The assessment of dairy goats’ welfare in alpine summer ranges

Aim of this study was to evaluate the results of the application of a modified version of the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for goats in alpine farming systems during summer grazing, focusing on inter-observer reliability (IOR) of the indicators and feasibility of the protocol. Three assessors applied the protocol in nine farms exploiting six alpine pastures (APs) in NW Italy. IOR of individual-level indicators was excellent or good, but unacceptable for hair coat condition, probably due to insufficient light conditions that sometimes the assessors faced inside the milking pens. IOR of group-level indicators was unacceptable in most cases. These indicators were collected from a distance, and with limited visibility due to adverse weather conditions, thick vegetation cover or rocky areas, thus explaining the unacceptable reliability. On average, 4 h were needed for the protocol application in each AP. The level of welfare was good. Exceptions regarded the hair coat condition, possibly due to external parasitism, the use of shelter while resting and the level of synchronisation during resting. For the latter, we hypothesise that the time selected for data collection was not ideal, but further studies are required to confirm such hypothesis. The application of the protocol provided useful information about goat welfare in alpine summer ranges but posed issues in terms of feasibility and reliability, especially when considering group-level indicators. Future studies are required to set up a more feasible and reliable protocol for these farming systems, possibly with the aid of Precision Livestock Farming techniques.