Subject: Emotion

Welfare of dairy cows

EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW) : Søren Saxmose Nielsen, Julio Alvarez, Dominique Joseph Bicout, Paolo Calistri, Elisabetta Canali, Julian Ashley Drewe, Bruno Garin-Bastuji, Jose Luis Gonzales Rojas, Christian Gort ́azar Schmidt, Mette Herskin, Virginie Michel, Miguel ́Angel Miranda Chueca, Barbara Padalino, Helen Clare Roberts, Hans Spoolder, Karl Stahl, Antonio Velarde, Arvo Viltrop, Alice De Boyer des Roches, Margit Bak Jensen, John Mee, Martin Green, Hans-Hermann Thulke, Elea Bailly-Caumette, Denise Candiani, Eliana Lima,Yves Van der Stede and Christoph Winckler

Published in 2023

EFSA opinion identifying the main types of housing for dairy cows in Europe and, for each, the main strengths, weaknesses and risks likely to reduce animal welfare. It examines five specific negative welfare consequences: locomotor disorders, mastitis, restricted movement and resting problems, inability to adopt comfort behavior and metabolic disorders. It also analyzes a set of farm characteristics that could be used to classify the level of welfare on farms.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Bovines

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

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Analysis of Various Facial Expressions of Horses as a Welfare Indicator Using Deep Learning

Su Min Kim, Gil Jae Cho

Published in 2023

Article using deep learning to identify various facial expressions that can be used as indicators of welfare in horses. It proposes a model for the automatic recognition of facial expressions including the eyes, nose and ears, to identify horses in various situations: at rest, in pain, immediately after exercise and during shoeing.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Castration, Pain, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Sterilization

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Physical and occupational enrichment in ruminants and equines

Raphaëlle Botreau, Valentin Brunet, Clémence Lesimple

Published in 2023

Scientific review examining the specific needs of ruminants and equines, the enrichments studied in the scientific literature and their impact on welfare, knowledge gaps and recommendations for inspections.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Equines, Ruminants

Keywords:Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships, Livestock farming system

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Equine Social Behaviour: Love, War and Tolerance

Laura Torres Borda, Ulrike Auer, Florien Jenner

Published in 2023

Systematic review of the literature on ways to assess the social behavior of adult horses. Most ethograms include indicators of agonistic behavior. The authors recommend placing greater emphasis on affiliative and ambivalent interactions and indifference when assessing the social behavior of horses.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Personality, Human-animal relationships, Vocalisation

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Birds of a Feather Video-Flock Together: Design and Evaluation of an Agency-Based Parrot-to-Parrot Video-Calling System for Interspecies Ethical Enrichment.

Rebecca Kleinberger, Jennifer Cunha, Megha M Vemuri, Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

Published in 2023

Scientific article summarizing current knowledge of birds' powers of perception and action cabilities and presenting the results of an experiment that uses video conferencing as an enrichment tool in parrots.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal Categories:Birds (excluding poultry)

Keywords:Learning, training, Consciousness, Enrichment, Memory, Human-animal relationships

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Assemblée nationale : réponse écrite à la question n° 5241 : Chats errants

Question: Ian Boucard (Les Républicains - Territoire de Belfort). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2023

Answer to a question concerning the delay in implementing the measures provided for by the French law passed in November 30, 2021 on the management of stray cats, in particular the failure to publish reports on the costed assessment of need or the estimated cost of capture and sterilization, to formulate recommendations, or to implement the trial provided for in Article 12 of the law.

Document Types: Technical work

Animal categories: Felines

Keywords: Adoption,Abandonment, Castration, One Welfare, Identification, Mistreatment, Risk management, Population management, Societal issues, Sterilization

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Revue Innovation Agronomiques - volume 87 - Bien-être Animal 

Luc Mounier, Philippe Prévost, Alain Boissy, Agathe Gignoux, Yannick Ramonet, Mathilde Stomp, Christelle Demont, Isabelle Veissier, Mickaël Benoît, Rabah Bellahsene, Séverine Fontaine, Patrice Charron, Elsa Delanoue, Aude-Solveig Epstein, Christèle Couzy, Xavier Boivin, Romain Piovan, Clémence Bitu, Morgane Leroux, Justine Robin, Christine Roguet

Published in 2023

Publication of the papers given at the Agronomic Innovation Forum "Bien-être animal : faire se rencontrer attentes sociétales et professionnelles" (encounter between societal and professional expectations) held on May 5, 2022 at the VetAgro Sup veterinary campus in Lyon.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Societal issues, One WelfareWelfare indicators, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Transportof Live Animals in the EU: challenges and opportunities 

European Court of Auditors

Published in 2023

Review of current animal transport practices in the European Union and possible actions to improve the account taken of the welfare of transported animals.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Societal issues, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Transport

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Review: The challenge to integrate Animal Welfare indicators into the Life Cycle Assessment

L. Lanzoni, L. Whatford, A. Atzori, M. Chincarini, M. Giammarco, I. Fusaro, G. Vignola

Published in 2023

Scientific literature review of publications that consider the impact of livestock systems on both the environment and animal welfare. It shows that environmental impact assessment using life cycle assessment (LCA) has a much more consistent, standardized and thorough methodology than animal welfare assessments. It concludes that research is needed to integrate animal welfare assessment into LCA.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Environment, Welfare indicators, Modelling, One Welfare

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Review: Connecting circularity to animal welfare calls for a 'novel' conceptual framework based on integrity

M.B.M. Bracke, I.J.M. Boumans, H.J. Nijland, E.A.M. Bokkers

Published in 2023

Scientific review proposing a new conceptual framework it calls the circular welfare economy (CWE), intended to facilitate the transition to sustainable agriculture. The CWE applies the notion of circularity to welfare, defined as the quality of life as it is perceived by the individual animal itself. It also considers human integrity, defined as openness and honesty, to be a prerequisite for sustainability.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

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