Animal category: Equines

Animal welfare: a shift from live to meat-and-carcass transport

Gediminas Vilkas

Published in 2021

Press release presenting the results of the European Parliament's Committee of Inquiry into the protection of animals during transport. The committee recognised that EU rules on the protection of animals during transport are not always respected and that the welfare needs of animals during transport are not always met. It recommends limiting and better monitoring the export of live animals, developing meat-and-carcass transport and banning the transport of very young animals.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

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

Keywords:Societal issues, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Transport

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Genome editing and farmed animals

Pete Mills

Published in 2021

Report describing genome editing techniques, and critically analysing their potential use for livestock. It makes recommendations, in particular the need for a full scientific review of the literature before changing the UK regulations in this area and for a dialogue between scientists and the public on these issues.

Document Types: Opinions

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

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Societal issues, Resilience, Robustness, Livestock systems

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How Happy Are Equine Athletes? Stakeholder Perceptions of Equine Welfare Issues Associated with Equestrian Sport

Tamzin Furtado, Liane Preshaw, Jo Hockenhull, Jennifer Wathan, Janet Douglas, Sue Horseman, Rebecca Smith, Danica Pollard, Gina Pinchbeck, Jan Rogers Carol Hall

Published in 2021

Scientific article providing the views of equestrian sportsmen and women and of animal welfare researchers on the current welfare violations in equestrian sport. Respondents emphasised the conflict between the demands of competition and the psychological needs of horses, and were of the view that efforts to improve welfare should focus on training. They considered existing welfare assessment tools to be ill-suited to the real-life conditions of training and competition.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Learning, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Recumbency as an Equine Welfare Indicator in Geriatric Horses and Horses with Chronic Orthopaedic Disease

Zsofia Kelemen, Herwig Grimm, Mariessa Long, Ulrike Auer, Florien Jenner

Published in 2021

Scientific paper measuring time budgets for decubitus, locomotion and standing times in old and young, healthy or lame horses using automated wearable body sensors. It shows a link between low decubitus times and REM sleep deficit, but no link between decubitus times and age or lameness.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Pain, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Breeding and Rearing

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Aspects of Breeding Stallion Management with Specific Focus on Animal Welfare

Rodrigo Arruda de Oliveira, Christine Aurich

Published in 2021

Scientific review of how living environments affect stallions at stud, including social isolation in loose boxes or of agonistic behaviour in an outdoor herd setting, describing management methods to limit these risks to animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment, Housing, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-004061/2021 : Animal welfare during transport to third countries

Question: Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA). Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2021

Response to a question on the possible welfare implications of animals being transported live to Israel, and more widely, to countries in conflict or at war.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

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

Keywords: Societal issues, Transport

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Thirty Years of Changes and the Current State of Swedish Animal Welfare Legislation

Frida Lundmark Hedman, Charlotte Berg, Margareta Stéen

Published in 2021

Scientific paper showing that changes in Swedish animal welfare regulations between 1988 and 2019 have increased the level of animal welfare protection for cattle, pigs and horses, but that a number of individual requirements have been relaxed to meet objectives other than animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Cattle, Equines, Pigs

Keywords: Societal issues

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Donkey behaviour and cognition: a literature review

Marta De Santis, Samanta Seganfreddo, Morgana Galardi, Franco Mutinelli, Simona Normando, Laura Contalbrigo

Published in 2021

Scientific review summarising the areas covered by the scientific literature on donkey behaviour and cognition, and detailing the behavioural tests used for donkeys.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships,Welfare indicators

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The Effect of Human-Horse Interactions on Equine Behaviour, Physiology, and Welfare: A Scoping Review

Katherine Jennifer Kelly, Laurie Anne McDuffee, Kimberly Mears

Published in 2021

Scientific review concluding that current evidence for equine welfare during human-horse interactions is minimal and relies heavily on the absence of a negative emotional state during enforced interactions.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurement, Human-animal relationships

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