Long-term stability of Avoidance Distance tests for on-farm assessment of dairy cow relationship to humans in alpine traditional husbandry systems

The present study investigates the long-term stability of two behaviour tests used to evaluate the human–animal relationship as well as gather information to refine on-farm welfare assessment protocols in alpine husbandry systems. Two tests, Avoidance Distance (AD) and Avoidance Distance at the Feeding rack (ADF) were performed on 50 lactating cows, bred in a loose housing system, following a protocol validated for dairy cows in the Welfare Quality® project. AD was performed on each animal at three different times: at the end of the indoor housing period just before the grazing period (AD_bg); during the outdoor summer grazing period in mountain ranges (AD_dg); and at the beginning of the indoor housing period, just after the grazing period (AD_ag). ADF was performed on the same cows only during the housing period, at the bottom of the valley, before (ADF_bg) and after (ADF_ag) the grazing period. Values of AD_ag (113.93 ± 21.21 cm) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those observed in AD_bg (71.07 ± 14.63 cm) and in AD_dg (77.68 ± 18.11 cm). No statistical significance was pointed out between AD_bg and AD_dg. A similar trend was recorded also for ADF, which was significantly higher after the grazing period (ADF_bg vs ADF_ag: 25.00 ± 6.80 vs 47.50 ± 8.72 cm; P < 0.05). The summer grazing period seems to affect the reaction of cows towards humans, and AD and ADF are not consistent throughout the year. Certification of on-farm welfare in alpine husbandry systems, therefore requires performing these tests at the end of the indoor period, to gain better insight of the human–animal relationship for the environment in which cows live most of the year.