Exploring longitudinal associations between farmer wellbeing and the welfare of their livestock. The HUNT Study, Norway

Abstract

The One Welfare approach acknowledges the interrelationships between human wellbeing and animal welfare. Early research has suggested associations between stockperson wellbeing and livestock welfare, however these scenarios are complex and challenging to untangle.

In this study, we utilised merged data from over 700 farms to explore associations between farmer wellbeing and livestock welfare. The farms were engaged in cattle, sheep, and/or swine production in Norway between 2017 and 2020. The farmers participated in a general population-based health survey, and livestock welfare was measured using routinely collected, animal-based abattoir observations of over 480,000 animals. We determined a farm’s overall livestock welfare relative to the other farms and calculated within-farm differences in this relative welfare level over time. A subset of enterprises (n=328) with sufficient and non-ambiguous farmer wellbeing information were then used to explore differences in these within-farm differences by farmer wellbeing status. We found that poor farmer wellbeing — whether it was defined by anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, symptoms of psychological distress, or life satisfaction — was associated with a deterioration in overall livestock welfare level (in terms of the mean of the farm’s abattoir observed welfare indicators). There was evidence that this association persisted for at least two years.

Given societal concerns regarding sustainable food production, farmer wellbeing, and livestock welfare, further research is indicated to explore the complex farmer-livestock relationship within the One Welfare framework. This study suggests that using within-farm changes in relative livestock welfare derived from routinely collected information can be a useful approach.