Animal category: Poultry

Assemblée nationale : réponse écrite à la question n°2263 : Transition hors-cage des systèmes d’élevage des poules pondeuses

Question: Cyrielle Chatelain (Isère (2nd constituency) - Écologiste et Social). Answer: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2025

Response from the French Government to a question from a member of the country's National Assembly on the recent rise in the proportion of eggs from caged farms, despite the ban on the creation or extension of such farms since 2018. In its answer, the Government reiterates its support for the gradual phasing out of cages at European level and the actions undertaken in France to support this transition.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Poultry

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Chickens perceive humans as social buffers and may follow human-given cues: A pilot study

Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira, Elise Calesse, Lucille Dumontier, Fabien Cornilleau, Julie Lemarchand, Auriane Foreau, Maxime Quentin, Léa Lansade, Céline Tallet, Xavier Boivin, Ludovic Calandreau

Published in 2025

Study showing that chickens, especially those with positive human interactions, can perceive humans in a beneficial way and associate them with rewarding experiences. It also highlights the importance of taking racial specificities into account to adapt human-animal interactions and improve poultry welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

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Positive impacts of a covered veranda on broiler chicken welfare

F. Mocz, J-P. Moysan, L. Warin, A. Keita, V. Michel, M. Guinebretière

Published in 2025

Study showing that access to a covered veranda promotes active behavior and reduces the prevalence of hock burns in broilers, without affecting zootechnical performance. Such structures improve welfare by enriching the environment without compromising either health or productivity.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

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Beak trimming of hens: Practices, welfare concerns and alternatives

Harliqueen Jacinto, Marisa Erasmus

Published in 2025

Article outlining alternatives to beak trimming, practiced to limit pecking in laying hens. Environmental enrichment, genetic selection and better management practices are explored.

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: Poultry

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Assemblée nationale : Réponse écrite à la question n°5528 : Prise en compte du bien-être animal

Question: Mr. Jean-Michel Brard (Loire-Atlantique (9th district) - Horizons & Indépendants). Answer: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty.

Published in 2025

Answer to a question from a member of the French Assemblée Nationale who highlights the fact that in food product labelling the issue of animal welfare remains a secondary matter, despite the strong expectations of the public. In its reply, the government states that, for now, it favors a voluntary approach, with no specific labelilng requirements, and that it is supporting research into the best way of displaying information on farming methods.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

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

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Decoding vocal indicators of stress in laying hens: A CNN-MFCC deep learning framework

S. Neethirajan

Published in 2025

Study showing that artificial intelligence, making use of a CNN model combined with MFCC coefficients, can identify vocal responses to stress in laying hens exposed to realistic stimuli with 94% accuracy. Younger birds were found to be more vocally reactive, highlighting the importance of age as a factor in emotional reactivity.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

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A critical review on the welfare of Japanese quail in cage-free housing: Current knowledge and future perspectives

Jansson DS, Hedman FL, Yngvesson J, Keeling L, Henriksen R

Published in 2025

Scientific synthesis highlighting the lack of knowledge and regulations on cage-free systems for Japanese quail. It reviews the essential behavioral needs of the species and identifies gaps in group management, equipment design and dealing with agonistic behaviors. Integration of AI and genomic selection is proposed to support an efficient and ethical transition to alternative breeding systems.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

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French governmental Order of May 2, 2025 extending the interprofessional agreement concluded on February 28, 2025 as part of the Comité National pour la Promotion de l'Ouf (CNPO), introducing a contribution system to support the implementation of alternatives to the killing of male chicks.

French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2025

Order of May 2, 2025 concerning the creation of a financial contributory system to support the implementation of alternatives to the culling of male chicks.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Poultry

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Assemblée nationale : Réponse à la question n°2219 : Maltraitance animale dans certains abattoirs français

Question: Mr. Jean Laussucq (Paris (2nd constituency) - Ensemble pour la République). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2025

Question from a French Deputy on acts of abuse in certain abattoirs.  In its answer, the government reminds the Deputy of the existence of a control and intervention system in abattoirs, stating that it remains vigilant over the application of the three key actions in operation since 2021 with regard to abattoirs: support, control, sanction.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

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

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Assemblée nationale : réponse à la question n°4154 : Contrôle des conditions d’abattage des animaux dans les abattoirs

Question: Mr Karim Benbrahim (Loire-Atlantique (1st district) - Socialistes et apparentés). Answer: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2025

Answer from the French Government to a question from a member of the National Assembly on abattoir monitoring and controls. The Ministry states that the work to control slaughtering conditions by government-appointed agents amounts to the equivalent of more than 1,200 full-time posts. Additionally, a national inspection force is brought in for complex cases, which can impose sanctions up to and including closure  in the event of serious failings.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

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

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