Within the livestock sector, farmers and veterinarians are two groups of people who play a pivotal role in maintaining the health and welfare of animals. How the different welfare needs of farm animals are perceived and prioritised by these two caretaker groups will have direct implications for the animals in their care. People’s perceptions and attitudes directly influence their behaviour, and research has demonstrated that positive attitudes towards animals are paramount to ensuring good animal welfare. The prevention and mitigation of pain is an important component to ensuring good animal welfare, as pain has the potential to negatively affect both physical and mental health. How pain in animals is perceived by farmers and vets will influence how it is managed. Therefore, understanding how farmers and vets: view the capacity of animals to experience pain, perceive the pain severity associated with different conditions and procedures, view the importance of pain mitigation in relation to other welfare needs, and deem the necessity of analgesic use in livestock, is vital. Four separate questionnaire based studies were conducted to assess these attitudes in farmers and veterinarians as well as in agriculture and veterinary students, as these students will be the next generation of farmers and veterinarians. Overall, farmers and vets were found to have positive attitudes towards pain in livestock. Although the capacity of cattle and sheep to feel pain was perceived to be lower than that of humans it was still rated highly. In addition, positive beliefs about the benefits of pain alleviation, the negative impacts of pain on production and welfare, and the importance of prompt treatment and pain management for good welfare were held. Cattle farmers had more positive attitudes towards pain and analgesic use than sheep farmers. This difference was most evident around areas of resource availability, such as time and labour, and the practicalities associated with pain identification and drug provision. Farmers, vets and students perceived lameness to be a painful condition, with the perceived severity of pain being closely related to the perceived severity of the disease. In addition, participants reported a greater emotional reaction in instances where they rated lameness and pain more highly. Furthermore, a positive relationship was found between lameness, pain and emotional reaction scores and the decision to catch a lame sheep for inspection. The majority of students had positive views towards pain in farm animals, believing that: farm animals were capable of experiencing pain, prompt treatment and the provision of pain relief were the two most important elements of welfare, and that farm animals benefit from pain alleviation. However, there was a perceived difference between a number of animal species in their capacity to feel pain, with livestock species being viewed as having a lesser capacity than companion animals and humans. In addition effects of gender were found, with females reporting higher levels of empathy and compassion towards lame sheep, and rating pain higher. Furthermore, female students had a stronger belief that animals were sentient beings than did males. These four studies found that views on pain and analgesic use in livestock were generally positive. However, differences between individuals and between groups were found in a number of areas including how observers perceived the severity of painful conditions and procedures and in the capacity of different animal species to experience pain. These differences in attitudes may affect the decisions farmers and vets make regarding the treatment of pain, which is likely to have implications for farm animal welfare.

This thesis addresses the effects of seasonality of grazing on vegetation dynamics. Background to the thesis is provided by the Hill Sheep and Native Woodland (HSNW) project, a system-scale experiment with the long-term aim of integrating upland sheep husbandry within native woodlands. Sheep husbandry in the HSNW project has involved a change from year-round grazing to off-wintering (grazing on upland areas from April to October only). The potential impact of this change on individual plants, plant communities and the landscape is evaluated. A cutting experiment was run to simulate herbivory in different seasons at the level of the individual plant. In grassland communities, where most species are wintergreen graminoids, interaction between species and seasons in response to cutting was minimal. In mire communities, where species with a range of life-forms and phenologies are present, there was considerable interaction between species and lifeform in response to cutting in different seasons. Non-wintergreen graminoid species recovered more rapidly than wintergreen graminoid species following cutting in spring, but the reverse occurred following cutting in autumn. Dwarf shrubs and forbs were slow to recover from cutting in all seasons in both mires and grasslands. The impacts of three grazing treatments in the HSNW project (unchanged year-round grazing, change to off-wintering, and change to zero grazing) on sward structure and species abundance were monitored. Sward height increased in the ungrazed treatment, but changes in species relative abundance were minimal in the short time-scale of the study. Literature suggests that change in plant species abundance in grazed systems is driven by herbivore selection preference for (or avoidance of) plant species and plant responses to grazing. Experts were interviewed to generate a set of seasonal data on herbivore selection preferences and plant responses, and levels of agreement between experts were assessed. Information was also collated on plant response to herbivory from the cutting experiment (above) and plant trait information from the literature. A qualitative model was developed to predict change in species abundance. It was used to: i) explore patterns of interaction between herbivore preferences and plant responses to grazing; ii) compare short-term predictions of change in abundance made using each of the information sources available; iii) make longer-term predictions using plant trait information. The short-term predictions were tested against the small changes in species abundance that had occurred in the HSNW project. Predictions made with the plant trait information were more accurate than those made with other information. A study of levels of browsing on regeneration was carried out in mature sheep-grazed birch woodlands. It was rare to find regeneration at sites grazed only by sheep, but tree regeneration did occur in the presence of sheep. Seasonal variation in browsing was found to be more related to the presence of cattle than to the presence of sheep. Finally, the findings are collated to make management recommendations for the HSNW project and other systems where seasonal grazing regimes could be beneficial.

