Keywords: Animal-based measurements

National chicken council broiler welfare guidelines and audit checklist

National Chicken Council

Published in 2022

Two-yearly update of the NCC broiler welfare guidelines including key welfare indicators (including foot pad health, gait, reduction of leg and wing injuries), with a focus on bird behaviour, objective measures and welfare outcomes, enhanced training programs for proper handling of birds, and an improved audit tool.

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Mutilation, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system

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Epigenetic biomarkers for animal welfare monitoring

Rose Whelan, Sina Tönges, Florian Böhl, Frank Lyko

Published in 2023

Scientific review describing animal DNA methylation patterns and methods for their analysis, an overview of the molecular and biological basis for the development of epigenetic biomarkers in veterinary science, and their potential use in animal welfare monitoring.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Welfare indicators

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Horse welfare: A joint assessment of four categories of behavioural indicators using the AWIN protocol, scan sampling and surveys

A. Ruet, C. Arnould, J. Lemarchand, C. Parias, N. Mach, M.-P. Moisan, A. Foury, C. Briant, L. Lansade

Published in 2023

Scientific paper testing whether AWIN, scan sampling for behavioural observations, and surveys are effective methods to assess four categories of behavioral indicators for poor welfare: stereotypies, aggression toward humans, lack of responsiveness to the environment, and hypervigilance. It concludes that the 3 methods are complementary and should be used together to properly assess these four categories of indicators.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Welfare indicators

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Automatic monitoring and detection of tail-biting behavior in groups of pigs using video-based deep learning methods

Franziska Hakansson, Dan Børge Jensen

Published in 2023

Scientific paper developing computer visualization methods for the early detection of tail biting in pigs. The authors use a convolutional neural network to extract spatial data, combined with secondary networks to take account of temporal data.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Societal issues, Mutilation, Stress

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Inter-Observer Repeatability of Indicators of Consciousness after Waterbath Stunning in Broiler Chickens

Alexandra Contreras-Jodar, Aranzazu Varvaró-Porter, Virginie Michel, Antonio Velarde

Published in 2022

A study proposing an improved list of indicators available for use in commercial abattoirs to ensure the consistency of assessments of the effectiveness of electrostunning in broilers. Prior to bleeding, it is better to check for breathing than for blinking or spontaneous vocalizations. During bleeding, the recommended indicators are breathing, wing flapping and head shaking.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Carcass quality, Pain, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Stress

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Impact of Procedures and Human-Animal Interactions during Transport and Slaughter on Animal Welfare of Pigs: A Systematic Literature Review

Rudi Isbrandt, Mechthild Wiegard, Diana Meemken, Nina Langkabel

Published in 2022

Systematic review of the literature to identify animal-based and management-based indicators that could be influenced by changes in handling procedures for feeder pigs on the day of slaughter. Factors with the highest impact on pig welfare were the calmness of operators when handling animals, reduction of environmental noise and transport time, and control of stunning effectiveness.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships, 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 measurements, Consciousness, Enrichment, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Mutilation, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system, Transportation, Pain

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Individual behavioral correlates of tail biting in pre-finishing piglets

Marc Bagaria, Laura Kuiper, Ellen Meijer, Elisabeth H. M. Sterck

Published in 2022

Scientific paper showing that tail lesions are present in 2/3 of a group of pre-finishing piglets, that they are usually minor and that the majority of piglets both bite and are bitten. The piglets that bite most are those with the highest levels of exploratory behaviour.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Stress

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Review of the Foundational Knowledge Required for Assessing Horse Welfare

Andrea M. Harvey, Daniel Ramp, David J. Mellor

Published in 2022

A scientific review of what is known about the nutrition, physical environment, health and behavioral interactions of horses, these being the first 4 of the 5 domains of the animal welfare model and the last domain, mental state, being inferred from the first 4.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment

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Pre-slaughter stress mitigation in goats: Prospects and challenges

Pavan Kumar, Abubakar Ahmed Abubakar, Muideen Adewale Ahmed, Muhammad Nizam Hayat, Ubedullah Kaka, Mirian Pateiro, Awis Qurni Sazili, Louwrens C. Hoffmann, Jose M.Lorenzo

Published in 2022

Scientific review of pre-slaughter stress factors, the associated indicators and the methods of management specific to goats, in order to facilitate decision making to minimize pre-slaughter stress in goats and improve goat meat quality.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Caprines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Welfare indicators, Carcass quality, Societal issues, Stress, Transport

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