Human-animal interactions and the use of homeopathy in small dairy farms in southern Brazil

Abstract

The behaviour of dairy cows can be influenced by the nature of the treatment they receive from humans.Twenty small farms that produced milk on a pasture system in South Brazil, and used conventional (n=11) orhomeopathic therapeutic methods (n=9) for 1 to 8 years, were compared. Interviews with the farmers, measures of human behaviour (like frequency of naming and speaking to the animals, positive and negative contacts, tying up animals for milking), and cow’s behaviour, were performed. Similar scores for negative and positive human behaviour were found in both groups. The mean flight distance of the cows was smaller in the farms that used homeopathic than conventional treatments (P=0,04). All 9 farms dispensed the homeopathic medicines in the animal’s feed, thus reducing the frequency of aversive handling. The behaviour of the animals and of the humans in both groups suggests that routine interactions were mostly positive or neutral. This may reflect the generally positive farmers’ attitudes regarding the animals and the dairy activity in both groups. The differences observed in this study may be explained mainly by the form of administration of medicaments, that possibly reduce the occurrence of negative interactions between animals and handlers.