Animal category: Cattle

Answer to a question on the sale of halal meat without the knowledge of consumers in the absence of specific labelling, and the restriction this will place on  competition. 

Technical report presenting the results of a meta-analysis on the impact of climate change events (e.g. heat stress) on livestock welfare and productivity and on the effect of heat-control strategies on animal performance.

News item containing the statistics for herd sizes in EU member countries in 2021: 142 million pigs, 76 million cattle, 60 million sheep and 11 million goats. French herds accounted for 9% of pigs, 23% of cattle, 12% of sheep and 12% of goats in the EU.

Conclusions of the monitoring committee for the video-monitoring pilot carried out in 5 volunteer abattoirs, all of which were satisfied with the system and wished to keep it. The advantages and disadvantages of this system are listed, and suggestions are made for improvements.

Article on a guide produced by the OSAV and the Swiss Association of Canton Veterinarians, which sets out the criteria for assessing an animal's suitability for transport and describes precautionary measures to ensure careful treatment of the animals. 

Answer to a question on mobile abattoirs, whether they should be authorised by the EU and, if so, whether the EU should provide financial support and launch a pilot project.
Document type: Reply from the European Commission

Publication on the use of big data to improve sustainability and animal welfare in addition to productivity, in dairy farming. If the data is properly managed, it can be used to model early diagnosis and prevention strategies.  This modelling technique has been developed and tested for the assessment of the impact of heat stress.

Article setting out the benefits and limitations of smart farming for the improvement of the living conditions of farm animals. While it makes the farmer's work easier, it is less clear that it has a positive impact on animal welfare.

Scientific paper comparing animal stress responses and meat quality in a small local abattoir and in an industrial abattoir. Values for several stress indicators were lower in the animals treated in the local abattoir, and the appearance and organoleptic qualities of the local abattoir meat were superior.

Scientific paper identifying 14 risk factors associated with one or more welfare indicators during the grazing season on hybrid dairy farms. Many of the risk factors were related to the period spent indoors, suggesting that the potential effects of housing management on welfare persist into the grazing period.