Dr Jonathan Amory

Jon is an animal welfare scientist experienced in using technology to monitor the health and well-being of livestock and other animals.

[email protected]

Background

Jon is an Associate Professor in Animal Behaviour and Welfare with a passion for sharing his subject with absolutely anyone. He is a firm believer in the power of diversity and has brought together many different groups of individuals from academia, industry and other groups to solve problems relating to our management of animals including early diagnosis of disease in dairy cattle, social groupings of sows, nutritional solutions to reducing pig stress and clinical problems in our pets.

He believes that our students are the key to solving these issues and teaches the importance of research through sound methods of analysis and communication, in addition to undergraduate and postgraduate animal behaviour and welfare classes.

Research interests

• Use of technology to monitor the health and well-being of livestock and other animals
• The welfare of an animal within a social network
• Nutritional solutions to health and welfare concerns in livestock
• Improving the welfare of zoo animals
• Knowledge Exchange solutions for better livestock production and welfare

Areas of research supervision

Jon welcomes enquiries from prospective research students in the areas of his research interests and has previously supervised the following projects:

• PhD supervision (first supervisor) Sarah Jowett, 2016-2021: ‘Effects of dynamic management on social behaviour and production of sows’.
• PhD supervision (first supervisor) Holly Hodges, 2013-2018: ‘An investigation of social structure in housed dairy cows’.
• PhD supervision (co-supervisor) Hannah Scott-Browne, 2016-2018: ‘Morphometric analysis of beef animals’.
• PhD supervision (co-supervisor) Hannah Nicola Blackie 2005-2009: ‘Lameness in dairy cattle’.

Teaching

• BSc (Hons) Animal Management
• BSc (Hons) Animal Science
• MSc Animal Welfare and Conservation

Qualifications

• Certificate in Foundation Studies (Education), University of Central Lancashire
• PhD Animal Science, Harper Adams University College
• MSc Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare, University of Edinburgh
• BSc (Hons) Animal Science, University of Leeds

Memberships, editorial boards

Member of the Universities Federation of Animal Welfare (UFAW)

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• 2023: Co-I, Dairy Cow Heat Stress Within Building Microclimates with Reading/Essex/Cardiff/Writtle. £1.24 million, BBSRC. Grant Ref: BB/X00824X/1
• 2023: Zoo and Wildlife Teaching and Research Development Project with Colchester Zoo. £14,782, Research England KE fund.
• 2023: Precision Sheep Management Innovation Centre with AgriWebb. £24,675, Research England KE fund.
• 2022: Enabling future sow nutrition research to include an investigation of the impact of a probiotic registered to be used in pigs has on the microbiome with Kemin Ltd. £48,000, Research England KE fund.
• 2022: Pig Behaviour and Welfare Innovation Centre with HIPRA Ltd and Kemin Ltd. £30,000, Research England KE fund.
• 2022: Video Library for Behaviour and Training Professionals with Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) and Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC). £27,000, Research England KE fund.
• 2021-22: Zinc oxide replacement trial in weaned pigs with Kemin Ltd. £10,000.
• 2020: Pig water sanitisation trial using Clorious 2 solution with Brenntag and Genco Water Ltd. £6,000.
• 2017-2018: PI, Real time monitoring of livestock using animal-mounted multi-sensor technologies, joint SRUC/Writtle/Essex project. £500k, SARIC. Grant Ref: NE/P008011/1
• 2015: Effects of trough space on pig productivity and behaviour. £9,000, British Pig Executive commissioned trial.
• 2013-2016: PI, Cow Tracking project using Omnisense local positioning technology to develop early disease detection system using mathematical modelling of dairy cow behaviour. £820k, BBSRC Animal Welfare: Measures and Assessment. Grant Ref: BB/K002376/1
• 2014: PhD Fellowship in dairy cow welfare. £45,000, Farm Animal Welfare Trust.
• Sept 2011: Research experience placement, Use of local positioning tracking sensors in monitoring the behaviour of dairy cows. £2,500, BBSRC.
• Dec 2010: Innovation voucher for work with Cambridge Temperature Concepts (CTC). £3,000, East of England Development Agency.
• Sept 2010: Research experience placement: Investigating use of a modified chain for environmental enrichment in commercial finishing pigs. £2,500, BBSRC.

Selected recent publications

Jowett, S. L., Barker, Z. E. and Amory, J. R. (2023) ‘Preferential associations in an unstable social network: applying social network analysis to a dynamic sow herd’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1166632

Chopra, K., Hodges, H. R., Barker, Z. E., Vázquez Diosdado, J. A., Amory, J. R., Cameron, T. C., Croft, D. P., Bell, N. J., Thurman, A., Bartlett, D. and Codling, E. A. (2023) ‘Bunching behaviour in housed dairy cows at higher ambient temperatures’, Journal of Dairy Science [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2023-23931

Barker, Z. E., Bell, N. J., J Amory, J. R. and Codling, E. A. (2022) ‘Developments in automated systems for monitoring livestock health: lameness’. In: Berckmans, D. (Ed) (2022) Advances in precision livestock farming. London: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.

