Animal category: Equines

Revision of animal transport legislation - an essential part of the food production - Information from the Portuguese delegation on behalf of the French, Greek, Irish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish delegations

General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union

Published in 2023

Information note from eight European Union countries, including France, opposing the ban on the transport of live animals from member countries. The reasons given are 1. that this would favour imports from third countries with less stringent animal welfare standards, and 2. the difficulty of maintaining the cold chain when transporting meat. The eight countries recommend that enforcement of EU legislation should be strengthened and EU expertise should be shared with third countries to improve animal welfare during transport.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

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

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Societal issues, Stress, Transport

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Is a mounted award ceremony in equestrian sport relevant to animal welfare?

H. Gehlen, C. Thöne-Reineke, R. Merle, S. Pichon, H. Linnenbrügger

Published in 2023

Scientific article providing the results of a survey of competitive and show riders on the risks of damage to the welfare of horses, riders and spectators during equestrian award ceremonies. Riders feel greater stress during warm-up and competition than during the award ceremony, while horses display the greatest stress during the lap of honor. Risk of injury, mostly in the form of kicking by stressed horses, is considered to be higher during prize giving.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Anxiety, Societal issues, Risk management, Fear, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Horse welfare: A joint assessment of four categories of behavioural indicators using the AWIN protocol, scan sampling and surveys

A. Ruet, C. Arnould, J. Lemarchand, C. Parias, N. Mach, M.-P. Moisan, A. Foury, C. Briant, L. Lansade

Published in 2023

Scientific paper testing whether AWIN, scan sampling for behavioural observations, and surveys are effective methods to assess four categories of behavioral indicators for poor welfare: stereotypies, aggression toward humans, lack of responsiveness to the environment, and hypervigilance. It concludes that the 3 methods are complementary and should be used together to properly assess these four categories of indicators.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Welfare indicators

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Review of the Foundational Knowledge Required for Assessing Horse Welfare

Andrea M. Harvey, Daniel Ramp, David J. Mellor

Published in 2022

A scientific review of what is known about the nutrition, physical environment, health and behavioral interactions of horses, these being the first 4 of the 5 domains of the animal welfare model and the last domain, mental state, being inferred from the first 4.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment

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A systematic review of equid welfare at slaughter

K.A. Fletcher, G. Limon, L.J. Whatford, A. Grist, T.G. Knowles, T.J. Gibson

Published in 2022

Scientific review that reveals a lack of published studies assessing welfare levels in equines at slaughter, particularly donkeys and mules in low-income countries, and highlights the need to develop an evidence-based knowledge base to improve guidance in this area.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Stress

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Feeding time in horses provided roughage in different combinations of haynets and on the stable floor

Hanna Lundqvist, Cecilia Elisabeth Müller

Published in 2022

Scientific article testing different feeding methods for horses in order to increase the time spent seeking food and feeding. It finds that the addition of straw to the feed, regardless of the feeding method, will achieve this goal.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment

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The Social Construction of Narratives and Arguments in Animal Welfare Discourse and Debate

Mukhtar Muhammad, Jessica E. Stokes, Lisa Morgans, Louise Manning

Published in 2022

Scientific review analyzing how narrative discourse and the presentation of arguments contribute to the social construction of representations of farm animal welfare in the scientific community. The authors examine the scientific literature and analyse it according to 5 narrative points of view. Depending on the point of view, the reasons given for why farmed animals should lead decent lives are different.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Cattle, Goats, Equines, Sheep, Fish, Pigs, Ruminants, Poultry

Keywords: Societal issues

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The Double-Edged Sword: International Law and Its Effects on EU Farm Animal Welfare Legislation

Alice Di Concetto

Published in 2022

Scholarly article that analyzes the positive role of international cooperation, facilitated by the Council of Europe, in the adoption of European legislation on farm-animal welfare. It sets out the limitations of these international legal tools in providing adequate regulation of market forces and proposes legal remedies to improve the treatement and welfare of animals where past international efforts have failed.

Document Types: Scientific paper

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

Keywords: Societal issues

Decree No. 2022-1012 of July 18, 2022 on the protection of pets and equidae against animal abuse

Elisabeth Borne, Marc Fesneau

Published in 2022

Implementation decree relating to the law against animal abuse, which specifies the certification procedures applicable to pet and equine owners and the information to be included in pet homing contracts

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories:Canine, Equine, Feline

Keywords: Societal issues, Human-animal relationships

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Executive Summmary of the Fitness Check - EU Animal Welfare Legislation

EU Commission

Published in 2022

This summary of the quality assessment highlights the positive role that European regulations have played in advancing animal welfare, particularly for species covered by specific directives. But problems persist, differences in implementation are noted between member countries, and enforcement is insufficient. The review concludes that the current rules do not sufficiently take into account society's growing expectations, ethical concerns, scientific and technological developments and future sustainability challenges.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

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

Keywords:All subjects