week of lactation, significantly more time was spent lying down (P<0.05) and fewer transitions were made between postures (P<0.001) in the reduced space allocation. Sows in the S pen configuration suckled their piglets significantly more frequently than sows in the L pen area (P<0.001). However, similar daily piglet weight gains were achieved in both the L and S pen configurations. Daily feed intakes of 7.69 kg (s.e. 0.31) and 7.72 kg (s.e. 0.35) were achieved during lactation, by sows in the L and S pen configurations, respectively. This was accomplished by sows taking a series of small feeds throughout the day. Sows in the S pen area made fewer visits to the feeder and spent less time per day feeding, compared with sows in the L pen area. However, more feed was consumed per visit by the S sows, resulting in similar daily feed intakes in both treatment groups. A marked increase in activity during the 24 hours prior to parturition was followed by a sharp reduction during day 1 of lactation in both treatment groups. Thereafter, activity levels increased gradually during week 1 of lactation. Most piglet deaths occurred in early lactation, 65.0% and 67.9% of which were during days 1 to 3 following birth in the L and S pen areas, respectively. Mortality of live-born piglets was unacceptably high at 19.6% in the L and 24.6% in the S pen areas. The relative advantages and disadvantages to sows and piglets within the novel farrowing system are considered in the general discussion.

A programme of work was undertaken to assess the efficacy of a new automated ad libitum feed delivery system for newly weaned pigs; to investigate the effects of liquid feeding on their performance and to explore the possibilities for reducing diet cost by using lower cost liquid components. A series of 28 day feeding trials was conducted using pigs weaned at 24 ± 4 days and fed ad libitum on liquid diets. Compared with pigs fed dry diets, liquid feeding increased feed intake by 109 ± 10 g dˉ¹ (P<0.001) and daily gain by 57± 14 g dˉ¹ (P<0.001). Pig growth and feed conversion ratio was not significantly influenced by dry matter content over the range of 255 - 149 g DM kgˉ¹. However, diets containing less than 220 g DM kgˉ¹ increased effluent output per kg of liveweight gain. Within the liquid feed system a natural lactic acid fermentation occurred which reduced diet pH ≤ 4.0 and inhibited the growth of coliform bacteria. Pigs fed diets in which pH was reduced to ≤ 4.0 by acidification with either lactic acid or Pediococcus acidilactici had daily gains of 496 and 474 ± 17 g dˉ¹ and feed conversion ratios of 1.11 and 1.15 ± 0.06 respectively. A series of laboratory studies was conducted with the aim of upgrading and controlling fermentation of food industry liquid residues for use in liquid diets for weaners. Steeping was investigated as a method for reducing glycoalkaloid levels in reject raw potatoes. A combination of natural fermentation and hydrolysis reduced the levels of α-solanine by 16.6 mg kgˉ¹ (35%) and α-chaconine by 28.7 mg kgˉ¹ (51%) respectively. Diets based on the food industry liquid residues (Whey, 'C'-Starch and Greenwich Gold), were either allowed to ferment naturally or inoculated with Enterococcus faecium or Pediococcus acidilactici. Inoculation with either Enterococcus faecium or Pediococcus acidilactici did not result in a significant difference in the final pH of the diets or in the final populations of microorganisms examined compared with the control. The series of studies demonstrated the potential for improving weaner pigs performance using fermented liquid diets. However, it highlighted the need for further studies to obtain a greater degree of control over fermentation patterns.

Major changes are taking place in all sectors of the livestock and meat producing industries from farm to consumer which impinge on the processes and patterns of livestock distribution from farm to slaughter. These changes are identified and described. A survey of the complete journeys from farm to abattoir of 18,393 slaughterweight lambs sold direct from farm to abattoir, via livestock auction markets and via electronic auctions was conducted. Lambs sold direct from farm to abattoir experienced shorter journeys (in terms of both median duration and distance) than lambs sold through either of the other two channels. Lambs sold through electronic auctions, on average, travelled longer distances but for shorter times than lambs sold through livestock auction markets. Although these results are broadly consistent with the common perception of direct sale lambs experiencing simpler journeys than lambs passing through the other channels, they do not support this view unequivocally. The journeys were diverse in all three distribution channels and ranged from direct and uninterrupted transfer from farm to abattoir (n=4,888) to highly complex itineraries including up to three periods of transportation interspersed with two holding periods at assembly points, staging posts or auction markets (n=l,034). Journeys also included those with between 2 and 8 pickups en route (n=2,369), and those involving holding at assembly points, staging posts or livestock auction markets before transfer to abattoir (n=10,102). A total of 26 different journey structures were identified: 18 in direct farm to abattoir sales, 9 in sales via livestock auction markets and 13 within the electronic auction system. The effect of journey structure on the welfare of slaughterweight lambs (90 transported and 45 non-transported controls) was investigated in an experiment comprising 3 journey types (direct transfer from farm to abattoir, a journey involving 3 additional pickups en route and a journey incorporating holding at a livestock auction market) with non-transported controls held in a pen for the duration of the transport period. Transportation per se affected the liveweight and behaviour of the lambs: transported lambs lost more weight during the transport period and spent less time ruminating and less time lying down than non-transported lambs. Multiple pickup and Market lambs lost more weight and spent less time ruminating whilst lying than Direct lambs. Ultimate carcase pH (pHu) was higher for Multiple pickup and Market lambs than Direct lambs. There were no differences in liveweight loss, ruminating behaviour or pHu between Multiple pickup and Market lambs. Direct and uninterrupted transfer from farm to abattoir is preferable to more complex itineraries, but it is essential to consider journey structure, rather than simply the marketing channel, when judging the impact of livestock transport on animal welfare.

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The resource requirements and social behaviour of pigs housed in large groups were examined in a series of experiments. (i) The nipple drinker requirement was addressed by using four treatments (60 pigs, 3 drinkers; 20 pigs, 1 drinker; 60 pigs, 6 drinkers and 20 pigs, 2 drinkers). Drinker provision had no effect on water use, but in a larger group more water was used in less time (p<0.001). The diurnal pattern of drinking, overt aggression and lesion score indicated no difference between treatments. (ii) Pigs, housed on deep straw in groups of 20 or 80, were provided with a low (50<I> </I>kg/m²) or high (32 kg/m²) floor space allowance. Large groups had a lower growth rate. Skin lesions were elevated and immune response was lowered by a low space allowance. (iii) Two feeder space allowances (32.5<I> </I>and 42.5<I> </I>mm/pig) for pigs housed in groups of 20 or 80 were investigated. Food intake was lower in the low feeder allowance treatments and pigs in large groups tended to have a reduced growth rate. (iv) Pigs from the same pen in an unfamiliar arena maintained a similar degree of proximity regardless of origin group size. (v) Pigs from groups of 80 demonstrated reduced aggressiveness (increased latency to fight, decreased rate of aggression) towards unacquainted pigs in an arena, but showed even less aggression towards pen mates. (vi) No evidence of spatial sub-division of the large group into smaller units capable of maintaining a dominance hierarchy was found. Resource provision and group size largely did not interact, but may independently compromise productivity and behaviour. A large group was associated with a reduction in performance. The dominance hierarchy was of less importance in large groups, despite recognition being intact, and sub-grouping behaviour did not provide an alternative strategy for group social organisation.

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