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"Buller, Henry"
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Animal geographies I
Animal geographies has emerged over the last 15 years as a lively and provocative area of current human/non-human geographical research and scholarship. Yet, while the ‘animal turn’ has arguably impacted widely across a range of social sciences and the humanities, for ‘human’ geography it offers what is potentially a far more fundamental and profound reconfiguration of the discipline’s traditional ontological and epistemological reach, not least given the challenge that the ‘animal’ brings to the exclusivity of geography’s adjectival humanism. This article is the first of three reports on animal geographies. It sets out the development of the subdiscipline, from the mid-1990s onwards, and charts the emergence of what has become a distinctive and innovative field with increasing interdisciplinary connections.
Journal Article
Towards Farm Animal Welfare and Sustainability
As farm animal welfare becomes an increasingly important component of contemporary global livestock production, animal welfare science and animal welfare policy-making need to find new ways of entering global debates over food security and sustainability. In this paper, we explore the means by which both animal welfare science and policy should articulate with these emerging global debates. Having first established the important gains in animal welfare policy and the maturity of animal welfare science, we identify and explore the potential impact of these current debates and argue that they have the potential for profound change in our understanding of, and our response to, the welfare of animals. We conclude the paper with a number of possible recommendations for how a scientifically informed, sustainable animal welfare policy might flourish.
Journal Article
Animal geographies II
Animal geographies challenge not only the place and placing of the human and the animal but, critically, the methods we use to engage with both in relation. This second review considers the various methodological implications of a more-than-human geography and explores the innovative approaches that animal geographers employ to speak with non-human animals.
Journal Article
Food and animal welfare
Drawing together the latest research and a range of case studies, Henry Buller and Emma Roe guide readers on a fascinating journey through animal welfare issues 'from farm to fork'.Animal welfare offers a vital lens through which to explore the economies, culture and politics of food.
eBook
Animal Welfare Management in a Digital World
Although there now exists a wide range of policies, instruments and regulations, in Europe and increasingly beyond, to improve and safeguard the welfare of farmed animals, there remain persistent and significant welfare issues in virtually all types of animal production systems ranging from high prevalence of lameness to limited possibilities to express natural behaviours. Protocols and indicators, such as those provided by Welfare Quality, mean that animal welfare can nowadays be regularly measured and surveyed at the farm level. However, the digital revolution in agriculture opens possibilities to quantify animal welfare using multiple sensors and data analytics. This allows daily monitoring of animal welfare at the group and individual animal level, for example, by measuring changes in behaviour patterns or physiological parameters. The present paper explores the potential for developing innovations in digital technologies to improve the management of animal welfare at the farm, during transport or at slaughter. We conclude that the innovations in Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) offer significant opportunities for a more holistic, evidence-based approach to the monitoring and surveillance of farmed animal welfare. To date, the emphasis in much PLF technologies has been on animal health and productivity. This paper argues that this emphasis should not come to define welfare. What is now needed is a coming together of industry, scientists, food chain actors, policy-makers and NGOs to develop and use the promise of PLF for the creative and effective improvement of farmed animal welfare.
Journal Article
A qualitative exploration of the enablers of and barriers to conformance with antibiotic withdrawal periods on smallholding, peri-urban pig farms in Kiambu County, Kenya
Non-conformance with antibiotic withdrawal period guidelines represents a food safety concern, with potential for antibiotic toxicities and allergic reactions as well as selecting for antibiotic resistance. In the Kenyan domestic pig market, conformance with antibiotic withdrawal periods is not a requirement of government legislation and evidence suggests that antibiotic residues may frequently be above recommended limits. In this study, we sought to explore enablers of and barriers to conformance with antibiotic withdrawal periods for pig farms supplying a local independent abattoir in peri-urban Nairobi. We drew upon semi-structured interviews with farmers and government animal health professionals as well as focus groups which involved private animal health professionals. We also explored farmers’ engagement with antibiotic withdrawal periods by visiting thirteen pig farms (supplying one of two local independent abattoirs) weekly for one month in order to capture instances of antibiotic use. We analysed data using reflexive thematic analysis. All farmers participating in the study demonstrated an awareness of the concept of antibiotic withdrawal periods and described intentions to conform, motivated by caring for others, wanting to prevent harm or a perception that regulation around antibiotic withdrawal periods existed for local independent abattoirs. The antibiotic use practices that we identified showed limited opportunities for non-conformance with antibiotic withdrawal periods. Farmers and veterinarians reported that instances of antibiotic use were uncommon, especially in slaughter-weight pigs, and were mainly restricted to the treatment of clinical signs under the supervision of an animal health professional. Local factors presented barriers to antibiotic withdrawal period conformance including farmers’ economic constraints, lack of formal medicine recording, an absence of consistent abattoir monitoring and resource emergency, such as water scarcity on farms. This study demonstrates the importance of these contextual factors to conformance with antibiotic withdrawal periods. We highlight the need to account for farm-level influences when planning future research and interventions aimed at reducing the presence of antibiotic residues in meat from smallholding pig farms in peri-urban Nairobi.
