エンリッチド・肥育牛
Improved Beef Rearing
二宮 茂 東北大学大学院農学研究科家畜福祉学（イシイ）寄附講座 准教授
Shigeru NINOMIYA Associate Professor, Laboratory of Animal Welfare (sponsored by Ishii Corp.),
Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University

I will give the next talk but as I am also

the study of animal welfare and livestock rearing, toacting as chairperson, let me begin byemploy the five freedoms shown on this slide isintroducing myself. After graduating

equivalent to implementing a policy on livestockfrom Kyoto University, I studied atmanagement. The five freedoms are “freedom fromTohoku University, then at the Tokyo

hunger and thirst”, “freedom from discomfort”,

University of Agriculture and“freedom from pain, disease and injury”, “freedom ofTechnology. Now I am back at Tohoku

normal behavior”, and “freedom from fear andUniversity where I work as an Associate Professor in thesuﬀering”.

Laboratory of Animal Welfare, which is sponsored byIshii Corporation.

[Slide 4] With regard to pasturage and the five
freedoms, we heard earlier how these ﬁve freedoms are[Slide 1] Today I would like to talk to you about

realized in the case of cattle grazing on pastureland.

improved beef rearing, or in other words enriched[Slide 5] This is an outline of the pastureland. The

fattening of cattle that pays attention to the animalsʼ

distance from here to here [pointing to the slide] is aphysical and mental health.

little less than 2km. The total area of this zone is 257ha
and the total area of this other zone is 260ha, and there[Slide 2] As Professor Chiba was explaining a little

are also some other smaller zones. The cattle are put

earlier, calves are born in May or June in the pastureland

out to pasture in these zones, where they can moveareas deep in the mountains, and they spend about halfaround freely. This area is grassland, and the sidea year there grazing on pasture until early November. In

marked in a rather pale color, is forest. Even in thethe winter, they cannot feed on pasture because snow

forest, various grasses are growing, although the overall

settles on the ground and the grass stops growing.

volume is not very great. In places where ample food isInstead they are reared in cattle sheds until theavailable, the cattle can graze where they like and eat

following May. Then once again they are let out into theplenty of grass. As was mentioned earlier, since drinking

high mountain pastureland until November, and thenwater tanks are installed, the cattle have no problem inthey come back to the cattle sheds for the winter again,

getting enough water.

then a third summer and autumn of pasturage until
shipment. This method therefore employs a mixture of[Slide 6] Next, from the standpoint of freedom frompasture rearing and cattle shed rearing.

discomfort, is pastureland an appropriate raising
environment or not? As you have seen, under

The cattle are reared in pastureland in this way, andpasturage, the cattle are left outside in a severe natural

they are kept in cattle sheds in this kind of enclosure.

environment, so they have to face some toughNow Iʼd like to talk about the various rearing policies

environmental conditions, although we donʼt know

and about the relationship between these policies andwhat the cattle think about this. Under thisanimal welfare.

environment, they are often exposed to the hot summer
sun, as well as to occasional typhoons and heavy rain,

40[Slide 3] This subject has been introduced many times

but actually cattle are quite capable of adjustingalready, so there is little more that I can add here, but inthemselves to these elements.

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産業動物の福祉と経営[Slide 7] One of our students studied how cattle move

not hurry them or force them to run through the exit,around in the pastureland I was talking about earlier by

and we should be mindful not to scare the animals andcollecting information on their location using GPS

to reduce any factors that cause them fear or stress. It isdevices attached to the animalsʼ collars. From the resultsdifficult to bear these things in mind all the time soof his research, we can see that the cattle adapt

Professor Shusuke Sato and his team are conducting

themselves to their environment. For instance, whenworkshops for the supervisors. Also, at the end of last

the weather is good, they frequent open places like this,month, I heard that the staff from Tohoku Universityand when the weather turns severe, with high wind orattended an animal welfare seminar.

