Keywords: Societal issues

Survey examining farmers' intrinsic motivation, habits and knowledge in relation to the improvement of animal welfare. Policies should encourage a continuous commitment to enhancement, rather than formal programs. 

Summary of European legislation on aquaculture, mainly on farmed fish. Although the public has become aware of the issue of welfare in aquaculture, the European legislators have yet to pass a new law. This article summarizes current EU legislation, including voluntary standards developed in certain countries.

Article looking at how WHOA's approach to animal welfare has changed, grouping the changes into three areas: acceptance of animal welfare as a topic in its own right, linked to but distinct from animal health; the broadening of its scope to cover all categories of domestic and wild animals; and the increased contextualization of animal welfare to reflect the specific attitudes and needs of different regions of the globe.

Article summarizing the main conclusions of the expert report "Lignes directrices pour l’établissement de référentiels d’étiquetage du bien-être des animaux" (guidelines  for the establishment of animal welfare labelling standards), published by Anses.

Answer from the European Commission to a question from an MEP on the proposed regulations on the protection of animals during transport, with which the meat industry is not pleased. The European Commission defends its proposal for a regulation based on EFSA's scientific opinions and an in-depth impact assessment. Modelling carried out by the Joint Research Centre indicates a negligible impact on consumer prices.

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.

Study analyzing the impact of animal welfare on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on sheep farms in the UK. Degraded welfare scenarios (lameness, parasites, inadequate feed, insufficient shelter) are shown to increase emissions intensity (kg CO2eq/kg liveweight) by reducing production efficiency. The results show that targeted interventions to improve animal welfare can reduce GHGs while optimizing farm performance.

Article summarizing the tools available to veterinarians to assess and promote the positive welfare of dairy cows on farms.

Document from the European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders (EFFAB) stressing the importance of technological innovations to improve animal health, reduce environmental impacts and guarantee food safety.

Scoping review showing that consumers' ethical views (ethical orientation) strongly influence their preferences on animal welfare measures, with a particular focus on access to outdoors for animals.