Keywords: Societal issues

Scientific paper to evaluate the welfare benefits of raised beds and straw bales for fast-growing broilers as a function of stocking density. It confirms that environmental enrichment improves welfare at all stocking densities, and that reducing stocking density is a powerful lever for improving welfare.

Report presenting the findings of the study conducted by the Commission's (DG SANTE) on consumer awareness of animal-welfare standards and the demand for additional information. It also describes existing animal-welfare labelling schemes in the EU and assesses their design and impact.

Scientific review reminding the reader of the link between violence towards animals and violence towards humans and the importance of finding early indicators of violent behaviour. It underlines the importance of the role of the veterinarian in detecting animal abuse and cruelty.

This article goes back to the origin of the French term "bien-être animal" as a translation of the English "animal welfare'. The latter has a more neutral connotation similar to the French "protection animale" (which can be good or bad), whereas the French "bien-être animal" has the same positive connotation in the minds of the French public as "animal well-being" in English. This produces a mismatch when it is used in France to describe a state that is not related to well-being but is instead independent of the conditions under which the animals are kept.

Answer to a question on the French government's policy to prevent the straying of animals, and asking whether the recovery plan provides for funding for associations that are actively involved in reducing the number of stray animals on La Réunion, where the phenomenon is particularly prevalent.

Answer to a question on the policy of sterilising dogs and cats, especially on the island of La Réunion where the number of stray pets is very high.

Article on the importance of olfaction in human-animal relations. Whether the animal is a farm animal, a laboratory animal or a pet, human scents have an emotional impact on animals because of their strong sense of smell.

Scientific review summarising the European regulations on the welfare of dogs and cats during transport, documenting the negative effects of transport, and suggesting how to mitigate the latter using a scientific evidence base.

DG SANTE audit report concluding that the Austrian system of official controls on animal welfare of laying hens is satisfactory, with two possible improvements, one on the procedures for verifying and assessing the effectiveness of the controls, the other on the creation of a document trail for the controls.

Scientific article explaining ways that the presence or absence of emotions and feelings in animals can be assessed and recommending multi-methodological approaches to the issue.