Browsing by Author "Teixeira, Dayane L."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Is gene editing an acceptable alternative to castration in pigs?
    (2019) Yunes, Maria Cristina; Teixeira, Dayane L.; von Keyserlingk, Marina A. G.; Hotzel, Maria J.
    Male piglets are commonly castrated to eliminate the risk of boar taint. Surgical castration is the commonly used procedure and is known to induce pain. Gene modification targeted at eliminating boar taint in male pigs has been proposed as a possible alternative to surgical castration. The aims of this study were to explore public acceptability of this biotechnology using a mixed methods approach. Quantitative data to assess acceptability of 570 participants from southern Brazil were analysed with multinomial logistic regression models and Spearman correlations; qualitative responses of the reasons provided in support of their position were coded into themes. Just over half of the participants (56%) considered gene modification of male pigs acceptable. Acceptability was lower among participants who grew up in an agricultural environment (rho = 0.02), but was not influenced by sex, age, religion, urban or rural living, or level of education. Acceptability of gene modification of male pigs as an alternative to surgical castration was positively related to the perception of benefits (r = -0.56, rho<0.0001) and negatively related to the participant's perception of risks (r = -0.35, rho<0.0001). Acceptability was not related to knowledge of basic concepts of genetic biotechnologies (r = 0.06, rho<0.14), or to awareness of issues related to pig castration or boar taint (r = 0.03, rho<0.44), both of which were low among participants. Participants that considered gene modification of pigs acceptable justified their position using arguments that it improved animal welfare. In contrast, those that were not in favour were generally opposed to genetic modification. Unforeseen downstream consequences of using genetic modification in this manner was a major concern raised by over 80% of participants. Our findings suggest that perceived animal welfare may encourage public support of gene editing of food animals. However, potential risks of the technology need to be addressed and conveyed to the public, as many participants requested clarification of such risks as a condition for support.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The effect of transferring dairy cows from a group housing system to individual pens for research purposes on behaviour and milk yield
    (2023) Pereira, Fabiellen C.; Teixeira, Dayane L.; Boyle, Laura; Machado, Luiz C. Pinheiro F.; Williams, Richard S. O.; Enriquez-Hidalgo, Daniel
    Context. Cows are often subjected to different environmental and handling conditions for research purposes, and it is important to understand potential behavioural changes, as they may influence research outcomes. Aim. To investigate how a transfer from a group housing system to individual pens affected dairy cow behaviour. Methods. Lactating dairy cows (n = 24), housed in an open-sided barn, were transferred to individual pens for 10 weeks. For another experiment's purposes, cows were assigned to a control or an experimental diet. Measurements were taken before transfer (pre), after transfer to the individual pens (early), in the individual pens (late transfer) and on return to the barn (post transfer). Cows' behaviour was assessed every 10 min for 8 h per day, and whether cows were eating, ruminating or idling was recorded. Occurrences of social interactions were recorded continuously during the last 60-s of every 10-min observation. Lying time was recorded using dataloggers. Locomotory ability assessment and daily milk yields were also recorded. Key results. Ruminating and eating time was not affected by diet type, but decreased after transfer to the individual pens. Only eating time returned to pre transfer values at early transfer. Time that control cows spent idling increased in individual pens, whereas the experimental diet cows spent more time idling in the early transfer phase. Social interactions occurred more often during late and post transfer phases. Cow locomotory ability was not affected by the transfer or by type of diet, but total lying time increased from pre to post transfer, the number of lying bouts decreased from late to post transfer phases, and lying bout duration increased as the experimental period progressed. Milk yield gradually reduced over time, and it was affected by the type of diet. Conclusion. Behavioural changes in dairy cows during transfer between housing systems featured adaptive characteristics and did not seem to be detrimental to the major research.