Jowett, S., Barker, Z. and Amory, J. (2022) ‘The structure and temporal changes in brokerage typologies applied to a dynamic sow herd’, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 246, 105509. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105509

Jowett, S. and Amory, J. (2021) ‘The stability of social prominence and influence in a dynamic sow herd: A social network analysis approach’, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 238, 105320. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105320

Miller, G. A., Mitchell, M., Barker, Z. E., Giebel, K., Codling, E. A., Amory, J. R., Michie, C., Davison, C., Tachtatzis, C., Andonovic, I. and Duthie, C.-A. (2020) ‘Using animal-mounted sensor technology and machine learning to predict time-to-calving in beef and dairy cows’, Animal, 14(6), pp. 1304–1312. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731119003380

Chopra, K., Hodges, H. R., Barker, Z. E., Vázquez Diosdado, J. A., Amory, J. R., Cameron, T. C., Croft, D. P., Bell, N. J. and Codling, E. A. (2020) ‘Proximity Interactions in a Permanently Housed Dairy Herd: Network Structure, Consistency, and Individual Differences’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.583715

Diosdado, J. A. V., Barker, Z. E., Hodges, H. R., Amory, J. R., Croft, D. P., Bell, N. J. and Codling, E. A. (2018) ‘Space-use patterns highlight behavioural differences linked to lameness, parity, and days in milk in barn-housed dairy cows’, PLOS ONE, 13(12), e0208424. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208424

Barker, Z. E., Vázquez Diosdado, J. A., Codling, E. A., Bell, N. J., Hodges, H. R., Croft, D. P. and Amory, J. R. (2018) ‘Use of novel sensors combining local positioning and acceleration to measure feeding behavior differences associated with lameness in dairy cattle’, Journal of Dairy Science, 101(7), pp. 6310–6321. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-12172

Amory, J. and Wainwright, N. (2018) ‘Welfare of pigs during finishing’. In: Wiseman, J. (Ed.) (2018) Achieving sustainable production of pig meat, Volume 3: Animal health and welfare. Cambridge: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited.

Diosdado, J. A. V., Barker, Z. E., Hodges, H. R., Amory, J. R., Croft, D. P., Bell, N. J. and Codling, E. A. (2015) ‘Classification of behaviour in housed dairy cows using an accelerometer-based activity monitoring system’, Animal Biotelemetry, 3(1), pp. 15. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-015-0045-8

van Veggel, N. and Amory, J. (2014) ‘The impact of maths support tutorials on mathematics confidence and academic performance in a cohort of HE Animal Science students’, PeerJ, 2, e463. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.463

Barker, Z., Wright, J., Blowey, R., Amory, J. and Green, L. (2012) ‘Uptake and effectiveness of interventions to reduce claw lesions in 40 dairy herds in the UK’, Animal Welfare, 21(4), pp. 563–576. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7120/09627286.21.4.563

Owen, Y. and Amory, J. R. (2011) ‘A Case Study Employing Operant Conditioning to Reduce Stress of Capture for Red-Bellied Tamarins (Saguinus labiatus)’, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 14(2), pp. 124–137. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2011.551625

Blackie, N., Bleach, E., Amory, J. and Scaife, J. (2011) ‘Impact of lameness on gait characteristics and lying behaviour of zero grazed dairy cattle in early lactation’, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 129(2–4), pp. 67–73. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2010.10.006

Blackie, N., Amory, J., Bleach, E. and Scaife, J. (2011) ‘The effect of lameness on lying behaviour of zero grazed Holstein dairy cattle’, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 134(3–4), pp. 85–91. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2011.08.004

Barker, Z. E., Amory, J. R., Wright, J. L., Mason, S. A., Blowey, R. W. and Green, L. E. (2009) ‘Risk factors for increased rates of sole ulcers, white line disease, and digital dermatitis in dairy cattle from twenty-seven farms in England and Wales’, Journal of Dairy Science, 92(5), pp. 1971–1978. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2008-1590

Amory, J. R., Barker, Z. E., Wright, J. L., Mason, S. A., Blowey, R. W. and Green, L. E. (2008) ‘Associations between sole ulcer, white line disease and digital dermatitis and the milk yield of 1824 dairy cows on 30 dairy cow farms in England and Wales from February 2003–November 2004’, Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 83(3), pp. 381–391. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2007.09.007

