Animal consciousness
Published in 2017
Document Types: Scientific review
Keywords: Consciousness, Metacognition
Document type : Scientific review
Social ties in farmed ruminants: limits on and means of action to encourage the integration of the animal in its environment
Published in 2001
Farmed ruminants belong to gregarious species. Their social organisation is based on stable dominance-subordination relationships which ensure the resolution of many conflicts that are inherent in the promiscuity among animals in livestock farming. Social organisation is also based on affinity relationships that ensure group cohesion and increase tolerance between animals in situations of conflict. Furthermore, affinity relationships are closely involved in the adaptation of the animal to its living environment, since partners will influence the animal's response to its surroundings. Thus, whether through the development of behaviours that are more respectful of the animals' social needs, or by the management of periods of social transition, the adaptation and welfare of farm animals will be considerably increased.
Document Types: Scientific review
Animal categories: Ruminants
Keywords: Consciousness, Enrichment, Metacognition, Living environment, Cognitive processes
La relation mère-jeune chez les porcins : de la naissance au sevrage
Published in 2002
L
Intensive pig farming imposes constraints that can be detrimental to the welfare of the pig. In wild boar or domestic pigs in semi-natural conditions, the parturient female lives in a matriarchal group and builds a nest to conceal and protect the young. A bond is established between the sow and her piglets and the suckling period lasts a minimum of 10 to 12 weeks. .... The more premature the weaning, the greater the negative impacts on behavioural and zootechnical disturbances. Proper attention to the animal's welfare calls for precautionary measures to avoid placing the animal in a situation of fear or anxiety and to enable it to express the behaviour deemed normal for the species.
Document Types: Scientific review
Animal categories: Porcines
Keywords: Maternity, Cognitive processes, Weaning, Vocalisation
Standardising the assessment of environmental enrichment and tail-docking legal requirements for finishing pigs in Europe
Published in 2016
This e-learning module providing a concise summary of the scientific evidence that underpins EU legislation on pig enrichment and harvesting has been produced in seven languages, with the aim of improving consistency in professional judgements regarding legal compliance on farms. The mark profiles indicated that the roles of the participants had an impact on their scores but that the training led to overall improvement in: (i) their ability to identify enrichments which, due to their type or use by pigs, may be insufficient to ensure compliance; (ii) their knowledge of risk factors for tail biting; and (iii) their recognition of when tail docking occurs.
Document Types: Scientific review
Animal categories: Porcines
Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment, Mutilation
Risk factors and detection of lameness using infrared thermography in dairy cows- a review
Published in 2019
Lameness in dairy cows is a worldwide problem, usually a consequence of hoof diseases. Hoof problems have a negative impact on animal health and welfare as well as the economy of the farm. Prevention and early diagnosis of lameness should prevent the development of the disease and consequent high costs of animal treatment. In this review, the most common causes of both infectious and noninfectious lesions are described. Susceptibility to lesions is primarily influenced by the quality of the horn. The quality of the horn is influenced by internal and external conditions such as hygiene, nutrition, hormonal changes during calving and lactation, the animal's age or genetic predisposition. The next part of this review summarizes the basic principles and possibilities of using infrared thermography in the early detection of lameness in dairy cows.
Document Types: Scientific review
Animal categories: Bovines
Keywords:Livestock buildings, Pain, Environment, Living environment, Stress
Bien-être animal : contexte, définition, évaluation
Published in 2018
This concept note puts the issue of welfare back into its context, proposes a definition that takes account of the latest knowledge on the sensitivity and consciousness of animals, and considers their practical incorporation into animal husbandry. The importance of the welfare of animals dependent on humans (farm animals, pets, zoo animals, circus animals, laboratory animals, etc) has gradually asserted itself over the last 50 years, particularly in the context of animal production, and is at the heart of concerns over the future of animal husbandry. The concept of animal welfare is placed in its philosophical, societal and legal contexts, all of which influence the ways it is taken account of and the meanings assigned to it. Particular attention has been paid to the scientific foundations for the concept of welfare, based on the psychological characteristics of animals as sentient and conscious beings. ... Protocols for assessing animal welfare must therefore combine the analysis of behaviour and the physiological and health status of the animal with data on the environment.
Document Types: Scientific review
Keywords: Societal issues, Livestock farming system
Animal Welfare: Context, Definition and Assessment
Published in 2017
Document Types: Scientific review
Multi-criteria assessment applied to animal welfare on the farm or in the abattoir: challenges and solutions from the Welfare Quality® project.
Published in 2010
With the development in Europe of certification programmes for livestock farms that place emphasis on respect for animal welfare, the Welfare Quality® project set out, on behalf of the European Union, to create a model for the overall assessment of animal welfare standards on farms (or abattoirs). This model is based on a multi-criteria evaluation in which 12 welfare criteria have been defined, grouped into 4 principles. An a posteriori analysis of the results shows that the model gives priority to animals in poorer condition while taking into account the average condition of the herd, and that it strongly limits compensation between criteria. This shows that this rigorous methodology is helpful to the assessment of what is a multidimensional issue, lthough it requires choices to be made concerning values that need to be made explicit and modelled.
Document Types: Scientific review
Petite histoire de l’étude du bien-être animal : comment cet objet sociétal est devenu un objet scientifique transdisciplinaire
Published in 2015
The origins of the animal welfare sciences can be found in the debate on the moral status of animals in philosophy, the introduction of the notion of stress in physiology and the description of animal behaviours by ethologists.... We believe that the issue of animal welfare needs to break down the boundaries between and across disciplines and to engage stakeholders and society as a whole, in order to build a holistic approach towards animal welfare and improve it in an effective way.
Document Types: Scientific review
Animal categories: Mammals, Monogastrics, Fish, Poultry
Social acceptability of farmed animals in France: inventory and analysis of the main controversies based on the views of different stakeholders
Published in 2015
In a context where livestock farming and its practices are frequently called into question, an analysis of the points of disagreement in different sectors (pigs, poultry, cattle, sheep and goats) was carried out within the framework of the Elevages Demain Scientific Interest Group (GIS). A literature review was conducted to understand the basis for social concerns about livestock farming and assess their robustness. At the same time, some thirty interviews were conducted with various stakeholders involved in the debates - professionals in the sector, employees of voluntary associations, journalists and distributors - in order to identify and describe the main areas of contention over livestock farming in France. The work highlights strongly-held and long-standing concerns on the part of the public with regard to livestock farming, which cannot be dismissed as the consequences of 'fads'.
Document Types: Scientific review
Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry
Keywords: Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Societal issues, Environment, Livestock farming system
