Published in 2000
Report on the welfare of broiler chickens, with particular reference to genetics, space allowances and health problems encountered in production (particularly in fast-growing strains)
Document Types: Opinions
Animal categories: Poultry
Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Stress, Pain, Enrichment, Living environment
Published in 2019
Document Types: Opinions
Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Equines, Monogastrics, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry
Keywords: Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Restraint equipment, Carcass quality, Human-animal relationships
Published in 2014
The Opinion assesses the draft Guide de bonnes pratiques (GBP, Guide to Good Practice) taking into account the available scientific facts, and identifies problem areas from a scientific and/or regulatory point of view, putting forward recommendations supported by scientific evidence for possible improvements or enhancements to the guide.
Document Types: Opinions
Animal categories: Ovines
Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Consciousness, Pain, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Fear, Stress
Published in 2015
This Opinion examines the available information on risks to the welfare of dairy cows in small-scale farming systems in Europe, including the impacts of production diseases. A methodology for assessing welfare in these systems is proposed.
Document Types: Opinions
Animal categories: Bovines
Keywords:Animal-based measurements
Published in 2013
The Opinion assesses a draft guide and takes into account the available scientific data and practices in other European countries. It identifies scientific and/or regulatory issues and puts forward recommendations supported by scientific evidencefor possible improvements and enhancements to the guide . It also provides answers to a list of detailed questions from the DGAl on particular issues identified by the latter.
Document Types: Opinions
Animal categories: Bovines
Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Consciousness, Pain, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Fear, Stress
Published in 2016
The report addresses the watering of pigs, focusing on those with a soup feeding system and taking into account the different stages of rearing (post-weaning and fattening piglets, pregnant and lactating sows, etc). The experts stressed the importance of the economic issue with regard to the watering of pigs on the farm, but this economic analysis was outside the scope of the expertise. The expertise focused on the production of liquid manure in pig farming in connection with watering systems, but without analyzing the environmental side of its management. The supply of sufficient quantities of water is essential for the maintenance of homeostasis and the survival of the individual. Only permanent access to drinking water allows the physiological needs of pigs to be met flexibly and individually at all times. It also enables the animal to cope with risky situations, for example, when it is hot or when it is suffering from disorders (illness, intoxication, behaviour, etc.). Moreover, permanent access to water can contribute to a state of satiation when the animal is subjected to food rationing. Permanent access to water, together with regular checks on the quantities taken, can be a warning and prevention sign of the appearance of health and welfare problems. In the case of liquid feed without the presence of a supplementary drinking trough, most of the water needs are covered for most animals. However, this type of feed does not allow permanent access to water and therefore does not allow animals to drink systematically as soon as they are thirsty. Water can be provided in the trough, but it must guarantee the permanent presence of drinking water. To ensure adequate watering with troughs, it is necessary to ensure that their design, positioning and operation guarantee optimal access regardless of the physiological stage of the animals. In the absence of manipulable materials in the pens, the drinking trough may be the target of redirected behaviour, linked to frustrated investigative behaviour (cf. Anses opinion 2013-SA-018020). Such use diverts the function of the water trough as a drinking system and may result in restricted access to water for some pigs despite a permanent supply. The introduction of water troughs in soup feeding systems may lead to an increase in the amount of water in the manure produced. However, solutions to this problem include reducing the dilution rate of the soup where technically feasible in the farm (e.g. reducing "wastage" by optimising the design and flow rate of drinkers, covering slurry pits, etc.). The experts also recommend promoting the acquisition of technical references (water flows, number of pigs per trough...) on complementary watering. At the same time, an awareness programme for farmers should be developed on the importance of watering in terms of animal health and welfare. This programme should be accompanied by technical recommendations and accompanying measures to facilitate the introduction of watering systems.
Document Types: Opinions
Animal categories: Porcines
Keywords: Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Environment, Housing, Living environment, Stress
Published in 2015
This Opinion focuses on the value of manipulable materials, whose presence offers an effective means of enriching the living environment of pigs reared on slatted floors. They encourage the expression of investigative and manipulating behaviours but also, depending on the nature of the added materials, of maternal and foraging behaviours. They preclude behavioural frustration and induce positive emotions that can reduce deviant behaviours such as cannibalism and stereotyping and can limit negative emotions. Used properly, manipulable materials can have a positive impact on animal welfare. However, this impact is variable and can be negative, depending on the physical characteristics and distribution patterns of the manipulable materials. The impact is also negative when the manipulable materials introduce health risks. Before any routine use, the effect of the materials on welfare should be tested on the animal. In light of the prevalence of slatted floors on French livestock farms, it is desirable to make best use of such materials in ways that are worth developing further, under conditions that are adapted to the animal's welfare. Work on manipulable materials has been carried out very widely and has made it possible to identify the intrinsic qualities that retain the animals' interest and encourage investigation and manipulation. However, further work is still needed on animals' motives in using manipulable materials, on the latters' effectiveness, on methods of introduction and presentation, on an economic evaluation of their distribution, on the development of new materials, on the health risks associated with their characteristics, on their effects on brain function, on the acceptability of their use by breeders and on the contribution of their use to the public's perception of livestock farming.
Document Types: Opinions
Animal categories: Porcines
Keywords : Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Housing, Living environment, Stress
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