Keyword: Welfare indicators

Horses are worthy of care: Horse sector participants' attitudes towards animal sentience, welfare, and well-being

Julie M Fiedler, Margaret L Ayre, Sarah Rosanowski, Josh D Slater

Published in 2025

Analysis of surveys carried out among professionals in the equestrian sector, revealing widespread recognition of equine sentience (99.9% of respondents). Two themes emerge: sentience is a pathway to understanding the mental state, welfare and well-being of horses, and humans have a moral obligation to consider it.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Animal mediation, Consciousness, Education, Human-animal relationship, Indicator of well-being,Working animals

Go to document

Machine Vision Applications for Welfare Monitoring in Aquaculture: Challenges and Opportunities

Fitzgerald, A., Ioannou, C.C., Consuegra, S., Dowsey, A. and Garcia de Leaniz, C.

Published in 2025

Review article examining the practical applications of AI for monitoring animal welfare in aquaculture. Detection of diseases, parasites and stress-related behaviors remains limited, not least because of the practical difficulties of observations on commercial farms. Algorithmic advances such as YOLO could improve the accuracy and adaptability of these systems.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, precision farmingIdentification, Well-being indicator, Living environment, Stress, Behavioral disorders

Go to document

Lighting quality evaluation on growth performance and feather pecking behavior of broilers

Chenghao Pan, Rong Xiang, Jinming Pan

Published in 2025

Study examining the effect of light color on the pecking behavior and growth of Youhuang broilers. Although light did not influence growth, the cold white light group showed more severe plumage damage and lower serotonin levels than the warm white or red light groups. Warm white light is recommended, as it is more user-friendly and limits pecking.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Key words:Adaptation of environment to animal, Aggression, Aggressiveness, Animal-based measurement, Animal housing, Enrichment, Welfare indicator, Behavioral disorders

Go to document

A consensus on the definition of positive animal welfare

Rault Jean-Loup, Bateson Melissa, Boissy Alain, Forkman Björn, Grinde Bjørn, Gygax Lorenz, Harfeld Jes Lynning, Hintze Sara, Keeling Linda J., Kostal Lubor, Lawrence Alistair B., Mendl Michael T., Miele Mara, Newberry Ruth C., Sandøe Peter, Špinka Marek, Taylor Alex H., Webb Laura E., Whalin Laura and Jensen Margit Bak

Published in 2025

Consensus on the definition of positive animal welfare

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Consciousness, Enrichment, Well-being indicator, Memory, Prenatal, Cognitive process, Evolutionary process

Go to document

Farmed yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor; Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) welfare: species-specific recommendations for a global industry

Barrett, M., Godfrey, R.K., Schnell, A., & Fischer, B.

Published in 2024

Review examining the factors influencing the welfare of yellow mealworms in farming, such as abiotic conditions, nutrition, intra/interspecific interactions and slaughter methods. Practical recommendations and research orientations are proposed to improve and anticipate welfare issues in this rapidly expanding sector.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:invertebrates, Insects

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Euthanasia, Well-being indicator, Living environment, Stress

Go to document

The Interface of Caretaker and Animal Well-being As a Critical Component of Sustainability

Edwards-Callaway, L. N. & Sullivan, P. A.

Published in 2024

Study exploring welfare, both human and animal, as one of the pillars of sustainability in the farmed animal industry. This pillar is often neglected in favor of the environmental and economic pillars.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Animal adaptation to environment, Animal-based measurement, Societal issues, Environment, Welfare indicator, Living environment, One Welfare, Human-animal relationship, Stress, livestock farming systemBehavioral disorders

Go to document

Measuring on-farm welfare in rabbits: a review with emphasis on animal-based indicators

Trocino A, Tolini C.

Published in 2024

Study proposing a roadmap for assessing rabbit welfare by integrating multi-dimensional indicators, particularly for positive and negative affective states.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Monogastric

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurement, Welfare indicator, Housing, Living environment, Behavioral disorders

Go to document

Animaux d’élevage : prendre en compte leurs ressentis

Rachel Degrande, Juliette Cognié, Véronique Deiss, Angélique Favreau-Peigné, Valérie Fillon, Plotine Jardat, Christine Leterrier, Frédéric Lévy, Odile Petit, Freddie-Jeanne Richard

Published in 2024

Article exploring the evolution of the concept of animal welfare and the scientific basis for consideration of animals' cognitive and emotional capacities.

Document types: Technical Paper

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

Key words:Adaptation of animal to environment, Adaptation of environment to animal, Animal-based measurement, Anxiety, Learning, Consciousness, Well-being indicator, Memory, Metacognition, Fear, Cognitive process, Stress, Behavioral disorders

Go to document

Impact of musical rhythm on blood, physiological and welfare parameters in stabled horses

Fernanda Yumi Ueno de Oliveira, Agnês Markiy Odakura, Maria Fernanda de Castro Burbarelli, Caio César dos Ouros, Ibiara Correia de Lima Almeida Paz, Jaqueline Murbach Braz, Rodrigo Garófallo Garcia & Fabiana Ribeiro Caldara

Published in 2024

Study evaluating the effect of two styles of classical music (slow and moderate tempo) on the well-being of horses during social isolation. Both music styles increased serotonin levels, but the moderate tempo music also influenced certain blood parameters, such as calcium and hemoglobin. These results show that music can contribute to the well-being of horses in the stable.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Animal-based measurement,Animal environment adaptation, Enrichment, Housing, Animal mediation, Working animals, Stress, Welfare indicator, Working animals

Go to document

Évaluation du bien-être des chevaux sur le terrain : protocoles disponibles, conditions et limites d’utilisation

BRIANT, C., RIOU, M., & RUET, A.

Published in 2024

Article on the three main equine welfare assessment protocols - SEBWAT, AWIN Horse and Cheval Bien-être (most recent and in French). The last includes equine welfare indicators of negative mental states, but could be further improved by including indicators of positive mental states.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurement, Working animals, Welfare indicator, Animal mediation

Go to document