Research in animal personality has been increasing over the last decade, as scientists realise its importance to a variety of health outcomes. In particular, personality has been shown to have an effect on immune function, stress, infant survival, overall well-being, morbidity, and mortality. Because of this, personality can play an important role in captive management, especially as stress is often a problem for captive animals. Research has already shown that personality affects captive breeding efforts, enclosure grouping, and stress regulation in some species. Only a few studies have focused on felids, but these have shown that there are possible applications for personality in that taxon. Because most felids are endangered, and because many of them face special challenges in captivity due to their size and biology, this work aimed to increase knowledge on felids, using personality as a framework, with implications for captive management as a target. Focusing on five species, I assessed the personality of domestic cats, Scottish wildcats, clouded and snow leopards, and African lions, and the well-being of the four latter species. With the exception of the domestic cat, there has been little to no personality work in these species, and none on well-being. I then compared the data within and among these species. I found three main personality factors among the species, including dimensions I labelled Neuroticism, Dominance, and Impulsiveness, with some differences, including an Agreeableness factor in some species, and elements of Openness. As in other species, well-being was negatively related to Neuroticism in most of the study species. Taking into consideration each species’ biology, natural history, and genetics, I discuss the implications and importance of using these species’ personality and well-being assessments in both captive management and conservation efforts. The results indicate that, like in humans, a targeted, individual approach to care is the best use of personality for captive animals.

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Whilst there has been a recent increase in interest in using positive reinforcement training for laboratory-housed primates, there remains a reluctance to put into practice training programmes. Much of this reticence seems to stem from lack of expertise in the running of training programmes, and a perception that training requires a large time investment, with concurrent staff costs. The aim of this thesis was to provide practical recommendations for the use of training programmes in laboratories, providing primate users and carestaff with background information needed to successfully implement training programmes whilst improving the welfare of the animals in their care. Training was carried out with two species, cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in three different research laboratories to ensure practicability was as wide ranging as possible. Training success and the time investment required were closely related to the primate's temperament, most notably an individual's willingness to interact with humans, in both common marmosets and cynomolgus macaques. Age and sex however had no effect on an individual's trainability. The training of common marmosets was more successful than that with cynomolgus macaques, possibly due to differences in early experience and socialisation. Positive reinforcement training helped both species to cope with the stress of cage change or cleaning, with the monkeys showing less anxiety-related behaviour following the training programme than before. Involving two trainers in the training process did not affect the speed at which common marmosets learned to cooperate with transport box training, but behavioural observations showed that initial training sessions with a new trainer led to animals experiencing some anxiety. This however was relatively transient. Whilst the training of common marmosets to cooperate with hand capture was possible, there seemed little benefit in doing so as the monkeys did not show a reduced behavioural or physiological stress response to trained capture as compared to hand capture prior to training. However strong evidence was found that following both training and positive human interactions the marmosets coped better with capture and stress was reduced. It is recommended that an increased use of early socialisation would benefit laboratory-housed primates, and would also help improve the success of training. Further, the time investment required shows that training is practicable in the laboratory for both species, and that positive reinforcement training is an important way of improving their welfare likely through reducing boredom and fear.

