Subject: Regulations

Animal Welfare Standards in the EU Organic Certification

Alice Di Concetto, Eugénie Duval, Benjamin Lecorps

Published in 2022

A report outlining the revisions to the EU organic certification regulations relating to animal welfare, effective from 2022. They have been extended to include new species, such as rabbits and some fish types, and additional stages of production. The report also discusses the announcement of the "EU Organic Action Plan", which aims to have converted a minimum of 25% of agricultural land to organic farming and a significant increase in organic aquaculture by 2030.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords: Societal issues, Human-animal relationships, Livestock farming system

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Final report of an audit of the Netherlands carried out from 1 to 5 February 2021 in order to evaluate the protection of the welfare of laying hens at all stages of production

DG SANTE

Published in 2022

DG Health report concluding that Dutch animal welfare requirements for laying hens are more stringent than those in the EU, and that official monitoring is strong. It highlights a number of weaknesses and makes recommendations on how to address them.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords: Societal issues, Risk management

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Foire aux Questions ‘Bien-être des porcs’ (mise à jour mai 2022) 

Valérie Courboulay

Published in 2022

Announcement of updates to the FAQ aiming to provide ongoing clarifications on the regulations, agreed between the Government and the Profession, so that its application in the field can be harmonised.  It is national in scope and has no regulatory value

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Enrichment, Stress

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The Case for Ending Beak Trimming

Diane A. Austry

Published in 2022

CAWF report on chick beak trimming in the UK. It highlights the high level of pain and stress associated with the practice, which interferes with the natural behaviours of foraging, nest-building and interaction with conspecifics. It considers that the reason for the practice, pecking, could be prevented by changes to flock management.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Welfare indicators,Housing, Living environment, Mutilation, Societal issues, Stress,Pain

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-001443/22: Banning the monkey trade and the keeping of monkeys as pets

Question: Annika Bruna (ID), Jiří Pospíšil (EPP). Answer: Mr Sinkevičius on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2022

Answer to a question on whether a positive list of wild animal species allowed as pets is to be established and, if so, whether monkeys will be excluded from the list due to their special characteristics.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories:Wildlife

Keywords:Wildlife population dynamics, Societal issues, Living environment, Human-animal relationships,Wildlife

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A Kettle of Fish: A Review of the Scientific Literature for Evidence of Fish Sentience

Helen Lambert, Amelia Cornish, Angie Elwin, Neil D'Cruze

Published in 2022

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.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system, Societal issues

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Avian cognition and the implications for captive parrot welfare

H.S. Starenchak Baukhagen, M.D. Engell

Published in 2022

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

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal Categories:Birds (excluding poultry)

Keywords: Enrichment, Housing, Human-animal relationships,Societal issues, Living environment

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Animal Welfare Underenforcement as a Rule of Law Problem

Mr. B. Rodriguez Ferrere

Published in 2022

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

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords: Societal issues, Human-animal relationships

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Instruction technique DGAL/SDSanimal welfare/2022-362 : Modalités de reconnaissance des formations en bien-être animal suivies depuis le 1er janvier 2018 par les éleveurs et salariés désignés en tant que « référents bien-être animal » dans les élevages de porcs ou de volailles à compter du 1er janvier 2022

Sous-direction de la santé et du bien-être animal (SDSanimal welfare)

Published in 2022

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.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Porcines, Poultry

Keywords: Societal issues, Welfare indicators

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Study of the CAP measures and instruments promoting animal welfare and the reduction of antimicrobial use

Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development

Published in 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.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords:Antibiotic resistance, Environment, Societal issues, Welfare indicators

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