Animal category: Sheep

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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Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1734 of 16 July, 2026, amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) No. 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing as regards the authorisation of non-penetrative captive bolt stunning and nitrogen high expansion foam

EU Commission

Published in 2026

Regulatory text from the EU authorizing two new methods of stunning prior to slaughter for additional categories of animals

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Category of animals: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines

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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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Behavioral challenges and welfare implications in lambs raised under intensive dairy sheep production systems

Simeonov M, Harmon DL, and Freitas-de-Melo A

Published in 2026

This scientific review lists the behavioral problems observed in lambs in intensive farming systems and their implications for welfare. It focuses in particular on the natural social and feeding behaviors of lambs in order to establish a framework for understanding their behavioral needs, and identifies practical interventions that can improve both lamb welfare and farm performance.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Ovines

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Exploring the relationship between whole carcass condemnations and farm animal welfare: A rapid scoping review

Christine Kuo, Emma G. Gardner, Murray Gillies, Marianne I. Parent

Published in 2026

Literature review showing that data on carcass rejection at abattoirs can serve as an indirect indicator of animal welfare, but studies remain largely European and focus primarily on poultry. Their main focus is on links between animal health status on farms and carcass rejection, whereas research on other welfare factors (diet, housing, behavior, transport) is limited.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, 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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Precision Livestock Farming for Dairy Sheep: A Literature Review of IoT and Decision-Support Systems for Enhanced Management and Welfare

Mura M.C., Trimasse O., Carcangiu V., Luridiana S.

Published in 2026

Review showing that precision farming technologies have significant potential to improve the monitoring and welfare of dairy ewes, but their adoption continues to be constrained by economic, technical, and ethical factors.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Ovines

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Stereotypical behaviors across species: From neurobiological mechanisms to farm animal welfare

Chenyang Li, Jie Gao, Hang Shu, Guangyong Zhao, Xianhong Gu

Published in 2026

A review describing stereotypical behaviors—indicators of distress—that are based on neurobiological mechanisms that have yet to be fully studied in farm animals. The authors highlight current gaps in knowledge and discuss prospects for better understanding these behaviors and improving animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

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Meat Industry Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare at Transport and Slaughter

Meat Institute Animal Welfare Committee and Temple Grandin

Published in 2026

Good practice guide on the transport, handling and stunning of animals in the meat industry 

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories:Cattle, Sheep, Pigs

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