Rebecka Westin

My name is Rebecka Westin and I am a researcher at the Section of Environment, Care and Herd Health, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Skara. I also work part time as a veterinarian on pig farms within the company Gård & Djurhälsan (Farm and Animal Health Service).

In 2004 I became Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and I recieved my PhD in 2014. After my doctoral studies I worked as a post-doc at University of British Columbia in Canada. In 2016 I became a Diplomate of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine, Sub-Specialty Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law (ECAWBM-AWSEL).

My main interests are housing environment, health, behaviour and welfare, primarily in pigs. My own research has focused on use of straw for nest building and maternal behaviour and management around farrowing in pigs, risk factors for lameness in dairy cattle, use of rubber mats and its effect on piglet claw health in piglets, use of straw for prevention of tail biting in pigs etc.

Currently I work in a pilot study, identifying individual differences in nest building behaviour among sows and its effect on piglet survival, and also with a survey about housing conditions and management of new born piglets in Swedish piglet producing farms.

Doctoral Thesis

• Westin, R., 2014. Strategic use of straw at farrowing. Effects on behaviour, health and production in sows and piglets. Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Acta Universitatis agriculturae Sueciae, 1652-6880 ; 2014:69.

Scientific papers

• Wallgren, T., Larsen, A., Lundeheim, N., Westin, R. & Gunnarsson, S. 2018. Implication and impact of straw provision on behaviour, lesions and pen hygiene on commercial farms rearing undocked pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 210:26-37.
• Hernandez, A., Berg, C., Westin, R., & Galina, C. 2018. Seasonal differences in animal welfare assessment of family farming dual-purpose cattle raised under tropical conditions. Animals 8(7): 125.
• Alvåsen, K., Hansson, H., Emanuelson, U., & Westin, R. 2017. Animal welfare and economic aspects of using nurse sows in Swedish pig production. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 4(204).
• Westin, R., Vaughan, A., de Passillé, A. M., DeVries, T. J., Pajor, E.A., Pellerin, D., Siegford, J. M., Witaifi, A., Vasseur, E. & Rushen, J. 2016. Cow and farm-level risk factors for lameness on dairy farms with automated milking systems. J. Dairy Sci. 99:3732-43.
• Westin, R., Vaughan, A., de Passillé, A.M., DeVries, T.J., Pajor, E.A., Pellerin, D., Siegford, J.M., Vasseur, E. & Rushen, J., 2016. Lying times of lactating cows on dairy farms with automatic milking systems and the relation to lameness, leg lesions, and body condition score. J. Dairy Sci. 99, 551-561.
• Westin, R., N. Holmgren, J. Hultgren, K. Ortman, A. Linder, & Algers, B. 2015. Post-mortem findings and piglet mortality in relation to strategic use of straw at farrowing. Prev. Vet. Med. 119:141-152.
• Westin, R., J. Hultgren, & Algers, B. 2015. Strategic use of straw increases nest building in loose housed farrowing sows. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 166:63-70.