Barker, Z. E., Amory, J. R., Wright, J. L., Blowey, R. W. and Green, L. E. (2007) ‘Management Factors Associated with Impaired Locomotion in Dairy Cows in England and Wales’, Journal of Dairy Science, 90(7), pp. 3270–3277. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2006-176

Amory, J. R., Mackenzie, A. M., Eckersall, P. D., Stear, M. J. and Pearce, G. P. (2007) ‘Influence of rearing conditions and respiratory disease on haptoglobin levels in the pig at slaughter’, Research in Veterinary Science, 83(3), pp. 428–435. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2007.01.012

Amory, J. R., Mackenzie, A. M. and Pearce, G. P. (2006) ‘Factors in the housing environment of finisher pigs associated with the development of gastric ulcers’, The Veterinary Record, 158(8), pp. 260–264.

Amory, J. R., Kloosterman, P., Barker, Z. E., Wright, J. L., Blowey, R. W. and Green, L. E. (2006) ‘Risk Factors for Reduced Locomotion in Dairy Cattle on Nineteen Farms in The Netherlands’, Journal of Dairy Science, 89(5), pp. 1509–1515. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(06)72218-4

Hosey, G. R., Skyner, L. J. and Amory, J. R. (2003) ‘The effect of visitors on the self-injurious behaviour of a male pileated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus)’, Der Zoologische Garten, 74, pp. 38–41.

Cockram, M. S., Kent, J. E., Goddard, P. J., Waran, N. K., Jackson, R. E., Mcgilp, I. M., Southall, E. L., Amory, J. R., Mcconnell, T. I., O’Riordan, T. and Wilkins, B. S. (2000) ‘Behavioural and Physiological Responses of Sheep to 16 h Transport and a Novel Environment Post-transport’, The Veterinary Journal, 159(2), pp. 139–146. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1053/tvjl.1999.0411

Amory, J. R. and Pearce, G. P. (2000) ‘Alarm Pheromones in Urine Modify the Behaviour of Weaner Pigs’, Animal Welfare, 9(2), pp. 167–175. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0962728600022508

Cockram, M. S., Kent, J. E., Waran, N. K., McGilp, I. M., Jackson, R. E., Amory, J. R., Southall, E. L., O’Riordan, T., McConnell, T. I. and Wilkins, B. S. (1999) ‘Effects of a 15h Journey Followed by Either 12h Starvation or Ad Libitum Hay on the Behaviour and Blood Chemistry of Sheep’, Animal Welfare, 8(2), pp. 135–148. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0962728600021473

Recent presentations and conferences

Jowett, S., Amory, J. R. and Barker, Z. E. (2019) 'The social structure of a dynamic sow herd', Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Easter Meeting, York.

Hodges, H., Barker, Z. E., Vasquez-Diosdado, J., Codling, E., Croft, D., Bell, N. and Amory, J. R. (2019) 'The application of a local position system to social network analysis in dairy cattle', Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Easter Meeting, York.

Glover, J., Amory, J. R., Lumbis, K., and Blackie, N. (2016) 'Effects of single and double feeder space on the feed intake and growth performance of pigs post-weaning from four to eight weeks of age', Advances in Animal BioSciences. Animal Science for a Sustainable Future, 7(1), 106.

Hodges, H., Barker, Z. E, Vasquez-Diosdado, J., Codling, E., Bell, N., Croft, D. and Amory, J.R. (2015) 'A comparison of the behaviour of lame and non-lame dairy cows using novel local positioning sensors with 3d accelerometers, Advances in Animal Bioscience. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. 136.

van Veggel, N. and Amory, J. R. (2014) 'The impact of maths support tutorials for higher education animal science students', British Society Animal Science AGM, Nottingham.

Lazutkaite, E. and Amory, J. R. (2014) 'Diners' attitudes towards broiler chicken welfare', British Society Animal Science AGM, Nottingham.

Amory J. R. (2013) 'Current views in Animal Welfare', SPANA Anglophone countries regional meeting, College of Veterinary Medicine, Bishoftu, Ethiopia.

Hetland, I. and Amory, J. R. (2013) 'Do farmed juvenile mink (Mustela vison) prefer multiple tube platforms of wire or plastic construction?', British Society Animal Science AGM, Nottingham.

Langdon, K. and Amory, J. R. (2012) 'The effect of radio on the welfare and behaviour of sows and their piglets in farrowing crates', British Society Animal Science AGM, Nottingham.

Stevens, H. and Amory, J. R. (2011) 'The effect of a two-step weaning method on the behaviour of six-month old Belgian Blue crossbred beef calves', British Society Animal Science AGM, Nottingham.

Media experience

Interviews for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 on livestock behaviour and welfare issues.