La contamination des sols agricoles par la chlordécone menace la durabilité de l’élevage de plein air aux Antilles. Afin de maintenir ce dernier tout en protégeant les consommateurs de denrées animales d’origine terrestre, plusieurs stratégies sont étudiées. Ces travaux de thèse sont focalisés sur l’une d’entre elles qui consiste à séquestrer la chlordécone afin de réduire significativement sa biodisponibilité pour l’animal. La démarche expérimentale a été réalisée par étape, elle s’appuie sur trois piliers : des matières séquestrantes carbonées de type biochar ou charbon activé, l’utilisation de sols artificiels et sur le concept de biodisponibilité relative pour évaluer les performances de séquestration. Les essais conduits avec du charbon activé (à base de noyaux de dattes, de coco ou de lignite) ont montré une séquestration de la chlordécone en milieu aqueux ou chez l’animal, mais pour ce dernier cela ne fonctionne que si la chlordécone et la matrice séquestrante ont eu un temps de contact prolongé (ou maturation) avec l’ingestion par l’animal. Ces résultats montrent l’intérêt d’une séquestration in situ, à savoir directement dans le sol contaminé susceptible d’être ingéré par les animaux. Comme le charbon activé a un coût élevé, des matières carbonées a priori moins coûteuses ont été testées : des biochars à base de diverses essences de bois. Ces biochars produits à deux températures de pyrolyse (500 et 700°C) ont été caractérisés d’un point de vue physique (porosité) et sélectionnés via un test in vitro de disponibilité environnementale. Les tests in vivo (sur porcelets) n’ont pas montré que ces biochars sélectionnés étaient aptes à séquestrer efficacement la chlordécone, puisque la biodisponibilité relative n’était pas différente de un (référence = sol standard sans matière organique). La présence de tourbe dans le sol artificiel ne s’oppose pas au piégeage par les matrices carbonées exogènes. Le test in vitro utilisé et le test in vivo donnent des tendances équivalentes de réduction de la biodisponibilité relative, ce qui est intéressant dans une logique de validation du test in vitro. Ces résultats positifs montrent que la stratégie de séquestration par des matériaux hautement carbonés est possible, requiert des propriétés de microporosité et d’accès aux pores proches de celles d’un charbon activé, mais contingents des conditions expérimentales mises en œuvre ils doivent être poursuivis et validés sur des sols dits naturels / The contamination of agricultural soils by chlordecone threatens the sustainability of outdoor farming in the West Indies. In order to maintain the latter while protecting consumers of terrestrial animal products, several strategies are being studied. This thesis is focused on one of them which consists of sequestering chlordecone in order to significantly reduce its bioavailability for the animal. The experimental approach was carried out in stages, based on three pillars: biochar or activated carbon as sequestering materials, the use of artificial soils and the concept of relative bioavailability to assess sequestration performance. Tests conducted with activated charcoal (based on dates kernels, coconut or lignite) have shown that chlordecone is sequestered in an aqueous medium or in animals, but for the latter it only works if chlordecone and sequestering matrix had a prolonged contact time (or maturation) with ingestion by the animal. These results show the interest of in situ sequestration, ie directly in the contaminated soil likely to be ingested by the animals. As activated charcoal has a high cost, a priori less expensive carbonaceous materials have been tested: biochars based on various wood species. These biochars produced at two pyrolysis temperatures (500 and 700 ° C) were characterized from a physical point of view (porosity) and selected via an in vitro environmental availability test. In vivo tests (on piglets) did not show that these selected biochars were able to effectively sequester chlordecone, since the relative bioavailability was not different from one (reference = standard soil without organic matter). The presence of peat in the artificial soil does not prevent trapping by exogenous carbonaceous matrices. The in vitro test used and the in vivo test give equivalent tendencies to reduce the relative bioavailability, which is interesting in a logic of validation of the in vitro test. These positive results show that the strategy of sequestration by highly carbonaceous materials is possible, requires properties of microporosity and access to pores close to those of an activated carbon, but contingent on the experimental conditions implemented, they must be continued and validated on natural soils

