Discipline: Veterinary

Improving heat stress resilience should be priority for swine industry

Ann Hess

Published in 2022

Summary of a webinar hosted by the USDA on how to mitigate the impacts of heat stress on the health and welfare of pigs in factory farming. It presents research findings to improve heat stress resilience in pigs through a three-part approach, that looks at management, nutrition and genetics.

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Risk management, Living environment, Resilience, Robustness, Stress

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La protection animale dans les abattoirs de boucherie en France : Questions – Réponses

French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2022

Thematic dossier providing information on French  regulations, the number of abattoirs in France, the role of veterinary services in abattoirs, and the controls carried out for animal protection purposes.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Societal issues, Stress

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The role of Precision Livestock Farming technologies in animal welfare monitoring: a review

Birte L. Nielsen

Published in 2022

Scientific review on the use of precision farming techniques to improve the health, welfare and production of farm animals. It emphasizes the importance of affordable, reliable and easy-to-use equipment, providing data that reflect - adequately and in real time - different aspects of animal welfare status within the herd.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships

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Improving young pig welfare on-farm: The Five Domains Model

Anna K Johnson, Jean-Loup Rault, Jeremy N Marchant, Emma M Baxter, Keelin O'Driscoll

Published in 2022

Scientific review of the use of the five domains model to improve housing and management from the piglets' perspective, seeking to induce positive mental states that can result in improved quality of life and wefare. 

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment, Stress

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Freedom to Move: Free Lactation Pens Improve Sow Welfare

Orla Kinane, Fidelma Butler, Keelin O'Driscoll

Published in 2022

Article comparing welfare criteria for sows housed in free-range farrowing crates and conventional farrowing crates. It shows that the greater freedom of movement provided by free-range farrowing crates throughout lactation can improve locomotor health and reduce stress levels in sows.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment, Housing, Societal issues

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L’Allemagne a un temps d’avance sur le bien-être du porc

Christophe Reibel

Published in 2022

Dossier describing the German voluntary welfare initiative in pig farming, "Initiative Tierwohl", containing interviews with farmers who have signed up to it, along with half their fellow farmers. Although the initiative is appreciated by consumers, the public is still concerned over meat prices, a fact that restricts farmers' room for manoeuver in working to to improve animal welfare.

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment, Housing, Societal issues

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Alternative Practices in Organic Dairy Production and Effects on Animal Behavior, Health, and Welfare

Hannah N. Phillips, Bradley J. Heins

Published in 2022

Scientific review describing organic milk production systems, and the husbandry practices they include that could affect animal welfare, including alternative methods of pain management during calf disbudding and treatment of mastitis in cows as well as management of adverse behaviours during milking.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines

Keywords:Societal issues, Living environment, Livestock farming system

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Quality of Life within Horse Welfare Assessment Tools: Informing Decisions for Chronically Ill and Geriatric Horses

Mariessa Long, Christian Dürnberger, Florien Jenner, Zsófia Kelemen, Ulrike Auer, Herwig Grimm

Published in 2022

A scientific review, analyzing how tools for the assessment of equine welfare, quality of life and equine perceptions of quality of life, define and operationalize these concepts. It discusses how appropriate these tools are to the assessment of quality of life as part of end-of-life decision-making for chronically-ill or elderly horses.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Societal issues, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships

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Un guide pratique sur le bien-être des vaches laitières pour les vétérinaires

Mathilde Clauss, François Gary

Published in 2022

Guide describing good practices in dealing with a sick animal and observing possible warning signs for animal welfare issues in a herd, animal welfare visits, how animal welfare can be integrated to a health visit, providing support for a shift towards increased animal welfare measures. It also looks closely at pain management, making the choice whether to transport an animal or slaughter it on site, good end-of-life practices, and how to discuss the longevity of dairy cows with farmers.

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories: Bovines

Key word: Human-animal relationships, Living environment, Stress,Welfare indicators

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Methodological guidance for the development of animal welfare mandates in the context of the Farm to Fork Strategy

EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW): Søren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Elisabetta Canali, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortázar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Miguel Ángel Miranda Chueca, Virginie Michel, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop and Christoph Winckler

Published in 2022

Methodology developed by the EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare to produce scientific opinions in response to mandates received from the European Commission under the Farm to Table strategy. These mandates cover the welfare of (i) animals during transport, (ii) calves, (iii) laying hens, (iv) broilers, (v) pigs, (vi) ducks, geese and quails, and (vii) dairy cows.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Cattle, Pigs, Poultry

Keywords:Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Transport

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