Discipline: Ethology

Review: castration - animal welfare considerations

Gabriela A. Marquette,Stephanie Ronan, Bernadette Earley

Published in 2023

Scientific review of scientific assessments of the impact of castration on cattle welfare, including pain and injury, stress, inflammation, effects on the immune system and on production levels. It describes the different methods of castration, the pain responses associated with each, and how age and pain mitigation strategies affect these responses.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Pain, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships, Stress

Go to document

The use of animal-based measures at slaughter for assessing the welfare of beef cattle on farm: EFSA AHAW Network exercise

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Marika Vitali, Gizella Aboagye, Sean Ashe, Chiara Fabris, Yves Van de Stede, Denise Candiani

Published in 2023

Report listing those animal-based measures that the AHAW network considers useful to record and monitor in abattoirs as a means to assess the on-farm welfare of cattle. The information contained in this report will be used to draw up EFSA's scientific opinion on the welfare of cattle on farm, due in 2025.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Welfare indicators, Carcass quality, Stress, Livestock farming system

Go to document

Assessing human attention as a reinforcer for dog behavior

E. E. Chrysafis, S. W. Payne, A. Salazar

Published in 2023

Scientific article comparing two common procedures to evaluate human attention as a means of reinforcing dog behaviors.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords:Abandonment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Adoption, Animal-based measurements, Societal issues, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Behavioural disorders

Go to document

Comment les volailles perçoivent et interprètent leur environnement : recherche scientifique et exemples d’application

Rachel Degrande, Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira, Vanessa Guesdon, Ludovic Calandreau

Published in 2023

Scientific review emphasising that poultry have varied and well-developed senses, that they interact with each other, that they are capable of learning, and that they have  a much wider repertoire of cognitive skills than is often assumed.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Learning, training, Enrichment, Memory, Living environment, Cognitive processes

Go to document

Sheep Welfare Strategy

Ruminant Helath & Welfare

Published in 2023

Presentation of the 6 objectives that make up the cattle welfare strategy designed by Ruminant Health & Welfare in conjunction with the entire British cattle industry.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Ovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Living environment, livestock farming system

Go to document

Pig olfaction: the potential impact and use of odors in commercial pig husbandry

Sarah-Lina Aagaard Schild, Maria Vilain Rørvang

Published in 2023

Scientific review on pig olfaction looking at the current state of knowledge on chemicals in a pig's environment, olfactory organs, olfactory detection and acuity, behavioral responses to odors, aversive odors, responses to new odors, attractive odors and the use of odors as a management tool in commercial pig production.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Porcines

Key word:Enrichment, Human-animal relationships, Welfare indicators, Stress

Go to document

Olfactory Stimulation as Environmental Enrichment for Domestic Horses - A Review

A.C. Bini de Lima, V.C. Sebastião da Fé, M.S. Palermo Hernandes, V.M. Oliveira dos Santos

Published in 2023

Scientific review describing the anatomical features of the equine olfactory system, the physiology of odor detection, how stress can interfere with this process, and how olfactory stimulation can be used to enrich the environment of domestic horses.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Caprines

Key word:Enrichment, Human-animal relationships, Welfare indicators, Stress

Go to document

L’avenir de la conception des élevages : bien-être animal et génétique

Bjarne K. Pedersen

Published in 2023

Article outlining the factors contributing to animal welfare considerations and developments in genetics that have greatly increased prolificacy, looking at their consequences for the design of pig farming facilities.

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Lactation, Housing, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system

Go to document

Doing better for understudied species: Evaluation and improvement of a species-general animal welfare assessment tool for zoos

Shannon L. O'Brien, Katherine A. Cronin

Published in 2023

Scientific article evaluating a generic welfare assessment method for different animals in the same zoo. It reveals that Mammals received the highest welfare scores and their assessment questionnaires were completed most fully. This led the authors to modify their assessment tool to take better account of all the taxa present in the zoo.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Wildlife

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Societal issues, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment, Human-animal relationships

Go to document

Summary of the EU 2023 aquaculture survey

CIWF

Published in 2023

Summary of a report on investigations carried out at four trout farms in Poland to document typical farming practices on trout farms. After providing an overview of trout farming in the EU, it identifies welfare and health hazards, poor handling techniques, and inefficient and painful slaughter systems. It recommends that regulations should be introduced for the rearing, transport and slaughter of each species of farmed fish, and that research should be encouraged to improve welfare in these species.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships, Transport

Go to document