Two Irish veterinary students who have been awarded a prestigious fellowship to pursue research furthering global food security, sustainable animal production and environmental sustainability.

The students from University College Dublin have embarked on new research projects which discuss the factors that cause stress in both sheep and dairy cows, and the implications the stress has on the animal’s performance and productivity.

There are two organisations who are funding this fellowship, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.

The students will look into animal stress intervention methods over the course of the project, to try and enhance animal welfare and promote sustainable animal production.

Projects

Cathal O’Scanaill

Cathal’s project is about factors that can stress sheep such as shearing, lambing, transportation and other physiological factors, resulting in compromised animal welfare and reduced productivity.

Farmers commonly use heart rate measurements to identify stress in sheep. O’Scanaill is measuring iris-to-pupil ratios to determine if this technique is more effective than heart rate measurements.

His research seeks to help farmers quickly assess when to implement stress intervention measures to enhance animal welfare.

Erin Scannell

Erin’s project looks at how stress due to calving, heat, vaccination or other physiological causes can compromise animal welfare and productivity in dairy cows.

Scannell is also measuring iris-to-pupil ratios to determine if it is more effective than heart rate measurements in helping producers identify stressed cows and expedite intervention measures.