heavy rain, or becomes too hot, they go into the forestand graze on the grasses there. In much the same way[Slide 13] Cattle rearing that employs pasturage in thisas with pigs, which were the subject of some earlier

way is acceptable from an animal welfare perspective

talks, cows are able to cope well with the changing

and we are also paying attention to animal welfare as Iconditions.

have just explained. Next, let me talk about rearing incattle sheds. In sharp contrast with pasturage, the cattle[Slide 8] But although cattle can act by adapting to theare kept in cattle sheds during the wintertime, which isenvironment, we still have to check up on themwhere different kinds of problem occur. Regarding

properly to prevent injuries and disease and also

rearing in cattle sheds from the perspective of welfare

provide them with appropriate treatment. Earlier,and freedom, let us first look at food and water. Since

Professor Chiba explained that we check the animalsʼ

the cattle are kept in cattle sheds where grass does notweight on a monthly basis. But in addition to that, wegrow naturally, they are provided with grass that was

take the opportunity to see them once or twice a week,

harvested during the summer and stored. In order toand at that time we do a brief health check by

fatten the cattle, as was explained earlier, it is usuallyconfirming that they are not walking with a limp andnecessary to give them a lot of grain to make them fatthat they generally look healthy. In addition, since they

enough. But as cattle are animals that naturally eat

are living in pasturage, we carry out parasite removal asgrass, consuming grain places a burden on theirwell. This kind of rearing management and hygiene

metabolism and too much can cause them to develop

management is specified in the action plan as shown

disease. The Japanese Shorthorns that we are rearing

here.

have an advantage in that they can get fat even if they
are fed on preserved grass. So at the Field Science[Slide 9] Regarding freedom of normal behavior inCenter, we feed them mainly preserved grass andpastureland, as you can imagine, cattle have the kind ofprovide grain only as a backup, thereby providing them

freedom of normal behavior I have just described [Slidewith healthy feed. For winter rearing as well, we have10].

installed automatic watering equipment that allows
water to flow out when the part [of the apparatus[Slide 11] As for the ﬁfth item on the list, “freedom fromshown here] is pressed. Since insects tend to get into

fear and suﬀering”, to what kinds of situations does thisthe part, we have to clean it periodically.

apply? How we treat the cattle is stated in thestipulation. [Slide 12] In pasturage, the cattle are left outAs for the provision of an appropriate rearing

on their own most of the time and the occasions whenenvironment, this is also stated in the stipulations. Ascattle and people come into contact are very few andOhara-san has already explained in her talk, in

far between. But when we carry out weight checking or

conventional cattle rearing, a lot of attention has been

health monitoring, we gather the cattle into an

paid to such rearing environments and to the avoiding

enclosure and drive them into a checking passage,of injury and disease which impact on productivity.

where we examine them. This stipulation states how

Examples are; providing heat and air, and ventilation tothe cattle are to be treated in the passage. We should

remove bad smells. Likewise, paying attention to light,

Workshop Ⅲ Welfare and Management of Farmed Animals

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sound and the rearing area as general managementcertain way, is an important behavior. When cattle canʼttasks, as well as calling the vet when animals get sickdo this due to the constrictions of their feeding orand taking disease prevention measures. Another majorrearing environment, they appear to feel stress anddiﬀerence from pasturage is that in cattle shed rearing

frustration, which eventually translates into lower

the animals are not left on their own. So if something

productivity, lower physical functioning, lower

untoward happens, it quickly attracts the attention ofimmunity and poorer appetite. This in turn reduces theirstaff, and we can also check on the animalsʼ healthlearning ability and results in lower overall productivity

during feeding. It is also beneﬁcial that we can go andon the animal side. These two points are the mostsee them immediately at anytime.

important points concerning normal behavior.

