Animal category: Cattle

The Relationship between Animal Welfare and Antimicrobial Use in Italian Dairy Farms

Francesca Mazza, Federico Scali, Nicoletta Formenti, Claudia Romeo, Matteo Tonni, Giordano Ventura, Luigi Bertocchi, Valentina Lorenzi, Francesca Fusi, Clara Tolini, Gian Filippo Clemente, Federica Guadagno, Antonio Marco Maisano, Giovanni Santucci, Loredana Candela, Gianluca Antonio Romeo, Giovanni Loris Alborali

Published in 2021

Scientific paper to evaluate the relationship between levels of animal welfare and the use of antimicrobials in Italian dairy farms. No relationship could be found between these two factors. The use of category B antimicrobials and of intramammary treatments in dry cows were linked to levels of staff training.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Antibiotic resistance, Environment, Livestock farming system, Societal issues

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French Assemblée Nationale: Written answer to question n°39377: Major system failures in abattoirs

Question: Ms Danièle Obono (La France insoumise - Paris). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Published in 2021

Written answer to a parliamentary question on the measures taken by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food in respect of the failings found in abattoirs  and whether a general audit of French abattoirs is under consideration, along with the compulsory publication of annual reports on compliance with standards and regulations.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Fear, Stress

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The effect of pair housing on dairy calf health, performance, and behavior

Katarína Bučková, Radka Šárová, Ágnes Moravcsíková, Marek Špinka

Published in 2021

Scientific paper comparing animal-based indicators for health, productivity and behaviour in individually and pair-housed dairy calves. Housing type did not affect health, feed intake or weight gain, but individually-housed calves placed in a new pen scored higher on movement behaviour than pair-housed calves placed in a new pen. This rebound effect indicates that the individual housing of calves results in activity deprivation.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Housing, Living environment, Stress, Livestock farming system, Welfare indicators

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Precision Technologies to Address Dairy Cattle Welfare: Focus on Lameness, Mastitis and Body Condition

Severiano R. Silva, José P. Araujo, Cristina Guedes, Flávio Silva, Mariana Almeida, Joaquim L. Cerqueira

Published in 2021

A scientific review of recent advances in precision farming to measure animal-based welfare indicators for dairy cows which discusses the possibility of integrating such data into a broader welfare assessment framework.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Pain, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Livestock farming system

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The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Assessing Affective States in Livestock

Suresh Neethirajan

Published in 2021

A scientific review of the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify and then assess emotions in livestock.  These developments call for a multidisciplinary approach that combines affective computing, bioengineering and applied ethology to overcome both theoretical and practical obstacles.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Modelling

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The effects of farming systems (organic vs. conventional) on dairy cow welfare, based on the Welfare Quality® protocol

K. Wagner, J. Brinkmann, A. Bergschmidt, C. Renziehausen, S. Marcha

Published in 2021

Scientific article comparing the welfare levels of German conventional and organic dairy farms, using the Welfare Quality protocol. It shows that organic farms score better on the 4 main Welfare Quality principles, although there is wide variation between farms operating under the same farming system. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement on organic farms in the area of health.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Livestock farming system

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The effects of heat stress on the behaviour of dairy cows - a review

Piotr Herbut,Gundula Hoffmann, Sabina Angrecka, Dorota Godyń, Frederico Márcio Corrêa Vieira, Krzysztof Adamczyk, Robert Kupczyński

Published in 2021

A scientific review reporting on behavioural changes in dairy cows exposed to heat stress conditions and discussing herd management strategies to mitigate the consequences of excessive temperatures on animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Living environment, Livestock farming system

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Prevalence of Potential Indicators of Welfare Status in Young Calves at Meat Processing Premises in New Zealand

Anna L. Palmer, Ngaio J. Beausoleil, Alana C. Boulton, Naomi Cogger

Published in 2021

A scientific paper assessing the welfare of calves in the holding areas of abattoirs in New Zealand, using group and individual animal-based indicators. It proposes relevant indicators, recommending that they should be systematically incorporated into the protocols used to assess the welfare of calves at slaughter.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Consciousness, Fear, Stress

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Slaughter of Pregnant Cattle at an Austrian Abattoir: Prevalence and Gestational Age

Ignaz Zitterer, Peter Paulsen

Published in 2021

Scientific paper to determine the percentage of pregnant cows and heifers slaughtered in a medium-sized Austrian slaughterhouse. The observed prevalences are much higher than estimated (6.4% as against an estimated 2.5%). The article recommends that measures should be taken to avoid sending pregnant cows to slaughter for ethical and public health reasons.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Societal issues, Stress

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National Assembly: Written answer to question n°39648: Mesures d’accompagnement pour le développement des abattoirs mobiles en France

Question: Loïc Dombreval (La République en Marche - Alpes-Maritimes). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Published in 2021

Answer to a parliamentary question on the government's support measures for France's first mobile abattoir project, and whether the recovery plan could help the development of this new slaughtering method.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Carcass quality, Societal issues, Processing

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