Keywords: Societal issues

The report reviews the scientific literature aimed at evaluating the welfare of circus animals using the five-domain method and highlights violations in each of the five areas. It proposes that these results should be taken into account in developing strategies to improve the quality of life of wild animals working in circuses.

Scientific review of the scientific evidence on fish sentience and its implications for the commercial farming of fish. It concludes that there is a need to review the welfare regulations for farmed fish.

Scientific paper presenting the results of a survey of pet snake owners on their housing and husbandry practices. It highlights a number of living environments that do not comply with current regulations and proposes that these results should be used to target rearing advice and to draft new manuals for snake keepers.

Scientific review of the potential ethical implications of new information on parrot cognition for their keeping in captivity.

A scientific article examining the way in which animal welfare regulations are enforced. It concludes that they are under-enforced, and that this poses a more general problem  in that it undermines the rule of law

Answer to a question on the sale of halal meat without the knowledge of consumers in the absence of specific labelling, and the restriction this will place on  competition. 

News item containing the statistics for herd sizes in EU member countries in 2021: 142 million pigs, 76 million cattle, 60 million sheep and 11 million goats. French herds accounted for 9% of pigs, 23% of cattle, 12% of sheep and 12% of goats in the EU.

New technical instruction cancelling and replacing that of 30 December 2021, and giving a new list of training courses recognised as equivalent to authorised animal welfare courses, if they have been followed by persons designated as animal welfare advisors between 1 January 2018 and 1 January 2022.

Study assessing the overall positive impact of the CAP on improving animal welfare and reducing the use of antimicrobials in livestock production. It notes, however, the lack of performance indicators and recommends that more widespread measures should be implemented, with a common European methodology, that indicators adequate to the task should be developed and that mandatory labelling should be extended to more livestock sectors.

Conclusions of the monitoring committee for the video-monitoring pilot carried out in 5 volunteer abattoirs, all of which were satisfied with the system and wished to keep it. The advantages and disadvantages of this system are listed, and suggestions are made for improvements.