Keywords: Welfare indicators

Influence of deep-litter bedding materials on environmental and welfare-related factors in boar studs

Anine Riedel, Laura Pieper, Matthias Lautner, Claus Leiding, Markus Jung, Martin Schulze

Published in 2024

Scientific article describing the variations in temperature, pen cleanliness (in winter), and fly load (in summer) between different bedding materials supplied to breeding boars. The authors recommend the use of wooden materials as deep litter due to their lesser heat build-up and to avoid litter replacement during summer.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment, Behavioural disorders

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Bien-être des animaux : quels critères scientifiques pour construire un étiquetage des produits alimentaires ? Rapport de l’Anses

Anses

Published in 2024

News item on an Anses report recommending a harmonized comprehensive food product labeling system using animal-based scientific welfare indicators and also take into account the living conditions of their parents.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Livestock buildings, Castration, Animal trade, Enrichment, Identification, Housing, Restraint equipment, Living environment, Mutilation, Prenatal issues, Sterilization, Stress, Livestock farming system, Transport, Behavioural disorders, Societal issues, Welfare indicators

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Monetizing Animal Welfare Impacts for Benefit-Cost Analysis

Budolfson Mark, Espinosa Romain, Fischer Bob, Treich Nicolas

Published in 2024

Article proposing an analytical tool that sites the impacts of public policy on animal welfare within the same framework as impacts on human welfare, the environment and the economy. This would enable the advantages and disadvantages of public policies to be expressed both globally and more accurately, and would make it possible to compare different impacts. To this end, the authors propose a method for monetizing animal welfare that expresses the intrinsic value of impacts on animal welfare in monetary terms.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Cattle, Goats, Equines, Wildlife, Sheep, Pigs, Poultry

Keywords:Biodiversity, Environment, Risk management, Population management, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Modelling, One Welfare,  Livestock farming system, Societal issues

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Analysis of current methods and Welfare concerns in the transport of 118 horses by commercial air cargo companies

Felici M., Cogger N., Nanni Costa L., Riley C.B., Padalino B.

Published in 2024

Prospective study documenting the evolution of horse behavior, health and welfare during air transport. Due to its complexity, this type of transport requires the presence of experienced handlers to provide attentive care to each horse before, during and after air travel, in order to minimize welfare risks.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Welfare indicators, Fear, Resilience, Stress, Transport, Behavioural disorders, Vocalisation

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Burlap and buddies: the effects of social enrichment (preweaning mixing) and object enrichment (burlap) on piglet behavior and welfare in the postweaning environment

Ashlyn Scott, Arielle Le Heiget, Reyna Stefanson, Jamie Ahloy-Dallaire, Meagan King

Published in 2024

Scientific article demonstrating that early social enrichment encourages socialization with unfamiliar conspecifics during post-weaning, while object enrichment (burlap) allows pigs to divert their attention and limits aggressive behavior and the biting of conspecifics. Both types of enrichment can improve pig behavior and welfare after weaning.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Aggression, Enrichment, Housing, Weaning, Socialization, Behavioural disorders, Welfare indicators, Aggression

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How does chronic pain impact the lives of dogs: an investigation of factors that are associated with pain using the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid

Rachel Malkani, Sharmini Paramasivam, Sarah Wolfensohn

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that behavioral problems (reduced mobility, fear, loss of interest in social interaction, lack of play) can be predictors of the appearance more obvious clinical symptoms (lameness) in dogs suffering from musculoskeletal disorders. Knowing how to identify these behavioral indicators early on and proactively could lead to faster treatment of dogs with chronic pain.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Pain, Education, End of life, Welfare indicators, Fear, Stress, Behavioural disorders, Aging

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The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare - 2023 Report

Nicky Amos, Dr Nathan Rhys Williams MRCVS and Jessica Doten Axberg

Published in 2024

Report from Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), on the ways that major global food companies take animal welfare into account. While 95% of them recognize the importance of animal welfare (versus 79% in 2012), 93% received the lowest scores. Three companies stood out positively.

Document Types: Technical review

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

Keywords:Livestock buildings, Animal trade, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Education, Housing, Abuse, Restraint equipment, Mutilation, Livestock farming system, Pain, Stress, Societal issues, Transport

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Exploration of skin redness and immunoglobulin A as markers of the affective states of hens

Delphine Soulet, Anissa Jahoui, Rodrigo Guabiraba, Léa Lansade, Marie-Claire Blache, Benoît Piégu, Gaëlle Lefort, Vanaique Guillory, Pascale Quéré, Karine Germain, Frédéric Lévy, Scott A. Love, Aline Bertin, Cécile Arnould

Published in 2024

Scientific article reporting that hens display increased redness of the facial skin in situations eliciting positive or negative affective states, with high-intensity negative situations resulting in the highest degree of redness. Meanwhile, situations could produce minor changes in immunoglobulin A concentrations. The authors conclude that changes in facial skin redness do indeed reflect variations in the hens' affective states and can be used as a marker when assessing the quality of the human-hen relationship.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Fear, Human-animal relationships, Welfare indicators

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Brazilians' perception of shrimp sentience and welfare

Gabriela Bussi de Oliveira, Pedro Griczinski, Ana Silvia Pedrazzani, Murilo Henrique Quintiliano, Carla Forte Maiolino Molento

Published in 2024

Survey study to establish perceptions in Brazil of the welfare and sentience of shrimps.  ¾ of participants said they were concerned about the welfare of this crustacean. 84% of people acknowledged that the species senses  pain, particularly when the eyestalk is removed, a procedure carried out in farming to induce ovarian maturation and accelerate egg-laying.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Crustaceans

Keywords:Pain, Welfare indicators, Mutilation, Stress

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Sheep fatigue during transport: Lost in translation?

Published in 0

Results of a qualitative study on sheep fatigue during transport from the perspective of stakeholders. Four Subjects emerged when the interview data was analysed, suggesting several avenues of research to improve sheep welfare during transport, including fatigue assessment based on QBA (qualitative behavioral analysis).

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Ovines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Animal trade, Welfare indicators, Transport, Behavioural disorders

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