Discipline: Veterinary

Industry stakeholders attitudes and beliefs about tail biting and docking in pigs - A case study in Switzerland and Spain

Andrea Knörr, Xiao Zhou, Angela Bearth, Beatriz Garcia-Morante, Carla Correia-Gomes, Joaquim Segalés, Thomas Echtermann, Michael Siegrist

Published in 2025

Scientific article showing that Spanish pig farmers's consider the risks associated with the non-docking of tails to be greater than do Swiss pig farmers, in terms of the consequences for both animal welfare and production. The article recommends improved communication with farmers to change their negative beliefs and encourage them to stop tail docking.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

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Guide to Good Practice: Welfare at Slaughter

BMPA

Published in 2015

Updated Guide to Good Practice: Welfare at Slaughter, which provides advice on how to improve the treatment of animals at slaughter, complementing UK and EU legislation. The guide is intended for food industry professionals.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Category of animals: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Education, Euthanasia

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Application of the horse grimace scale in horses with dental disease: Preliminary findings

Amelia E. Sidwell, Marco Duz, Bradley Hill, Sarah Freeman, Sam L. Hole

Published in 2025

Scientific article investigating whether use of a pain scale based on facial expression is an objective and reliable method of assessing dental pain in horses. It concludes that tools designed to identify acute pain lack reliability if used to assess chronic pain, such as dental pain. A more dental-specific ethogram is needed to accurately identify dental pain in horses.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Pain, Behavioural disorders

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EFSA Opinion - Welfare of horses during killing for purposes other than slaughter

EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare

Published in 2025

New EFSA Opinion on the welfare of horses during killing for purposes other than human consumption, whether indivudally or on a large scale. The Opinion details three phases: pre-stunning, stunning and bleeding. It identifies potential hazards and describes stunning and killing methods (captive bolt, firearm, lethal injection). Potential risks, preventive measures and animal welfare measurement criteria are described, along with practices deemed unacceptable on welfare.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Consciousness, Pain, Brain integration, Fear, Stress

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EFSA Opinion - Welfare of horses at slaughter

EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare

Published in 2025

New EFSA opinion on the welfare of horses at slaughter for human consumption. The opinion details three phases: pre-stunning, stunning and bleeding. It identifies potential hazards and describes stunning and killing methods (captive bolt, firearm, lethal injection), and proposes measures to assess animal welfare consequences. Practices deemed unacceptable on welfare grounds are also listed.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Consciousness, Pain, Brain integration, Fear, Stress

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An updated review on the effect of lighting on broilers and the environment of commercial houses

J. E. Linhoss, O. B. Falana, J. D. Davis, J. L. Purswell, C. M. Edge, H. A. Olanrewaju, B. I. Baker-Cook, C. Hanlon

Published in 2025

Article reviewing the effects of lighting (color, intensity, duration, source) on broiler performance and welfare between 2018 and 2024.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Livestock buildings, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Housing

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Observational study: effect of varying transport durations and feed withdrawal on the physiological status and health of dairy calves

van Dijk, Luca L., Siegmann, Susanne, Field, Niamh L., Sugrue, Katie, van Reenen, Cornelis G., Bokkers, Eddie A. M., Conneely, Muireann, Sayers, Gearoid

Published in 2025

Study evaluating the impact of transport and fasting on the physiology and health of unweaned calves. The results show that the physiological changes observed on arrival were related more closely to the duration of feed deprivation rather than that of transport, although muscle fatigue was more marked in calves that had travelled the longest.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Transport

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Machine Vision Applications for Welfare Monitoring in Aquaculture: Challenges and Opportunities

Fitzgerald, A., Ioannou, C.C., Consuegra, S., Dowsey, A. and Garcia de Leaniz, C.

Published in 2025

Review article examining the practical applications of AI for monitoring animal welfare in aquaculture. Detection of diseases, parasites and stress-related behaviors remains limited, not least because of the practical difficulties of observations on commercial farms. Algorithmic advances such as YOLO could improve the accuracy and adaptability of these systems.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Precision farmingIdentification, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Stress, Behavioural disorders

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Lighting quality evaluation on growth performance and feather pecking behavior of broilers

Chenghao Pan, Rong Xiang, Jinming Pan

Published in 2025

Study examining the effect of light color on the pecking behavior and growth of Youhuang broilers. Although light did not influence growth, the cold white light group showed more severe plumage damage and lower serotonin levels than the warm white or red light groups. Warm white light is recommended, as it is more user-friendly and limits pecking.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Aggression, Aggressiveness, Animal-based measurements, Livestock buildings, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Behavioural disorders

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