Animal category: Poultry

Answer to a question on the measures the European Commission intends to take to limit or even ban the debeaking of laying hens and, more generally, to better control intensive farming and encourage animal welfare on farms.

Technical report summarizing the activities of EFSA's network subgroups on animal welfare as presented at their 2023 annual meeting, including the progress of EFSA's ongoing welfare mandates along with two new mandates, on dog and cat welfare, and on use of diathermic syncope for cattle stunning. Discussions took place on various subjects, including hypertypes and genetic diseases in dogs, the need for stunning before the killing of decapods, the assessment of welfare at pasture, and population reduction methods in the event of an avian flu crisis.

Scientific paper evaluating the effect of fly larvae and mealworm-based feed enrichment on physiological and behavioral indicators of stress and aggression in Muscovy ducks, and on their growth performance.

News article setting out the particular welfare needs of fish during transport, and analyzing the parts of the proposed revisions to the European regulations on animal welfare during transport that specifically address fish welfare. 

Answer to a question on the European Commission's intentions regarding the extension of the ban on the killing of male chicks to all member states and third countries.

Answer to a question concerning the position of the French Ministry of Agriculture on the possibility of parliamentary visits to abbatoirs, livestock farms and other facilities where livestock is kept.

Scientific review of the lateralized behavioral responses of farm animals to environmental stressors, and the association between these responses and the infrared temperature of the external body surfaces concerned, with the aim of improving the use of non-invasive measures in the assessment of animal welfare conditions.

Report by the Animal Welfare Institute following a review of federal food inspection documents produced by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) between 2020 and 2022. It assesses the federal government's oversight of the slaughter of farmed birds in the USA.

Scientific review examining the similarities and differences between halal standards in various Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

Text of the decision to reject the petition filed by 9 animal protection associations to partially disapply the  Decree of December 15, 2021, with regard to its interpretation of the concept of redevelopment as it applies to buildings used to rear laying hens in cages.