Document type : Scientific article

Access to bedding and outdoor runs for growing-finishing pigs: is it possible to improve welfare without increasing environmental impacts?

A.K. Ruckli, S. Hörtenhuber, S. Dippel, P. Ferrari, M. Gebska, M. Heinonen, J. Helmerichs, C. Hubbard, H. Spoolder, A. Valros, C. Winckler, C. Leeb

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that the provision of bedding or access to an outdoor run to improve pig welfare can have an impact on the environment through changes in feed efficiency and manure management.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Livestock buildings, Societal issues, Enrichment, Environment, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Housing, Pollution, livestock farming system

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Towards Dog Bark Decoding: Leveraging Human Speech Processing for Automated Bark Classification

Artem Abzaliev, Humberto Pérez Espinosa, Rada Mihalcea

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that artificial intelligence speech-modelling tools that have been pre-trained on human speech can be applied to some classification tasks relating to dog vocalizations and can help in their interpretation. 

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

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

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Music enrichment improves the behavior and leukocyte profile of dairy cattle

Esmeralda G. Contreras-Torres, Juan F. Hernández-Chavez, Carlos A. Díaz-Quiroz, Ramón Molina-Barrios, Paulina Arrayales Millán, Ruth G. Ulloa-Mercado

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing the positive effect of music on cows' willingness to enter the milking parlour and on their blood leukocyte profile.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords: Animal-based measurements,Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Enrichment, Lactation, Housing

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Gilts prefer an open pen to a stall

Ede, T., Ceribelli, M. & Parsons, T.D.

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that, when given a choice, gilts prefer to spend time in an open pen rather than in an individual stall. Intrinsic (personality) and extrinsic (time of day, experimental day) factors also influence gilts' housing preferences.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Livestock buildings, Housing, Restraint equipment, Personality, Fear

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Early human contact and housing for pigs - Part 1: responses to humans, novelty and isolation

M E Lucas, L M Hemsworth, K L Butler, R S Morrison, A J Tilbrook, J N Marchant, J-L Rault, R Y Galea, P H Hemsworth

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing the beneficial impact of early human contact on the subsequent emotional responses of piglets reared in a conventional farrowing cage or in a free-range farrowing pen.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Livestock buildings, Housing, Restraint equipment, Maternity, Fear, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Consumers across five European countries prioritise animal welfare above environmental sustainability when buying meat and dairy products

Jeanine Ammann, Gabriele Mack, Nadja El Benni, Shan Jin, Paul Newell-Price, Sophie Tindale, Erik Hunter, Victoria Vicario-Modroño, Rosa Gallardo-Cobos, Pedro Sánchez-Zamora, Simona Miškolci, Lynn J. Frewer

Published in 2024

Analysis of a survey among meat and dairy consumers in five European countries showing that freshness, quality/taste and animal welfare are the characteristics considered to be most important. Environmental factors such as food miles, carbon footprints and organic production appear to bew less important, even if they are perceived as useful.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Bovines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Education, Carcass quality, Environment, Carcass quality, Pollution, Livestock farming system, Welfare indicators, Processing, Societal issues

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Quantification of play behaviour in calves using automated ultra-wideband location data and its association with age, weaning and health status

J. A. Vázquez-Diosdado, C. Doidge, E. V. Bushby, F. Occhiuto and J. Kaler

Published in 2024

Article describing a quantification method that can automatically detect play behavior in rearing calves using location data from ultra-wideband sensors. The occurrence and duration of play behavior decreases with age, disease and increasing temperature, while play behavior increases during and after weaning. Play behavior is potentially a positive welfare indicator.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Weaning

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A field approach to observing changes in behavioural welfare indicators over 2 years in stabled horses

A. Ruet, J. Lemarchand, C. Briant, C. Arnould, L. Lansade

Published in 2024

Article describing behavioral variations in stabled horses at 2-year intervals. Among the welfare indicators observed at the individual level, aggressive behaviour towards humans increased, while resting postures decreased. Other observed behaviours (stereotypies, withdrawal, alert and observation postures) did not change significantly over time.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Aggression, Aggressiveness, Animal-based measurements, Welfare indicators, Housing, Personality, Human-animal relationships, Behavioural disorders

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Impact of farrowing system and prepartum nest-building material on nest-building behaviour and farrowing in sows

V.M. Hukkinen, C. Munsterhjelm, M. Kurtti, N. Immonen, A. Valros

Published in 2024

Scientific article analyzing the impact of farrowing cages and a variety of materials provided to sows to express their nesting behavior (straw, newspaper, burlap). The article shows that free farrowing has positive effects on piglet growth, but negative effects on piglet survival in early lactation. The different nesting materials have varying effects depending on the type of farrowing system.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Livestock buildings, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Lactation, Housing, Restraint equipment, Maternity, Prenatal issues, Behavioural disorders

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Welfare of invertebrates: a pilot study on a new land snail stunning technique

Fossati P., Stefanini F.M., Ravasio G., Coerezza U.

Published in 2024

Scientific article providing preliminary data on the effectiveness of a method of stunning edible snails based on immersion in refrigerated water enriched with CO2 intended to avoid the suffering experienced by these invertebrates when slaughtered.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Molluscs

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Pain, Euthanasia

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