Journal Article
Current Welfare Problems Facing Horses in Great Britain as Identified by Equine Stakeholders
Despite growing concerns about the welfare of horses in Great Britain (GB) there has been little surveillance of the welfare status of the horse population. Consequently we have limited knowledge of the range of welfare problems experienced by horses in GB and the situations in which poor welfare occurs. Thirty-one in-depth interviews were conducted with a cross -section of equine stakeholders, in order to explore their perceptions of the welfare problems faced by horses in GB. Welfare problems relating to health, management and riding and training were identified, including horses being under or over weight, stabling 24 hours a day and the inappropriate use of training aids. The interviewees also discussed broader contexts in which they perceived that welfare was compromised. The most commonly discussed context was where horses are kept in unsuitable environments, for example environments with poor grazing. The racing industry and travellers horses were identified as areas of the industry where horse welfare was particularly vulnerable to compromise. Lack of knowledge and financial constraints were perceived to be the root cause of poor welfare by many interviewees. The findings give insight into the range of welfare problems that may be faced by horses in GB, the contexts in which these may occur and their possible causes. Many of the problems identified by the interviewees have undergone limited scientific investigation pointing to areas where further research is likely to be necessary for welfare improvement. The large number of issues identified suggests that some form of prioritisation may be necessary to target research and resources effectively.
Journal Article
Antimicrobial use in food-producing animals: a rapid evidence assessment of stakeholder practices and beliefs
Food-producing animals throughout the world are likely to be exposed to antimicrobial (AM) treatment. The crossover in AM use between human and veterinary medicine raises concerns that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) may spread from food-producing animals to humans, driving the need for further understanding of how AMs are used in livestock practice as well as stakeholder beliefs relating to their use. A rapid evidence assessment (REA) was used to collate research on AM use published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2016. Forty-eight papers were identified and reviewed. The summary of findings highlights a number of issues regarding current knowledge of the use of AMs in food-producing animals and explores the attitudes of interested parties regarding the reduction of AM use in livestock. Variation between and within countries, production types and individual farms demonstrates the complexity of the challenge involved in monitoring and regulating AM use in animal agriculture. Many factors that could influence the prevalence of AMR in livestock are of concern across all sections of the livestock industry. This REA highlights the potential role of farmers and veterinarians and of other advisors, public pressure and legislation to influence change in the use of AMs in livestock.
Journal Article
Understanding the Attitudes of Communities to the Social, Economic, and Cultural Importance of Working Donkeys in Rural, Peri-urban, and Urban Areas of Ethiopia
Working donkeys (
) are vital to the development and support of people's livelihoods in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas of Ethiopia. However, despite their critical role in providing transport, food security, and income generation to some of the poorest and most marginalized households, donkey contributions to human livelihoods have been largely unexplored. Donkey users, veterinary surgeons, business owners, and civil servants were interviewed to investigate the role humans play in shaping donkey lives while furthering our understanding of the social and economic impacts of working donkeys to human lives. Findings are discussed through seven guiding themes; donkeys as generators of income, the relationship between donkeys and social status, donkeys and affect, empowerment through donkeys, the role of donkeys in reducing vulnerability and encouraging resilience, donkey husbandry, and gender dynamics all of which gave a broader and richer insight into the value of donkeys. Donkeys are an important support in rural, peri-urban, and urban settings through the creation of economic security, independence, and participation in local saving schemes. In addition, donkeys provide social status, empowerment to marginalized groups such as women and the very poor and provide a sense of companionship. Whether the interviewee was a donkey user or a key informant appeared to influence their views on donkeys and their welfare, as did their location. The variations in views and practices between urban and rural settings suggests that assessing the socioeconomic value of donkeys in different locations within the same area or country is critical, rather than assuming that similar views are held between compatriots. Despite their centrality to many people's lives in Ethiopia, working donkeys often hold lowly status, are misunderstood, and given little husbandry and healthcare.
Journal Article