Animal category: Cattle

Guide to Good Practice - Controlling the welfare of cattle at slaughter

INTERBEV

Published in 2014

This guide has three main objectives:
- To provide, whatever the size of the establishment, a reference tool for professionals intended to guarantee that the regulations currently in force for animal welfare from the time of unloading until they cease to bleed are followed.
- To put forward interpretations of the requirements that are implicit in the Regulations and to translate new scientific knowledge into good practice.
- To provide a methodological tool for animal welfare management by, on the one hand, making recommendations for management and design and, on the other hand, monitoring methods that can be carried out by operators and that allow each production unit to assess the effectiveness of the measures put in place to maximise animal welfare from the moment they are delivered to the moment they are killed.
An opinion published in the Journal officiel de la République Française on 3 April 2014 validated this guide to good practice for the welfare of cattle at the abattoir in its November 2013 version.

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords: Risk management

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Scientific Opinion on the assessment of dairy cow welfare in small-scale farming systems

EFSA

Published in 2015

This Opinion examines the available information on risks to the welfare of dairy cows in small-scale farming systems in Europe, including the impacts of production diseases. A methodology for assessing welfare in these systems is proposed.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements

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International recommendations for the housing of dairy cows and replacement heifers

CIGR International Commission of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, Structures and Environment Section, Working Group N° 14

Published in 2014

This collection of recommendations on cattle housing pulls together a wide range of scientific data and is based on expert knowledge in a number of disciplines (ethology, climatisation, ergonomics, construction, etc.). It is intended for designers, breeders, builders, etc. of livestock buildings and contains numerous references with calculations relating to the various living areas and equipment.

Document Types: Technical work

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Housing

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Evaluation du guide de bonnes pratiques d’abattage des bovins en matière de protection animale

ANSES

Published in 2013

The Opinion assesses a draft guide and takes into account the available scientific data and practices in other European countries. It identifies scientific and/or regulatory issues and puts forward recommendations supported by scientific evidencefor possible improvements and enhancements to the guide . It also provides answers to a list of detailed questions from the DGAl on particular issues identified by the latter.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Consciousness, Pain, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Fear, Stress

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Ecorner les jeunes bovins efficacement, facilement et sans douleur

Anne Aupiais and Béatrice Mounaix (idele), Marylise Le Guenic and Guylaine Trou (CRAB), Alice deBoyer des Roches (VetAgroSup)

Published in 2016

The dehorning of calves is a practice that can be difficult for farmers. Managing the pain and inflammation caused by this procedure can make it less stressful, not only for the farmer but also for the animals. This booklet provides up-to-date information on good dehorning practices.

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords: Pain, Mutilation

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Castration des bovins : Des conseils pour améliorer la prise en charge de la douleur des veaux et la sécurité des intervenants

A. Aupiais and L. Mirabito (Institut de l’Élevage)

Published in 2018

The castration of cattle is a source of pain for the animals. Depending on the method used, this pain can be more or less immediate and/or chronic. Managing pain during castration improves the animal's welfare while making the procedure safer for the operator. This fact sheet, co-produced by a multi-stakeholder working group, describes the main techniques and recommendations for pain management during castration.

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords: Pain, Mutilation

The IDF Guide to Good Animal Welfare in Dairy Production 2.0

FIL/IDF : L. Mirabito, J J Jago, N. Harding with contributions from O Osteras, W Skippon, H. Dormon

Published in 2019

The updated IDF Guide on Animal Welfare aims to promote the worldwide implementation of good animal welfare practices in dairy production and refers to key standards (OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code and ISO Technical Specification 34700: 2016). It provides recommendations on skills, the feeding and watering of animals, their physical environment, production practices and health management. To assess levels of animal welfare in dairy production systems, examples of outcome measurement criteria are provided.

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Livestock buildings, Pain, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Lactation, Housing, Human-animal relationships, Livestock farming system

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Risk factors and detection of lameness using infrared thermography in dairy cows- a review

Novotna I., Langova L., Havlicek Z.

Published in 2019

Lameness in dairy cows is a worldwide problem, usually a consequence of hoof diseases. Hoof problems have a negative impact on animal health and welfare as well as the economy of the farm. Prevention and early diagnosis of lameness should prevent the development of the disease and consequent high costs of animal treatment. In this review, the most common causes of both infectious and noninfectious lesions are described. Susceptibility to lesions is primarily influenced by the quality of the horn. The quality of the horn is influenced by internal and external conditions such as hygiene, nutrition, hormonal changes during calving and lactation, the animal's age or genetic predisposition. The next part of this review summarizes the basic principles and possibilities of using infrared thermography in the early detection of lameness in dairy cows.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Livestock buildings, Pain, Environment, Living environment, Stress

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Régulation des émotions chez l’animal d’élevage : focus sur les acteurs neurobiologiques

Menant O., Destrez A., Deiss V., Boissy A., Delagrange P., Calendreau L., Chaillou E.

Published in 2016

The issue of the emotions of farm animals is part of a wider drive to improve farming conditions by taking animal welfare into account. The genesis of emotions derives from the cognitive capacity of individuals to perceive, evaluate and react to their environment. …. The parts of the brain involved in the neural network for emotions are linked to the perception and processing of information from the environment, and/or in the expression of emotional responses. ... . In light of this, it is now necessary to study the effects of early experiences on the development of the neural network for emotions and to better understand the role of cognitive evaluation in the genesis of emotions.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords: Anxiety, Consciousness, Brain integration, Metacognition, Neurogenesis, Stress

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Bien-Etre animal

INRA

Published in 2007

Special issue on Animal Welfare, containing 14 original articles on aims, methodology and purpose, ethical foundations, variants for different species, how it is perceived by the animal industries.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords: Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Living environment,Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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