Animal category: Equines

Beyond Minimizing Suffering: A Comparative Review of Positive Welfare Assessment in Fish and Terrestrial Farmed Animals

Papadaki K, Samaras A, Hoorweg FA, and Pavlidis M

Published in 2026

Review highlighting the growing interest in positive animal welfare indicators, but noting a lack of research in aquaculture.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

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Review: How Do We Measure Animal Welfare On Farm? Indicators, Proxies, and Gold Standards

C.M. Dwyer, G.H.M. Jørgensen, J.-M. Gautier

Published in 2026

Literature review concluding that the assessment of animal welfare in livestock production should prioritize animal-based measures — particularly behavioral indicators — in order to better understand an animal’s mental state and daily experiences. Current assessment methods still fail to incorporate positive welfare and quality of life sufficiently.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

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Sustainable livestock farming that respects animal health and welfare

panel of authors

Published in 2026

A special issue of the journal *Innovations Agronomiques* featuring nine articles on the topic of sustainable livestock farming that respects animal welfare and health

Document Types: Scientific review

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

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Animal Welfare in the Age of Digitalization: Computer Vision in the Context of Foundational Structure

Bosschaert, M.T., Gremmen, B.

Published in 2026

Article highlighting the need to examine ethical issues beyond the scope of livestock farming practices that are raised by the use of Computer Vision and AI to monitor animal welfare. 

Document Types: Scientific review

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

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Is organic livestock farming more welfare-friendly than conventional livestock farming? – A systematic literature review in terms of animal health, welfare, and management

Wagner, K., March, S., Haager, D., Brinkmann, J.

Published in 2026

Meta-analysis showing that organic farming does not consistently have a more positive effect on animal welfare than conventional farming. The results would appear to indicate that  factors relating to management have a greater influence on animal welfare than the farming system itself.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal Categories: Cattle, Goats, Horses, Sheep, Pigs, All Animals, Poultry

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Balancing the Animal Affective Scales – Can the Methodology of Human Affect Balance Be Applied to Other Sentient Species?

Laura E. Webb, J. Elizabeth Bolhuis, Viktor Jurkovich, Allyson F. Ipema, Matteo Chincarini, Angélique Favreau-Peigné, Björn Forkman, Caroline Clouard, Frank Tuyttens, Heather Browning, Laura Menchetti, Margit Bak Jensen, Özkan Elmaz, Radka Šárová, Robert Głogowski, Sandra Düpjan, Stefania Celozzi, Walter Veit, Céline Tallet

Published in 2026

Concept article proposing to adapt the concept of affective balance, based on the balance between scales of positive and negative emotions, to the integrated assessment of animal welfare..

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal Categories: Cattle, Goats, Horses, Sheep, Pigs, All Animals, Poultry

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Évaluation de l’impact du PSN sur le bien-être animal-rapport final

EY

Published in 2026

Evaluation of the National Strategic Plan (PSN) from the perspective of animal welfare (BEA), covering the years 2023 and 2024—the first two full years of implementation of the CAP National Strategic Plan (PSN). Analysis of the contribution of CAP interventions to animal welfare, as well as their consistency and complementarity with other relevant measures.

Document Types: Technical review

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

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Animal Board Invited Review: Intrinsic hedonic value, complexity, and possibility for action as essential characteristics of a welfare-friendly environment for animals

I. Veissier, C. Terlouw, R. Botreau, V. Deiss, S. Cowie

Published in 2026

Study examining how the hedonic value of the environment determines animal welfare. Welfare depends on a balance between positive emotions, environmental complexity and opportunities for behavioral expression: these factors must be optimized (rather than maximized), since an excess or a deficiency of any one of them can be harmful to welfare, with the optimal level varying by individual.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

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Horses Prefer Their Rider: A Strange Situation Test Adaptation Shows Behavioural Evidence for Partner-Specific Bonding

B.A. Kovács, J. Topál, A. Gergely

Published in 2026

A study showing that horses exhibit closeness to and a preference for their riders, suggesting the existence of a particular social bond, but without clear evidence that this reassures them when they are presented with stressors. 

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

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Consensus Report from the Havemeyer Working Group Meetings on Equine Pain Assessment

Hopster, K., Spadavecchia, C., Lindegaard, C., Dalla Costa, E., de Grauw, J., Gudden, D., Andersen, P.H., McDonnell, S., van Dierendonck, M., and van Loon, T.

Published in 2026

Report highlighting the complexity of pain assessment for horses and the lack of a single suitable tool. The authors recommend that use of the Equine Pain Scale should be standardized and that training and clinical integration should be carried out to improve welfare.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Equines

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