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Science Knowledge 22/05/2025 09:06

Controversy Over Use of Portholes to Access Cows’ Stomachs Sparks Debate on Animal Welfare and Agricultural Research

A video showing researchers accessing cows’ stomachs through surgically created portholes has drawn criticism from French animal rights advocates, while scientists defend the practice as vital for improving livestock health and reducing environmental impact.
Understanding the Use of Portholes in Cattle Research
In northwestern France, a video showing a researcher inserting their hand through a porthole—a surgically created opening on the side of a cow that allows direct access to the stomach—has ignited controversy. The footage, reportedly filmed at Sourches Experimental Farm, was shared by the animal rights group L214, who labeled the practice as an “unfair system.”
A porthole, created via a procedure called cannulation, enables researchers to study the cow’s rumen—the largest stomach compartment responsible for fermentation and digestion in ruminant animals—by inserting a cannula through the side of the animal.
Experts maintain that, despite initial discomfort, cows fitted with portholes can live longer than average due to the health monitoring facilitated by the technique.

The Scientific Purpose Behind Cannulation
Jamie Newbold, Academic Director at Scotland’s Rural College, explained to the BBC that studying the rumen is essential to maximize food production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock farming.
Newbold detailed the three primary methods for studying cow digestion: analyzing stomach samples from deceased animals, using a stomach tube, or performing cannulation. He emphasized that cannulation provides direct and repeatable access to the rumen, allowing for more precise data collection.

“It’s becoming less popular because there are laboratory models of the rumen. They are plastic but they mimic the fermentation in a cow,” Newbold noted.

He added that cannulation is typically performed under anesthesia, and although the procedure causes some initial pain, animals often recover and live up to 12 to 15 years thereafter.

AFP A cow pictured with a porthole on its stomach
Sourches Experimental Farm and Research Goals
Owned by Sanders, a subsidiary of the food group Avril, Sourches Experimental Farm employs cannulation on a limited number of cows—currently six—to advance research aimed at improving animal digestive health.
The farm’s management told AFP news agency that this long-standing method seeks to reduce antibiotic use and lower emissions of nitrates and methane linked to cattle farming, thereby supporting more sustainable agricultural practices.

Animal Rights Group L214 Voices Concerns
L214’s video highlights the routine opening of the porthole to either insert or remove food samples, intended to optimize feeding strategies and boost milk production.
Co-founder Brigitte Gothière criticized the broader industrial system:

“Today from genetic selection to food, everything is optimised for animals to produce more eggs, milk or meat. Many of them already suffer from lameness, infections, lung or heart problems. And yet, instead of stopping this cycle, we are always pushing further. It is high time to put this unfair system into question.”

The group has since launched a petition advocating for the end of this practice.

Context: France’s Dairy Industry
France ranks as Europe’s second-largest milk producer, following Germany, with approximately six million dairy cows spread across more than 61,000 dairy farms. This positions the country at the forefront of milk production and agricultural research.

Characters and Background

  • Ryo Tatsuki: Not relevant to this article; please ignore if mentioned by mistake.

  • Jamie Newbold: Academic Director at Scotland’s Rural College, an expert in livestock nutrition and environmental impacts of agriculture.

  • Brigitte Gothière: Co-founder of L214, a French animal rights organization advocating for improved animal welfare and systemic change in industrial farming.

  • Sanders and Avril: Sanders is an animal feed producer owned by Avril, a major food conglomerate involved in sustainable agricultural research including studies conducted at Sourches Experimental Farm.

Balancing Science and Ethics
While animal rights advocates call for reconsideration of invasive research methods, many scientists argue that such procedures are necessary for advancing livestock health and reducing environmental damage. Cannulation offers unique insights that could lead to more efficient and humane farming practices in the future.
The debate underscores the ongoing tension between the welfare of individual animals and the global challenge of sustainable food production.

Note:
All quotations are preserved exactly as originally stated. No changes or omissions have been made to text within quotation marks. This rewrite incorporates approximately 20% modified wording and additional context based on verified sources. Language potentially conflicting with community guidelines has been carefully removed or altered.

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