Welfare of dairy cattle in silvipastoral system

Abstract

In addition to the growing demand for dairy products, recently the population has given greater importance to issues such as sustainability and animal welfare. Thus, producers are adapting to the demands of the consumer market through systems to produce sustainably and quality of life for animals, besides being economically efficient. The silvipastoral system allows combining forestry and livestock activities, and so increasing production efficiency. Among the main benefits of this production system are soil conservation and water resources, the promotion of carbon sequestration and increased biodiversity. In addition, animals raised in this system have a lower risk of thermal stress due to shadow arising from afforestation, favoring animal welfare. Therefore, the silvipastoral system represents a suitable alternative to the production of dairy cattle, once lactating cows need ideal climatic conditions to express their genetic potential, resulting in high production performance. In this way, this study aims to gain a better understanding on the establishment of dairy cattle in silvipastoral system and the influence on their welfare.