Visual assessment of body condition and skin soiling in cattle by professionals and undergraduate students using photo slides

Abstract

We aimed to study to what extent body condition and skin soiling in cattle are rated differently depending on the profession, education and professional experience of assessors. Data were collected at 15 group-training sessions in the years 2009–2016. Totally, 569 persons; Swedish animal welfare inspectors, veterinarians/advisers, animal welfare scientists, other animal professionals as well as undergraduate students in animal science rated a set of 6–40 photos with respect to animal body condition, animal skin soiling, and recommended corrective action in response to perceived animal soiling. The more extensive animal science education, the less prone animal welfare inspectors were to give higher body condition scores. Students had a higher overall probability of rating the degree of soiling higher than the animal welfare inspectors and veterinarians/advisers. Students also recommended stricter corrective actions than did welfare inspectors and veterinarians/advisers, and veterinarians/advisers recommended less strict actions than animal welfare inspectors.