[Slide 14] The biggest issue with respect to cattle shed

[Slide 17] Bearing these things in mind, I conducted anrearing concerns the animalsʼ freedom to express

experiment in which I added rearing environment

normal behavior. Unlike with pasturage, the cattle areenrichment to provide an environment that stimulated

kept in enclosed spaces where they are never able tothe cattleʼs normal behavior and I placed recently

express normal behavior. Under these circumstances,

weaned cattle and fattening-stage cattle into this

how to stimulate them into such behavior presents aenvironment. How I did this was, for example, allowingproblem. As was mentioned earlier, broiler chickens

the freedom to engage in attacking behavior, I carried

exhibit pecking and roosting behavior, while pigs dig

out an experiment in which I did not try to control suchthe ground and take mud baths, and we can stimulate

attacking behavior. When cattle are kept as a group,

them into expressing such behavior.

there are always individuals that are weak and that tend
to be bullied as well as those that act as bullies. I set up[Slide 15] In the case of cattle in cattle sheds, the cattle

place separation boards of this size, so that when a bully

perform various kinds of behavior toward each other.

attempted to bully a weak individual, the latter could

This was explained earlier, but the slide shows a list ofslip away through a narrow gap and hide behind anormal behavior. In the case of cattle, normal behaviorboard. When this happened, the stronger bully did notincludes eating, resting, defecating scratching thebother to chase the weak individual through the narrowground, exploring, playing, and performing social

gap to continue the bullying.

activities with their friends, as well as productive
behavior. These things are listed as normal behavior.

I created an environment in which weak individuals

Now, let me explain why these things are necessary.

could escape immediately if they were being bullied.
Also, I created an environment in which cattle could[Slide 16] Since Professor Sato has already explained

scratch their own bodies with a brush. As a result,

this, I will keep my explanation simple. Animals behave

although the precise results differed according to thein order to adapt to the surrounding environment, or inbreed of cattle, the amount of behavior exhibited whenother words, they are capable of adaptation. But when

comfortable and sleep (which serves as an index ofthey are kept enclosed, they are often unable tocomfort) increased. Moreover, the blood cortisol level,

perform their normal behavior. We canʼt know if they

which is an index of physiological stress, declined. The

feel this as pain, but they certainly exhibit symptoms

cattle became friendlier to each other and the numberthat indicate pain and they show the signs of stress.

of fights was reduced. In this experiment, when theenvironment was more comfortable for the cattle, this42

Another vital point is, as Professor Sato explained, thatwas reﬂected in their productivity. When cattle are kept

animals have an internal need to perform importantfor nine months during their fattening period in anbehavior. Such behavior includes pecking for chickens

environment where they can scratch their body with aand digging the ground for pigs. In the case of cattle,

brush or their head with a bamboo broom, and wheretongue play, in which they move their tongues in a

artiﬁcial turf is provided to help them scratch their body,

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産業動物の福祉と経営

we obtained some amazing results. For instance, theprice of their meat in the market increased, as did theprice of their dressed carcasses.
In short, the various aspects of freedom of normal
behavior are not well known, but when we provide anenriched environment with reference to the two points
introduced earlier, this has an actual effect onproductivity. Apart from that, the final results willdepend on the cost of the materials utilized in order toprovide the enrichment. For the Shorthorn cattle at䇼Slide 㪈䇽

Tohoku University we introduced brushes which thecattle began to use immediately on the day after they
were installed. Some of the animals continued to use
these brushes for four or ﬁve months and even stroked
them. So I would guess that these cattle will produce
good meat.
In cattle shed rearing, where the animals are reared as agroup in a narrow space, the group structure isimportant. Also, there are numerous aspects in whichpeople are involved, so how people interact with the䇼Slide 㪉䇽cattle becomes very important. Consequently, people
have to pay attention to animal welfare.
[Slide 18] Finally, and I am sorry that the text of this slide
is a bit mixed up, as Professor Sato was explaining
earlier, animal welfare that considers the animalsʼsituation and keeps them in a physically and mentally
healthy condition can be compatible with fattening
regimes depending on how it is carried out. From amanagement standpoint, it all depends on the cost. I
suggest that the pasturage and cattle shed rearing
method discussed today and rearing methods that

䇼Slide 㪊䇽

emphasize animal welfare can be combined.
That concludes my speech. Thank you very much forlistening.

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産業動物の福祉と経営

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