Animal category: Cattle

Final Report of an Audit of France carried out from 13 to 24 November 2023 in order to Evaluate the Protection of Unweaned Calves during Long Journeys

DG Health - European Commission

Published in 2025

Audit report on French controls on long journeys by unweaned calves, which concludes that the system is generally well set up, but is limited by certain deficiencies (gaps in procedures, control prioritization not always based on risks, lack of systematic follow-up). It recommends improvements to ensure greater compliance with animal welfare requirements.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines

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Assemblée nationale : réponse écrite à la question n°3103 : Soutenir le droit à l’abattage à la ferme

Question: Mr Jean-Philippe Tanguy (Somme (4th district) - Rassemblement National). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty.

Published in 2025

Following the loss of local abbatoirs; call by a Deputy for the expansion of the practise of on-farm slaughter, which is less stressful for animals and better adapted to local conditions. In response; the government refers to the European health framework, and expresses its support for mobile abattoir projects that comply with the rules: It has also launched a plan to strengthen local abattoir networks.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories:Cattle, Goats, Equines, Sheep

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L’abattage d’urgence à la ferme : enquête sur les modalités de réalisation et proposition d’un guide de bonnes pratiques

Julia Chapelain

Published in 2024

Veterinary thesis report setting out to design a practical guide to assist veterinarians during emergency slaughter. A need for training was identified among students and practitioners. The guide pulls together the regulatory, technical and economic information required for effective intervention in the field.

Document Types: Scientific work

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

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Assemblée nationale : réponse écrite à la question n°2243 : Indicateur de bien-être animal sur les produits alimentaires d’origine animale 

Question: Mr Mickaël Bouloux (Ille-et-Vilaine (8th district) - Socialistes et apparentés). Answer: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty.

Published in 2025

Assembly member Mickaël Bouloux, asks  the French Government about the introduction of animal welfare labelling for products of animal origin. The government favors a voluntary approach, and is working on a labelling trial inspired by that for eggs. The Anses is carrying out an expert appraisal to harmonize standards and ensure that they are appropriate. 

Document types: Regulation/Certification

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

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Validation of qualitative behaviour assessment for dairy cows at pasture

L. Aubé, M.M. Mialon, I. Veissier, A. de Boyer des Roches

Published in 2025

Scientific article testing Qualitative Behavioral Assessment (QBA) as a means to measure the emotional states of dairy cows on pasture, assessing its reliability and ability to distinguish between different emotional contexts. The results show that QBA is able to identify variations in emotion and arousal, although there is room for improvement in inter-observer reliability. 

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

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Évaluation approfondie du bien-être des bovins en unités expérimentales INRAE : le protocole Welfare Quality®

Lydiane Aubé, Marie-Madeleine Mialon, Sarah Barbey, Raphaëlle Botreau

Published in 2025

Technical article proposing an in-depth assessment of cattle welfare in INRAE's experimental units to supplement  regular monitoring, based on Welfare Quality® protocols. This approach includes assessment by external agents followed by an advice phase in which improvements can be identified that are tailored to different types of cattle and farming contexts.

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: Bovines

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Guide to Good Practice: Welfare at Slaughter

BMPA

Published in 2015

Updated Guide to Good Practice: Welfare at Slaughter, which provides advice on how to improve the treatment of animals at slaughter, complementing UK and EU legislation. The guide is intended for food industry professionals.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Category of animals: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Education, Euthanasia

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The role of intrinsic motivation and continuous enhancement on the intention to implement animal welfare practices in dairy farming

Henrike Grotsch, Marcus Mergenthaler, Sarah Kühl, Holger Schulze

Published in 2025

Survey examining farmers' intrinsic motivation, habits and knowledge in relation to the improvement of animal welfare. Policies should encourage a continuous commitment to enhancement, rather than formal programs. 

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords: One Welfare,Societal issues

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Bien-être animal : vers un étiquetage informant les consommateurs ?

Julie Chiron

Published in 2025

Article summarizing the main conclusions of the expert report "Lignes directrices pour l’établissement de référentiels d’étiquetage du bien-être des animaux" (guidelines  for the establishment of animal welfare labelling standards), published by Anses.

Document types: Technical Paper

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

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Identification, Welfare indicators, Housing, Societal issues

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