Discipline: Sociology

Professional emotional neutrality and the role of background emotion work in the slaughterhouse

Marcel Sebastian

Published in 2025

Article analyzing how abattoir workers develop an emotional distance from the killing of animals through intense and often unconscious emotional work. It highlights the importance of background emotions in morally sensitive occupations, making an original contribution to the sociology of work and emotions.

Document Types: Scientific paper

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

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Healthy cows, happy farmers? Exploring the dynamics of mastitis and farmer well-being

Lind Nina, Hansson Helena, Emanuelson Ulf, Lagerkvist Carl-Johan

Published in 2025

Study showing that cow health influences the psychological welfare of dairy farmers. This connection is reinforced by the farmers' perceptions of the disease (in this case mastitis) and their sense of control over it.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

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Animal welfare definitions, frameworks, and assessment tools: Advancing the measurement and laying the foundation for improved animal welfare through a three-step approach

van der Staay FJ, Goerlich VC, Meijboom FL, Arndt SS.

Published in 2025

This overview summarizes the three steps involved in developing animal welfare assessment tools: arriving at a shared definition of welfare, establishing theoretical and ethical frameworks, and  designing validated tools.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

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Assemblée nationale : réponse écrite aux questions n°3208 : Application de la loi visant à lutter contre la maltraitance animale, et n°3072 : Vente illégale d’animaux sur Internet

Questions: Ms Lisa Belluco (Vienne (1st constituency) - Écologiste et Social). Mr. Kévin Pfeffer (Moselle (6th constituency) - Rassemblement National). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2025

Questions from two Deputies to he Government on loopholes in the application of the 2021 law against animal abuse, particularly in the area of illegal sales of animals on the internet and the persistence of certain practices in pet shops. In response, the Ministry lists the actions it has already undertaken (decrees, controls, tools for verifying online ads) and announces a national plan for pet welfare, constructed around five axes. A regulatory review is also underway to better supervise the keeping of animals in pet shops in connection with online sales.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Canines, Felines, Exotic pets

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A comparison of attitudes towards animal welfare between British and Japanese zoo visitors: Where and when do cultural differences diverge?

Yumi Yamanashi , Yuko IkkataiMoe Honjo, Nahoko Tokuyama, Rie Akami, Duncan Andrew Wilson, Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith

Published in 2025

Scientific study of British and Japanese visitors' attitudes towards animal welfare in zoos, feeding with live prey and trust in managers: both groups are generally concerned about welfare, but the Japanese base their judgments more on basic needs, while the British emphasize the environmental stimulation provided and the animals' emotions and cognitive abilities.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Wildlife

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Developments in Chinese Attitudes to Animal Welfare

Clive J. C. Phillips

Published in 2025

Review describing the evolution of Chinese attitudes to animal welfare. Despite low levels of government commitment, interest in animal welfare science is growing in China, particularly the use of technology and remote sensing.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

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Rethinking Animal Welfare in a Globalised World: Cultural Perspectives, Challenges, and Future Directions

Oxley Heaney, S.; Szydlowski, M.; Hill, K.; Hooper, J.

Published in 2025

Sociological review considering the challenges to the welfare of humans and non-human animals that arise from cultural, political and social boundaries. A trans-species approach is key to understanding and managing these complex relationships in the Anthropocene era.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

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The role of intrinsic motivation and continuous enhancement on the intention to implement animal welfare practices in dairy farming

Henrike Grotsch, Marcus Mergenthaler, Sarah Kühl, Holger Schulze

Published in 2025

Survey examining farmers' intrinsic motivation, habits and knowledge in relation to the improvement of animal welfare. Policies should encourage a continuous commitment to enhancement, rather than formal programs. 

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Key word: One Welfare,Societal issues

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Evaluating animal consciousness: An emerging field shows how animal feelings can be studied scientifically

Kristin Andrews, Jonathan Birch, Jeff Sebo

Published in 2025

Article summarizing recent scientific findings on animal consciousness. Although studies on bees, cuttlefish and fish point to signs of consciousness, the latter's acceptance as evidence would have major implications for neuroscience and animal welfare. Meanwhile, the lack of a unified theory or precise definition of animal consciousness complicates its  assessment.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Key words:Awareness, Pain, Cognitive processes

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Looking back, looking forward: changes in the scope of the subject 'animal welfare' within the World Organisation for Animal Health

L. J. Keeling

Published in 2025

Article looking at how WHOA's approach to animal welfare has changed, grouping the changes into three areas: acceptance of animal welfare as a topic in its own right, linked to but distinct from animal health; the broadening of its scope to cover all categories of domestic and wild animals; and the increased contextualization of animal welfare to reflect the specific attitudes and needs of different regions of the globe.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords: Societal issues

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