Discipline: Zootechnics

Review: Assessment of dairy cow welfare at pasture: measures available, gaps to address, and pathways to development of ad-hoc protocols

L. Aubé, M.M. Mialon, E. Mollaret, L. Mounier, I. Veissier, A. de Boyer des Roches

Published in 2022

Scientific review of the benefits and risks of grazing for dairy cows, measures that can be used to assess the welfare of cows on pasture, and the knowledge gaps that need to be filled to develop specific welfare indicators.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Robustness, Stress

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Practices and issues of moulting programs for laying hens: a review

R. Mishra, B. Mishra, Y. S. Kim, R. Jha 

Published in 2022

Scientific review on the methods used on laying hen farms to trigger and end moulting, along with the animal welfare problems they cause.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Stress, Livestock farming system

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European Parliament: Written answer to question E-002365/2022: Inclusion of detailed rules on fish transport in the upcoming review of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005

Rosa D'Amato (Greens/EFA), Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA), Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA), Sylwia Spurek (Greens/EFA), Ska Keller (Greens/EFA), Piernicola Pedicini (Greens/EFA) Sarah Wiener (Greens/EFA), Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA), Marie Toussaint (Greens/EFA), David Cormand (Greens/EFA), Eleonora Evi (Greens/EFA), Ignazio Corrao (Greens/EFA) Caroline Roose (Greens/EFA), Manuela Ripa (Greens/EFA), Malte Gallée (Greens/EFA), Ville Niinistö (Greens/EFA), Grace O'Sullivan (Greens/EFA) Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Greens/EFA), Michèle Rivasi (Greens/EFA), Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA), Bronis Ropė (Greens/EFA), Damien Carême (Greens/EFA), Anja Hazekamp (The Left) Answer given by Mrs Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2022

Response to a question on the Commission's plans to ensure that the new animal transport provisions (under the Farm to Fork strategy) incorporate the latest scientific data on the transport of live fish.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords: Transport

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A formal model for assessing the economic impact of animal welfare improvements at bovine and porcine slaughter

J. Jerlström, C. Berg, A.H. Karlsson, A. Wallenbeck, H. Hansson

Published in 2022

Scientific paper to evaluate the possible economic impact of improved animal welfare in abattoirs; to develop an economic model demonstrating the theoretical contribution of animal welfare to the profitability of abattoirs; and to validate this economic model through focus groups of Swedish abattoir personnel.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines, Porcines

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Stress

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Electric shock control of farmed animals: Welfare review and ethical critique

D. Grumett, A. Butterworth

Published in 2022

Scientific article presenting the available methods to control or confine of farm animals through the use of electric shocks and reminding readers that their use, which is likely to cause pain, must be ethically justifiable and provide clear welfare benefits. It sets out the potential welfare implications of each method.

Document Types: Scientific paper

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

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Pain, Societal issues, Restraint equipment, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Welfare of pigs on farm

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, Virginie Michel, Miguel Ángel Miranda Chueca, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop, Christoph Winckler

Published in 2022

EFSA scientific opinion on the welfare of all categories of pigs found in the main European farming systems. It identifies the most important welfare risks,  the appropriate animal based measurements, and their consequences, describing preventive and corrective measures. It provides recommendations for each system to address specific pig welfare issues related to tail biting and the European citizens' initiative "End the Cage Age".

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords: Animal-based measurements,Adaptation of the animal to the environmentAdaptation of the environment to the animal, Consciousness, Housing, Memory, Enrichment, Risk management, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Societal issues, Livestock farming system, Mutilation, Welfare indicators

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A pilot study about on-farm assessment of health and welfare in rabbits kept in different housing systems

Angela Trocino, Francesca Menegon, Cristina Zomeño, Dario Pasqualin, Giovanni Cunial, Gerolamo Xiccato, Fabrizio Pirrone, Daniela Bertotto, Martina Bortoletti, Francesco Dorigo, Antonio Lavazza Guido Di Martino

Published in 2022

Scientific article comparing the health and welfare levels of breeding rabbits living with their litters and of growing rabbits in four different housing systems: two unenriched cage systems, enriched cages and pens. Although it does not reveal major health differences, it does identify management and environmental factors other than housing that can influence health and welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Monogastric

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Animaladaptation, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Robustness, Welfare indicators

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Welfare issues and potential solutions for laying hens in free range and organic production systems: A review based on literature and interviews

Claire Bonnefous, Anne Collin, Laurence A. Guilloteau, Vanessa Guesdon, Christine Filliat, Sophie Réhault-Godbert, T. Bas Rodenburg, Frank A. M. Tuyttens, Laura Warin, Sanna Steenfeldt, Lisa Baldinger, Martina Re, Raffaella Ponzio, Anna Zuliani, Pietro Venezia, Minna Väre, Patricia Parrott, Keith Walley, Jarkko K. Niemi, Christine Leterrier

Published in 2022

Scientific review identifying an increased risk to free-range hens of microbial and parasitic infections, heat stress and predation. They do, however, have better bone quality and show less evidence of pecking behaviors. The review sets out existing preventive strategies and identifies missed opportunities to use genetics and prenatal and nutritional factors to prevent these welfare issues in free-range systems.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Resilience, Robustness, Stress, Livestock farming system

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Social behavior in farm animals: Applying fundamental theory to improve animal welfare

Victoria E. Lee1, Gareth Arnott, Simon P. Turner

Published in 2022

bonds, environmental influences on social behavior and welfare, mechanisms and development of social behaviors, ways to promote positive social interactions and minimize disruptions to basic social bonds

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Stress, Livestock farming system

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Using a Delphi method to estimate the relevance of indicators for the assessment of shelter dog welfare

G.V. Berteselli, S. Messori, L. Arena, L. Smith, P. Dalla Villa, F. de Massis

Published in 2022

Scientific paper aiming to establish a standardized system to assess the welfare of shelter dogs. It uses two Delphi exercises to arrive at an expert consensus on the weighting of the different indicators measured. This is most easily achievable through animal-based measures.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

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

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