Keywords: Enrichment

Welfare of calves

Søren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Elisabetta Canali, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortazar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Virginie Michel, Miguel Ángel Miranda Chueca, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop and Christoph Winckler

Published in 2023

EFSA opinion identifying fifteen highly relevant negative welfare consequences, the most common being respiratory disorders, inability to engage in exploratory or foraging behavior, gastroenteric disorders and group stress. It recommends a space provision of at least 3m2 per calf, keeping the calf with its mother for a minimum of 24 hours, after which calves should be kept in stable groups and soft bedding should be provided.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal adaptation, Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system, Societal issues

Welfare issues in broiler chickens: overview

Brian Tainika, Ahmet Şekeroğlu, Ahmet Akyo, Zacharia Waithaka Ng'ang'a

Published in 2023

Publication reviewing the main factors contributing to poor welfare in broiler chickens, their sources, how to mitigate them, and farm management methods that can promote welfare.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Fear, Stress, Livestock farming system, Welfare indicators

Go to document

Welfare of laying hens on farm

Søren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Elisabetta Canali, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortázar Schmidt, Mette S Herskin, Miguel Ángel Miranda Chueca, Virginie Michel, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl and Antonio Velarde

Published in 2023

EFSA opinion identifying the most important factors impacting on the welfare of laying hens: bone lesions, group stress, inability to avoid unwanted sexual behavior, inability to engage in comfort behavior, inability to engage in exploratory or foraging behavior, isolation stress, predation stress, resting problems, movement restriction, skin disorders, soft tissue lesions and integument lesions. It proposes animal-based measures to assess them, and sets out the risks related to different farming systems. Measures to prevent risks and mitigate welfare consequences are proposed. Recommendations are made to address specific welfare issues for laying hens.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Poultry

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

Go to document

Welfare of broilers on farm

Søren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Elisabetta Canali, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gortázar Schmidt, Mette S Herskin, Miguel Ángel Miranda Chueca, Virginie Michel, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Pasquali, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl and Antonio Velarde

Published in 2023

EFSA opinion that identifies 19 major welfare consequences for broilers, animal-based measures to assess them, risks related to different farming systems and animal-based measures to assess them. Measures to prevent risks and mitigate welfare consequences are proposed. Recommendations are made to address specific welfare issues for broilers. Indicators for monitoring the welfare of broilers at slaughter are proposed.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Poultry

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

Go to document

Final report - EFTA Surveillance Authority's audit to Norway from 31 October 2022 to 9 November 2022 on protection of laying hens and chickens kept for meat production

EU Commission

Published in 2023

Audit report from EFTA concluding that the  EEA legislation has been correctly transposed and implemented in Norway. Nevertheless, the recommendations made in previous audits have not been satisfactorily addressed. Official veterinarians do not receive sufficient training with the result that non-compliance is not properly detected.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Housing, Livestock farming system, Societal issues, Welfare indicators

Go to document

Visites sanitaires obligatoires dans la filière porcine : lancement de la campagne 2023-2024

French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2023

Technical Instruction giving details on the implementation  of the 2023-24 on-farm visit programme for pig welfare.  The visits are intended to check that farmers are familiar with the relevant regulations, to give them advice tailored to their farms, to make them aware of the risks involved in tail docking and to remind them of the regulations concerning tail docking, on-farm welfare advisors and the cessation of castration of piglets without anaesthetic.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords: Working animals, Animal mediation, Enrichment, Risk management, Mutilation, Human-animal relationships, Pain,, Stress, Welfare indicators

Go to document

Outside enclosure and additional enrichment for dairy goats

Knut Egil Bøe, Rebecca Ehrlenbruch, Inger Lise Andersen

Published in 2012

A scientific paper investigating the effects of access to an outdoor pen and environmental enrichment on the activity pattern and social behavior of Norwegian dairy goats kept on slatted floors with limited space. It shows that the goats prefer to use the outdoor pen when they are active, and view branches as an attractive enrichment.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Caprines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Livestock farming system

Go to document

Resting pattern and social interactions in goats—The impact of size and organization of lying space

Inger Lise Andersen, Knut Egil Bøe

Published in 2007

Scientific paper showing that the time Norwegian dairy goats spent resting and their resting habits depended more on the size than the lay-out of the lying space, while social interactions depended more on the lay-out than on the size of the lying space.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Caprines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Livestock farming system

Go to document

Rapport du CGAAER n° 21124 – Mission d’appui à la filière lapin de chair

Bruno Gadoud, Philippe Seinger

Published in 2023

This report reminds us of the importance of farming conditions in ensuring the good treatment of rabbits. It also describes the initiatives taken by the rabbit industry to improve animal welfare. It provides a series of recommendations for the various stakeholders in the industry.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories:Monogastric

Keywords:Enrichment, Housing, Livestock farming system

Go to document

Cognitive Enrichment and Welfare: Current Approaches and Future Directions

Fay E. Clark

Published in 2017

Scientific review of the different forms of cognitive enrichment that have been tested for laboratory, farm and zoo animals. It identifies research needs and proposes new indicators for testing.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Cattle, Goats, Wild animals, Sheep, Pigs, Rodents, Poultry

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

Go to document