0000-0002-9571-8677 About
The subject of my scientific research is interdisciplinary, combining issues in the field of zootechnics and food and nutrition technologies. It takes into account the links in the entire food chain from "field to table", in particular the impact of diversified production systems and animal welfare on the quality of products of animal origin, including the impact of organic rearing methods on the biological value of the product, animal welfare and economy. My research is conducted on selected species of farm animals, mainly poultry.
The welfare and behavior of livestock is an aspect that I pay particular attention to in my research. I divide research work on animal welfare and behavior into research: 1. on measuring and assessing well-being using existing animal welfare indicators, identifying and validating new behavioral and physiological indicators of well-being and pain, developing practical and farm-based welfare assessment protocols and innovative and automatic methods for measuring them, e.g. as early warning signals on a farm or slaughterhouse; 2. Research on improving the level of welfare in production animals: development of housing systems with precisely monitored environmental conditions and offering the animal the opportunity to explore the environment, the impact of breeding related to pain (eg castration or shortening of lamb tails) for well-being, stereotypical behavior in farm animals . In my research, I use innovative sensors and intelligent models to monitor the efficiency of resource use, animal health and welfare and performance measurements, and advanced data collection methods based on the analysis of sound communication between animals or the use of space by animals in different housing systems. Part of the previous scientific work is also related to the study of the effect of prenatal stress on the welfare and behavior of animals and the subject of cognitive behavior, empathy and social relationships in animals.
Research in the field of food technology and nutrition includes a comprehensive development of technology for producing products (raw materials and products) of animal origin of optimal quality (eg microbiological and organoleptic) and high nutritional and health-related values that meet the criteria of functional food, to reduce the risk of population diseases.
Present research activities and interests:
1) On farm animal welfare assessment including development and validation of behavioural and physiological welfare and pain indicators, 2) Design of on farm welfare evaluation protocols (including interactive methods of data collection) for poultry including turkeys, sheep, horses and other species; 3) Commercial poultry husbandry and housing design improvements; 4) Studying effects of husbandry and mutilation procedures on animal welfare i.e. tail docking in sheep; 5) Stereotypic behaviours in various farm species i.e. tail biting in pigs, feather pecking in laying hens or aggressiveness in turkeys; 6) Communication and sound analysis in farm animals; 7) Analysis of the use of space by animals; 8) Effects of prenatal stress on welfare and behaviour; 9) Other interests: cognitive bias; empathy; social network analysis
Employment
Employment history is unavailable.
Education
Education history is unavailable.
Projects & Funding
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PROWELCOW Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine2015 - 2016
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Dairy Cattle Breeding MSc studies Koepon Foundation2008 - 2010
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FreeBirds European Commission
Publications
Publications are unavailable.