Animal category: Ruminants

Considerations for the Welfare of Ruminants During Transport

Lily Edwards-Callaway, Genaro C. Miranda de la Lama, Daniela M. Meléndez, Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein

Published in 2025

Article covering critical areas of transport that veterinarians must consider when striving to maintain and improve the welfare of ruminants.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Ruminants

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Review - Restricted access to pasture and inadequate grazing in ruminants and equines

Brunet Valentin, Fusi Francesca, Bernardo Tiziano, Canali Elisabetta, Ruet Alice, Faye Bernard, Aubé Lydiane

Published in 2025

Synthesis from EURCAW Ruminants & Equines on the provision of access to pasture, which encourages the expression of natural behaviors and improves the health and well-being of ruminants and equines, notably through enhanced locomotion, enriched social interactions and good quality feed. However, it is not without some risks (animals can suffer from nutritional deficiencies, thermal stress, and locomotory and health disorders such as parasitism), calling for the appropriate management of resources, the environment and animal health.

Document Types: Technical review

Animal categories:Cattle, Goats, Equines, Sheep, Ruminants

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Analyse d’impact ex post de trente ans de recherche et développement sur les conditions de pré-abattage des ruminants

Christine BERGER, Laëtitia CLAVEL, Barbara DUCREUX, Valérie DAVID

Published in 2024

Analysis of the impact of R&D work carried out over the last thirty years on the pre-slaughter animal welfare of ruminants.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Ruminants

Keywords:  Carcass quality, adaptation of the environment to the animal, Farm buildings, Education, Euthanasia, One Welfare, Livestock system, Transport, Societal issues.

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Assessing Giraffe Welfare During Seasonal Habitat Changes in Northern US Zoos

Razal, C., Bryant, J., & Miller, L.

Published in 2024

Multi-criteria study of behavioral observations, hormonal monitoring and decubitus rates as a means to assess giraffe welfare, comparing summer outdoor habitats and winter indoor quarters at several zoological institutions. The results suggest that housing giraffes indoors does not compromise their welfare, since positive effects were observed in both indoor and outdoor surroundings.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Wildlife, Ruminants

Keywords:Animal adaptation to environment, Animal-based measurement, Livestock buildings, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment

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Farm animals: a plea for shelters

Anne Judas

Published in 2024

In this article, the Director of OABA (Œuvre d'Assistance aux Bêtes d'Abattoirs) explains why the number of abandoned animals (goats, horses and cattle) taken in by the association has risen in recent years.

Document types: Technical Paper

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

Key words:Abandonment, Adoption

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Faciliter l’engagement serein des éleveurs dans une démarche de bien-être animal

LIT Ouesterel

Published in 2024

To promote dialogue between livestock farming and society, LIT Ouesterel has been running one project since 2021 and another starting in 2024, intended to  encourage livestock farmers to commit themselves to a progress approach. The second seeks to do so via actions at producer organization level.

Document types: Technical Paper

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

Keywords:Societal issues, One Welfare, Farming systems

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Quelles sont les quatre principales représentations de l’agriculture dans la société française ?

Valérie Godement

Published in 2024

Study by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty's Center for Studies and Forecasting, intended to feed into public policy-making and describing the four main representations of agriculture and farmers seen in French society today: traditional family farming, large-scale industrial farming, farmers under pressure to scale up, and small farms that just scrape a living.The study takes into account three current debates that impact these representations of agriculture: 'agribashing', use of pesticides and animal welfare.

Document types: Technical Paper

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

Keywords:Livestock buildings, Living environment, One Welfare,  Livestock system

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The behavior and welfare of neglected species: some examples from fish and mammals

Bukhari SSUH, Parkes RSV, Sneddon LU, McElligott AG

Published in 2024

Synthesis of concepts and methods for assessing animal welfare through the study of behavior, illustrated by work on certain "neglected" species (buffalo, camels, donkeys, mules and lumpfish). The authors conclude that there is an extreme lack of balance in the species generally studied in research on animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Cattle, Camelids, Equines, Fish, Ruminants

Keywords:Animal adaptation to environment, Animal-based measurement, Working animals, Welfare indicator, Animal mediation, Behavioral disorders

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-003635/23: Reviving our local slaughterhouses by requiring meat to be exported instead of live animals

Question: Annika Bruna (ID). Answer: Mrs Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2024

Answer to a question from an MEP asking the European Commission about its position on a proposal to boost small local abattoirs by stopping the long-distance transport of live animals and replacing it with the transport of meat.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories:Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Ruminants, Poultry

Keywords:Animal trade, Carcass quality, Transport

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-003407/23: Time spent on the revision of EU animal welfare legislation

Question: Nikolaj Villumsen (The Left). Answer: Mrs Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2024

Answer to a question on how long it has taken the Commission and EFSA to prepare the revision of European legislation concerning the "End the Cage Age", a revision which was not fully completed in the end.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

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

Key words:Livestock buildings, Housing, Social issues, Restraint equipment, livestock farming system

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