Animal category: Pigs

Review: Space allowance for growing pigs: animal welfare, performance and on-farm practicality

K.L. Chidgey

Published in 2024

Scientific synthesis exploring the scientific basis of the most common approaches to determining minimum space allowances for growing pigs, and examining the various factors that influence and interact with their spatial needs and affective states.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Livestock buildings, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment, One Welfare, Resilience, Robustness, livestock farming system

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Review: Welfare in farm animals from an animal-centred point of view

Huber, K

Published in 2024

Scientific synthesis highlighting the anatomical and physiological alterations undergone by high-production livestock, leading to an imbalance between their natural capacities and the demands of industrial production. It calls for an ethical approach to animal welfare, focusing on their physiological limits, for more sustainable and respectful production.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Societal issues, Evolutionary processes, Resilience, Robustness

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Mémoire de thèse : Le Conseil National de l’Alimentation et ses missions en matière de bien-être animal, l’exemple du Comité National d’Éthique des Abattoirs

Maximilien Bailly

Published in 2024

Dissertation examining the role and evolution of the Conseil national de l'alimentation (CNA) and its management of the Comité national d'éthique des abattoirs (CNEAb), which deals with topics related to animal protection and abattoir ethics in a context of societal crisis. The CNEAb, initially a temporary body, has been made permanent, becoming a unique forum in Europe for constructive debate on animal protection, particularly in connection with the revision of the European regulations on animal transport.

Document Types: Technical work

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

Keywords: Carcass quality, Euthanasia, Abuse,Animal trade, Transport, Societal issues

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A five-domains assessment of sow welfare in a novel free farrowing system

Kate Plush, David Lines, Lauren Staveley, Darryl D'Souza, Robert van Barneveld

Published in 2024

Study showing that sows housed in a maternity ring (MR) have better welfare than those in farrowing crates, with fewer frustration-related behaviors and injuries and less medication required for piglets. Assessment using the five-domain framework reveals a more positive emotional state for sows housed in MR.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Livestock buildings, Welfare indicators, Lactation, Housing, Restraint equipment, Maternity, Fear, Behavioural disorders

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Less experienced observers assess piglet castration-induced acute pain differently than experienced observers: A pilot study

da Silva GV, Lopez-Soriano M, Pairis-Garcia MD, Trindade PHE

Published in 2024

Pilot study to investigate the effects of observer experience levels on pain assessments following pig castration in which observers with three experience levels  used the UPAPS scale to assess the animals.  Inexperienced observers showed lower agreement than experienced observers, although their predictive ability was similar.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Castration, Pain, Education, Sterilization, Vocalisation

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Evaluation of a scheme to identify risks for tail biting in pigs

D'Alessio RM, Mc Aloon CG, Correia-Gomes C, Hanlon A, O'Driscoll K

Published in 2024

Study evaluating a tail-biting risk assessment program on 27 pig farms. Results showed little correlation between management practices and tail-biting risk, despite identifying areas for improvement such as stocking density, enrichment provision and incidence of tail docking. The study underscores the need to improve the training of assessors. 

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Aggression, Aggressivity, Animal-based measurements, Livestock buildings, Housing, Mutilation, Carcass quality, Behavioural disorders

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Combining Automated Behaviour Recognition and Physiological Data to Characterize Heat Tolerance and Animal Welfare in Growing Pigs

Poullet Nausicaa, Guichard Johanna, Beramice David, Dantec Laurent, Gourdine Jean-Luc, Bonneau Mathieu

Published in 2024

Study combining computer visual monitoring and temperature measurements to monitor the behavior and thermoregulation of 22 pigs exposed to tropical temperatures (ranging from 20.3 to 27.9°C) and thermoneutral conditions (22°C). Pigs exposed to heat stress spent more time lying on their sides to dissipate heat, and a thermal discomfort index (HDI) was created to assess the impact on their welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Robustness, Behavioural disorders

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Review: Rethinking environmental enrichment as providing opportunities to acquire information

I. Veissier, C. Lesimple, V. Brunet, L. Aubé, R. Botreau

Published in 2024

Scientific overview exploring environmental enrichment, designed to improve the welfare and cognitive abilities of animals in captivity. Enrichment provides animals with the means to acquire information by interacting with their environment, thereby promoting adaptation. This approach suggests that complex and varied environments are more enriching than simply prolonging exposure to stimuli, even if the former are neutral or slightly negative.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment, Housing, Learning, training, Living environment

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Occurrence of tail docking and tail biting in weaner pigs - A preliminary study in Portuguese abattoirs

Gomes-Neves, E, Teixeira, MF, Cardoso, MF

Published in 2024

Study revealing that tail docking is still practised despite being banned in Europe, and that weaners with undocked tails are more likely to suffer from bites, especially when transiting through assembly centers prior to slaughter. The carcasses of pigs with tail lesions are more frequently downgraded, underlining the need for new regulations to improve animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Animal trade, Pain, Mutilation, Carcass quality, Transport, Behavioural disorders

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The Animal-Welfare Levy

Romain Espinosa, Nicolas Treich

Published in 2024

Article proposing a non-anthropocentric justification for a tax on meat consumption to improve animal welfare. Functioning like a Pigouvian tax, this tax takes into account externalities on farm animals and could make intensive livestock farming unprofitable. Taxes would be particularly high for chickens and pigs, reflecting the differences in welfare between the species.

Document Types: Scientific paper

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

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Livestock buildings, Animal trade, Societal issues, Housing, One Welfare, livestock farming system

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