Animal category: Cattle

Guide describing good practices in dealing with a sick animal and observing possible warning signs for animal welfare issues in a herd, animal welfare visits, how animal welfare can be integrated to a health visit, providing support for a shift towards increased animal welfare measures. It also looks closely at pain management, making the choice whether to transport an animal or slaughter it on site, good end-of-life practices, and how to discuss the longevity of dairy cows with farmers.

Methodology developed by the EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare to produce scientific opinions in response to mandates received from the European Commission under the Farm to Table strategy. These mandates cover the welfare of (i) animals during transport, (ii) calves, (iii) laying hens, (iv) broilers, (v) pigs, (vi) ducks, geese and quails, and (vii) dairy cows.

Practical guide setting out the results of an experiment to test the effects of lavender essential oil on young cattle at the beginning of fattening. It was found to have no effect on stress or the prevention of respiratory diseases, but it did increase GMQ by 200 g during the first month of fattening.

Opinion containing, in particular, proposals on animal welfare: farming systems to be displayed on environmental labels; public aid and subsidies to be progressively adjusted in favour of production methods that support the environment, nutritional quality and animal welfare; implementation at European level of measures to protect agricultural and food products from competition from imported products that do not comply with European standards to be defended.

A report outlining the revisions to the EU organic certification regulations relating to animal welfare, effective from 2022. They have been extended to include new species, such as rabbits and some fish types, and additional stages of production. The report also discusses the announcement of the "EU Organic Action Plan", which aims to have converted a minimum of 25% of agricultural land to organic farming and a significant increase in organic aquaculture by 2030.

Scientific study of the impact of research carried out at INRAE over the last 30 years with the aim of improving the welfare of farm animals. This research has led to the implementation of new national and European regulations, and the adoption of new practices and equipment in animal husbandry.

Scientific review of innovative methods for collecting data on the emotions of farm animals  that can be used to train artificial intelligence models to classify, quantify, and predict emotional states in pigs and cows at individual and group levels.

Scientific review describing the disbudding techniques used in North America on dairy calves and assessing the welfare implications of the different pain-reduction techniques used in the procedure. It identifies the need for research to improve assessment of the pain felt by animals undergoing disbudding, to better understand the effects of xylazine sedation, and to determine other ways to reduce recovery times and the pain experienced by calves following disbudding.

Scientific review of the potential animal welfare risks posed by precision farming, whether these are direct, involving  machinery and equipment, technical failures or the poor choice of indicators, or indirect, involving the end-user, changes to animal housing or management, or a reduction in the consideration of ethical issues.  It calls for the systematic consideration of opportunities and risks when using PE techniques.

Announcement of the publication of the 3rd and final volume on farm animal welfare, produced in association with the MOOC of the same name, and coordinated by the VetAgroSup Chaire Bien-Être Animal.