Keyword: Risk management

Welfare of dairy cows

EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal 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 Gort ́azar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Virginie Michel, Miguel ́Angel Miranda Chueca, Barbara Padalino, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop, Alice De Boyer des Roches, Margit Bak Jensen, John Mee, Martin Green, Hans-Hermann Thulke, Elea Bailly-Caumette, Denise Candiani, Eliana Lima,Yves Van der Stede and Christoph Winckler

Published in 2023

EFSA opinion identifying the main types of housing for dairy cows in Europe and, for each, the main strengths, weaknesses and risks likely to reduce animal welfare. It examines five specific negative welfare consequences: locomotor disorders, mastitis, restricted movement and resting problems, inability to adopt comfort behavior and metabolic disorders. It also analyzes a set of farm characteristics that could be used to classify the level of welfare on farms.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal adaptation, Animal-based measurements,Animal environmentadaptation, Consciousness, Pain, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment, Mutilation, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock systems

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Assemblée nationale : réponse écrite à la question n° 5241 : Chats errants

Question: Ian Boucard (Les Républicains - Territoire de Belfort). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2023

Answer to a question concerning the delay in implementing the measures provided for by the French law passed in November 30, 2021 on the management of stray cats, in particular the failure to publish reports on the costed assessment of need or the estimated cost of capture and sterilization, to formulate recommendations, or to implement the trial provided for in Article 12 of the law.

Document Types: Technical work

Animal categories: Felines

Keywords: Adoption,Abandonment, Castration, One Welfare, Identification, Mistreatment, Risk management, Population management, Societal issues, Sterilization

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Impact of water stress on adaptation and performance of sheep and goats in dryland regions under climate change scenarios: a systematic review

Diriba Tulu, Sileshi Gadissa, Feyisa Hundessa

Published in 2023

Scientific article demonstrating that, despite changes affecting their physiology, blood, biochemistry and  water and food consumption behaviors, sheep and goats can adapt to higher salinity levels in their drinking water in arid environments. Better adaptation is to be observed in local breeds, which prove to be more resilient.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Goats, Sheep

Keywords:Animal adaptation to its environment, Environment, Risk management, Resilience, Robustness, Stress, Societal issues

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Animal welfare and effects of per-female stress on male and cattle reproduction - A review

Welligton Conceição da Silva, Jamile Andréa Rodrigues da Silva, Raimundo Nonato Colares Camargo-Júnior, Éder Bruno Rebelo da Silva, Maria Roseane Pereira dos Santos, Rinaldo Batista Viana, André Guimarães Maciel e Silva, Cleidson Manoel Gomes da Silva, José de Brito Lourenço-Júnior

Published in 2023

Scientific review setting out to identify, synthesize and discuss recent studies on the effects of heat stress on cattle reproduction. It seeks to identify and encourage possible strategies to mitigate the negative effects of heat stress on cattle reproduction.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal adaptation to the environment, Risk management, Housing, Living environment, Stress

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Welfare of calves

Søren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Elisabetta Canali, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortazar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Virginie Michel, Miguel Ángel Miranda Chueca, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop and Christoph Winckler

Published in 2023

EFSA opinion identifying fifteen highly relevant negative welfare consequences, the most common being respiratory disorders, inability to engage in exploratory or foraging behavior, gastroenteric disorders and group stress. It recommends a space provision of at least 3m2 per calf, keeping the calf with its mother for a minimum of 24 hours, after which calves should be kept in stable groups and soft bedding should be provided.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal adaptation, Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Risk management, Housing, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock systems, Societal issues

Welfare of laying hens on farm

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 S Herskin, Miguel Ángel Miranda Chueca, Virginie Michel, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl and Antonio Velarde

Published in 2023

EFSA opinion identifying the most important factors impacting on the welfare of laying hens: bone lesions, group stress, inability to avoid unwanted sexual behavior, inability to engage in comfort behavior, inability to engage in exploratory or foraging behavior, isolation stress, predation stress, resting problems, movement restriction, skin disorders, soft tissue lesions and integument lesions. It proposes animal-based measures to assess them, and sets out the risks related to different farming systems. Measures to prevent risks and mitigate welfare consequences are proposed. Recommendations are made to address specific welfare issues for laying hens.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal adaptation to the environment, Animal-based measurement, Consciousness, Enrichment, Risk management, Housing, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Human-animalmutilation, Stress, Farming systems, Societal issues, Pain

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Welfare of broilers on farm

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 S Herskin, Miguel Ángel Miranda Chueca, Virginie Michel, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl and Antonio Velarde

Published in 2023

EFSA opinion that identifies 19 major welfare consequences for broilers, animal-based measures to assess them, risks related to different farming systems and animal-based measures to assess them. Measures to prevent risks and mitigate welfare consequences are proposed. Recommendations are made to address specific welfare issues for broilers. Indicators for monitoring the welfare of broilers at slaughter are proposed.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal adaptation to the environment, Animal-based measurement, Consciousness, Enrichment, Risk management, Housing, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Human-animalmutilation, Stress, Farming systems, Societal issues, Pain

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Visites sanitaires obligatoires dans la filière porcine : lancement de la campagne 2023-2024

French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2023

Technical Instruction giving details on the implementation  of the 2023-24 on-farm visit programme for pig welfare.  The visits are intended to check that farmers are familiar with the relevant regulations, to give them advice tailored to their farms, to make them aware of the risks involved in tail docking and to remind them of the regulations concerning tail docking, on-farm welfare advisors and the cessation of castration of piglets without anaesthetic.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords: Animal mediation, Enrichment, Risk management, Human-animal relationships, Pain,Working animals, Stress, Welfare indicators

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Is a mounted award ceremony in equestrian sport relevant to animal welfare?

H. Gehlen, C. Thöne-Reineke, R. Merle, S. Pichon, H. Linnenbrügger

Published in 2023

Scientific article providing the results of a survey of competitive and show riders on the risks of damage to the welfare of horses, riders and spectators during equestrian award ceremonies. Riders feel greater stress during warm-up and competition than during the award ceremony, while horses display the greatest stress during the lap of honor. Risk of injury, mostly in the form of kicking by stressed horses, is considered to be higher during prize giving.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal adaptation to the environment, Anxiety, Societal issues, Risk management, Fear, Human-animal relationship, Stress

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Annual report of the EFSA Networks on Animal Welfare 2022

EFSA

Published in 2022

Report of the 2022 meeting which dealt with the revision of the European animal welfare regulations, the associated EFSA opinions with a presentation of those published in 2022 and a progress report on those in progress, and with the work of the expert subgroup for animal welfare and the subgroup on national contact points.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Bovines, Porcines, Ruminants, Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurement, Consciousness, Enrichment, Risk management, Living environment, Human-animal relationship, Stress, Livestock system, Transportation, Pain

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