000162203 001__ 162203
000162203 005__ 20251017144604.0
000162203 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1017/awf.2025.10012
000162203 0248_ $$2sideral$$a144778
000162203 037__ $$aART-2025-144778
000162203 041__ $$aeng
000162203 100__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-4647-9315$$aEstévez-Moreno, Laura X$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000162203 245__ $$aUnderstanding the human-cattle relationship in mountain cow-calf systems: Insights from Spanish farmers
000162203 260__ $$c2025
000162203 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted
000162203 5203_ $$aIn livestock production, animal welfare is shaped by the quality of the relationship between animals and the farmers with whom they interact. This study investigated the perceptions of Spanish farmers of extensive mountain cow-calf systems regarding the impact of human intervention on animal behaviour, with attention to the human-animal relationship (HAR), farm management strategies, and interactions between animals and unfamiliar people. The research was conducted within the context of cow-calf systems managed under extensive mountain conditions. Seven focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted, involving 60 mountain cattle farmers from Aragon, Navarra, and the Basque Country. The findings of our study demonstrate that the quality of HAR is contingent upon a multitude of variables, which exert a profound influence on the duration, intimacy, and strength of these relationships, particularly in response to environmental conditions, as reflected, for example, in the changing frequency of human-animal interactions during periods of outdoor grazing compared to times of confinement. Farmers also showed interest in understanding animal behavioural responses in different management scenarios to adapt and individualise their strategies. Across all FGDs, participants recognised the farmer’s role in influencing animals to be less reactive or fearful toward humans through their handling style. Finally, the interactions between people and cows extend beyond farmers and their families, incorporating a variety of unfamiliar individuals who also play a role in each cow’s relationships with humans. Therefore, farmers’ perceptions reveal that animals’ responses to humans are not homogeneous but are highly dependent upon context, ontogeny and levels of familiarity.
000162203 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/ETC/EFA144-16/EU/DietaPYR2$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EUR/FEDER/INTERREG-V-A-POCTEFA-2014-2020-EFA144-16-DIETAPYR2
000162203 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es
000162203 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
000162203 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-6106-2577$$aMaría, Gustavo A$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000162203 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-8991-325X$$aSantolaria, Pilar$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000162203 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-2542-3985$$aVillarroel, Morris
000162203 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-6848-1010$$aMiranda-de la Lama, Genaro C$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000162203 7102_ $$15011$$2235$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. CC.Agrar.y Medio Natural$$cÁrea Econom.Sociol.Polit.Agra.
000162203 7102_ $$12008$$2700$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Produc.Animal Cienc.Ali.$$cÁrea Producción Animal
000162203 773__ $$g34 (2025), 11 pp.$$pAnim. welf.$$tANIMAL WELFARE$$x0962-7286
000162203 8564_ $$s515471$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162203/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada
000162203 8564_ $$s3409184$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162203/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada
000162203 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:162203$$particulos$$pdriver
000162203 951__ $$a2025-10-17-14:14:52
000162203 980__ $$aARTICLE