Keywords: Societal issues

Canadian dairy farmer views about animal welfare

Catherine A Schuppli, Jeffrey M Spooner, Marina AG von Keyserlingk

Published in 2023

Article reporting the results of a survey of 22 Canadian dairy farmers to discover their views on animal welfare. Two centres of interest emerged: a focus on the animal, including the biology and emotions of animals, and dairy farmer identity, including the values farmers place on their work and their animals, the way they are perceived by society, and human-animal relationships.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Societal issues, One Welfare, Human-animal relationships

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Road Transport: A Review of Its Effects on the Welfare of Piglets

Martina Zappaterra, Luigi Faucitano, Leonardo Nanni Costa

Published in 2023

Scientific review of the main effects of factors, both before and during transport, that influence piglet response to transport stress and recovery after transport. These include the causes of heat stress, vehicle characteristics (ventilation type and deck location), available space, animal densities, and journey duration, as well as piglet genetics and age at weaning.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Societal issues, Transport

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Defining common criteria for harmonizing life cycle assessments of livestock systems

Pietro Goglio, Marie Trydeman Knudsen, Klara Van Mierlo, Nina Röhrig, Maxime Fossey, Alberto Maresca, Fatemeh Hashemi, Muhammad Ahmed Waqas, Jenny Yngvesson, Gilles Nassy, Roline Broekema, Simon Moakes, Catherine Pfeifer, Robert Borek, David Yanez-Ruiz, Monica Quevedo Cascante, Alina Syp, Tomasz Zylowsky, Manuel Romero-Huelva, Laurence G. Smith

Published in 2023

Article presenting the results of a participatory harmonization approach to the provision of an evaluation framework for life cycle assessments of current and future livestock systems. It integrates animal welfare and Adaptation of the animal to the environment into the measurement of the environmental impacts of livestock systems and products.

Document Types: Scientific paper

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

Keywords:Biodiversity, Environment, Modelling, One Welfare, Living environment, Societal issues, Welfare indicators

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Integrating Individual Animal and Population Welfare in Zoos and Aquariums

Louis DiVincenti, Jr., Allen McDowell, Elizabeth S. Herrelko

Published in 2023

Article on the links between animal welfare at individual and population levels in zoos and aquariums, and how these two levels can be mutually reinforcing or in conflict.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Wildlife

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Enrichment, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Living environment

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A method for calculating the external costs of farm animal welfare based on the Welfare Quality® Protocol

Luuk S. M. Vissers, Coen P. A. van Wagenberg, Willy H. M. Baltussen

Published in 2023

This article presents a method to estimate the external costs of farm animal welfare and thereby help decision-making for the development and adoption of more welfare-friendly production systems. It includes  a calculation for the relationship between animal welfare scores and the costs of animal welfare measures on farms. It has been tested and validated on a dairy cattle farm, a pig farm and a poultry farm.

Document Types: Scientific paper

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

Keywords: Modelling, One Welfare,Societal issues

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Models of Conditioned Reinforcement and Abnormal Behaviour in Captive Animals

Vera Vinken, Lena Lidfors, Jenny Loberg, Anna Lundberg, Johan Lind, Markus Jonsson, Stefano Ghirlanda, Magnus Enquist

Published in 2023

Scientific article proposing three models, including conditioned reinforcement, to study the complex relationships between environments, innate predispositions and learning in captive animals, which can lead to the development of stereotypies.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Wildlife

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Enrichment, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Behavioural disorders, Societal issues

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-000857/23: Supporting the installation of loose-house systems for sows 

Question: Annika Bruna (ID), Eric Minardi (ID), Elżbieta Kruk (ECR), France Jamet (ID). Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2023

Answer to a question on the European Commission's plans to provide financial support for the installation of free-range accommodation for sows, and on the introduction of mirror clauses to protect European livestock farmers from competition from third countries with less stringent animal welfare standards.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment, Housing, Societal issues

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European Parliament: Written answer to question E-000948/23: Malnourished calves in Europe

Question: Sarah Wiener (Greens/EFA). Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2023

Answer to a question concerning the failure by member states to transpose Directive 2008/119/EC with regard to standards for the protection of calves, in particular as regards the monitoring of their hemoglobin blood levels, their feeding and their transport.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords: Carcass quality, Transport,Societal issues

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-000940/23: Compliance with Directive 2008/120/EC on the welfare of pigs

Question: Margrete Auken (Greens/EFA). Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2023

Answer to a question concerning the date of publication of the assessment of Member States' national action plans for the prevention of routine tail docking in pigs, the decisions taken by the European Commission to ensure compliance with the regulatory ban on tail docking in this species, and the measures envisaged in the event of breaches of the regulations.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Pain, Societal issues, Mutilation

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Devenir des jeunes ruminants laitiers : comment concilier élevage et attentes sociétales 

Dominique Pomiès, Caroline Constancis, Julien Jurquet, Isabelle Veissier, Hugues Caillat, Gilles Lagriffoul, Marie Drouet, Clément Fossaert, Yannick Le Cozler

Published in 2023

Review of the natural behaviors of young stock from the three major dairy breeds, and of farming practices currently employed for these young animals. It lists alternative practices that can meet the expectations of the public and consumers in terms of animal welfare, as well as those of farmers on improving their profession's public image and the way their products are sold.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines

Keywords: Enrichment, Human-animal relationships, Lactation, Living environment, One Welfare, Weaning, Stress, Livestock farming system,Societal issues, Welfare indicators

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