La santé du constitue une préoccupation croissante pour les éleveurs, propriétaires, et le grand public, plusieurs rapports ayant récemment souligné les potentiels impacts négatifs des pratiques d'élevage sur la santé des chiens de race (APGAW 2009, Nicholas 2011), au travers de la diffusion d’affections héréditaires par exemple. Ainsi, l’OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, http://www.offa.org) considère que la dysplasie de la hanche affecte au moins 163 races de chiens, avec des prévalences allant de 1,2 à 72,1%. La mise en œuvre de stratégie d'élevage afin de réduire l'incidence des maladies héréditaires et leur impact sur le bien-être constitue une priorité pour les éleveurs et les organisations d'élevage. L'efficacité de ces stratégies dépend toutefois fortement de facteurs tels que leur déterminisme génétique, la disponibilité de diagnostics cliniques ou génétiques efficaces, ainsi que les conditions spécifiques au contexte (la prévalence, la démographie, l'existence d'autres affections, la coopération des éleveurs ...). Par exemple, il a été montré que pour une maladie monogénique récessive, à fréquence égale, l'impact d’une stratégie sur la variabilité génétique sera extrêmement différent en fonction de la race (Leroy et Rognon 2012). Il est important de souligner également que le contexte et le cadre réglementaire de l'élevage varient beaucoup en fonction des pays. A titre d'exemple, en Suède, la proportion importante d'animaux de compagnie assurés (environ 50%) permet la mise en place d’enquêtes sur la santé des chiens à grande échelle (Bonnett et al., 2005), facilitant l'identification des affections impactant le bien-être. En fonction des pays, des mesures différentes de luttes contre les affections héréditaires ont pu être mises en place, pouvant aller de l’incitation à utiliser des reproducteurs sains, à l’interdiction de reproduction pour des individus atteints d’affection problématiques. Dans le cas de dysplasie de la hanche, un système d'évaluation génétique a été mis en œuvre dans certains pays (Allemagne, Suède, Royaume-Uni) pour quelques races, alors que dans certains autres pays, il est encore en cours de développement. Notons qu’un projet préliminaire à la thèse sera mise en place à l’échelle des kennels clubs nordiques (KNU) pour s’intéresser à la valeur ajoutée des échanges internationaux de données généalogiques et de santé. / Dog health constitutes a major concern for breeders, owners, as well as the general public, all the more since several study and reports have recently underlined potential impacts of breeding practices on dog health and fitness (APGAW 2009, Nicholas 2011). According to Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA, omia.angis.org.au) more than 586 disorders/traits have been reported in dogs, with various prevalence and consequences for canine health (Collins et al. 2011, Nicholas et al. 2011). As an exemple, Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA 2011, http://www.offa.org) consider that Hip Dysplasia, a polygenetic trait affected by environmental factors, with variable impact on welfare, affects at least 163 dog breeds, with prevalence ranging from 1.2 to 72.1%. Implementation of breeding plans in order to reduce incidence of inherited disorders and their impact on welfare should be a priority for breeders and breeding organizations. Efficiency of such strategies is however highly dependant on several factors such as inheritance pattern, availability of efficient clinical/genetic test, and specific context conditions (prevalence, demography, existence of other disorders, cooperation of breeders…). For instance, it has been showed that for a monogenic recessive disorder with the same frequency, impact of a given strategy on genetic diversity will be completely different depending on the breed (Leroy and Rognon 2012). It is also important to underline that breeding context and breeding rules are very different according to countries. As an exemple, in Sweden the large proportion of pets insured (about 50%) allows the settlement of large surveys on dog health (Bonnett et al. 2005), leading to the identification of disorders critical to breed welfare. Depending on countries, the control of inherited disorders is implemented through various measures, from breeding recommandations to mating ban. In the case of hip dysplasia, a genetic evaluation system has been implemented in some countries (Germany, Sweden, UK) for a few breeds, while in some other countries, it is still under development. The fact that for many breeds there is an exchange of breeding animals between several countries with different breeding policies constitutes also a critical point to be taken into account, when settling a breeding strategy. Moreover it has been showed that efficiency of genetic evaluation for a polygenic trait such a hip dysplasia could be improved by joint evaluation between different countries (Fikse et al. 2012). For this purpose, a preliminary project, starting 2013 in Sweden, will investigate the interest of exchanging pedigree and health data within the framework of Nordic Kennel Union. The aim of this project is to provide operational tools to improve breed health in an international context, concerning both genetic evaluation and implementation of breeding policies.