Subject: Health /Diseases

Lesson learned in big data for dairy cattle: advanced analytics for heat stress detection

Stefano Benni, Marco Bovo, Miki Agrusti, Mattia Ceccarelli, Alberto Barbaresi, Daniele Torreggiani, Patrizia Tassinari

Published in 2022

Publication on the use of big data to improve sustainability and animal welfare in addition to productivity, in dairy farming. If the data is properly managed, it can be used to model early diagnosis and prevention strategies.  This modelling technique has been developed and tested for the assessment of the impact of heat stress.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Livestock farming system

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Effect of Providing Environmental Enrichment into Aviary House on the Welfare of Laying Hens

Jiseon Son, Woo-Do Lee, Hee-Jin Kim, Bo-Seok Kang, Hwan-Ku Kang

Published in 2022

Scientific paper showing that enriching the environment of laying hens by providing pumice stone or alfalfa hay reduces stress and improves production, but does not reduce pecking behaviours.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Stress

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Is Smart Farming Making Life Worse for Farmed Animals?

Karen Asp

Published in 2022

Article setting out the benefits and limitations of smart farming for the improvement of the living conditions of farm animals. While it makes the farmer's work easier, it is less clear that it has a positive impact on animal welfare.

Document types: Technical Paper

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

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Livestock farming system

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European Institute for Animal Law and Policy

Maria Rodrigues da Costa, Alessia Diana

Published in 2022

Scientific review showing that, in farm animals, a high level of animal welfare often leads to lower use of antimicrobials (UAM) and that a low level of welfare was associated with higher UAMs. In organic systems, restrictions on UAMs may however prevent animals from receiving treatment when needed.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords: Societal issues, Welfare indicators

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Evaluation of Two Injection Techniques in Combination with the Local Anesthetics Lidocaine and Mepivacaine for Piglets Undergoing Surgical Castration

Julia Werner, Anna M. Saller, Judith Reiser, Steffanie Senf, Pauline Deffner, Nora Abendschön, Johannes Fischer, Andrea Grott, Regina Miller, Yury Zablotski, Katja Steiger, Shana Bergmann, Michael H. Erhard, Mathias Ritzmann, Susanne Zöls, Christine Baumgartner

Published in 2022

Scientific paper comparing the relative effects on heart rate, mean arterial pressure, pain movements and physiological stress markers of two injection techniques, involving 1 or 2 stages, for lidocaine or mepivacaine during the castration of piglets.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Pain, Mutilation, Stress

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The Relationships between Damaging Behaviours and Health in Laying Hens

Virginie Michel, Jutta Berk, Nadya Bozakova, Jerine van der Eijk, Inma Estevez, Teodora Mircheva, Renata Relic, T. Bas Rodenburg, Evangelia N. Sossidou, Maryse Guinebretière

Published in 2022

Scientific review of the detrimental behaviours and health risks that can result from sub-optimal housing and/or rearing conditions in systems offering an alternative to cages for laying hens. Due to the increased social interaction, the risk of harmful behaviours and infectious diseases is increased. Preventive monitoring of the behaviour and health of hens is therefore needed.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Societal issues, Welfare indicators

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Positive Effects of Elevated Platforms and Straw Bales on the Welfare of Fast-Growing Broiler Chickens Reared at Two Different Stocking Densities

Frédérique Mocz, Virginie Michel, Mathilde Janvrot, Jean-Philippe Moysan, Alassane Keita, Anja B. Riber, Maryse Guinebretière

Published in 2022

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.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Societal issues, Welfare indicators

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Risk factors associated with the welfare of grazing dairy cows in spring-calving, hybrid pasture-based systems

R.E. Crossley, E.A.M. Bokkers, N. Browne, K. Sugrue, E. Kennedy, B. Engel, M. Conneely

Published in 2022

Scientific paper identifying 14 risk factors associated with one or more welfare indicators during the grazing season on hybrid dairy farms. Many of the risk factors were related to the period spent indoors, suggesting that the potential effects of housing management on welfare persist into the grazing period.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Risk management, Housing, Livestock farming system, Welfare indicators

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French National Assembly: Réponse écrite à la question n°40650 : La situation de l’errance animale

Question: Jean-Hugues Ratenon (La France insoumise - Réunion). Answer:  French Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Published in 2022

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.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Canines, Felines

Keywords: Societal issues, Human-animal relationships

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Extensive Sheep and Goat Production: The Role of Novel Technologies towards Sustainability and Animal Welfare

Severiano R. Silva, Laura Sacarrão-Birrento, Mariana Almeida, David M. Ribeiro, Cristina Guedes, José Ramiro González Montaña, Alfredo F. Pereira, Konstantinos Zaralis, Ana Geraldo, Ouranios Tzamaloukas, Marta González Cabrera, Noemí Castro, Anastasio Argüello, Lorenzo E. Hernández-Castellano, Ángel J. Alonso-Diez, María J. Martín, Luis G. Cal-Pereyra, George Stilwell, André M. de Almeida

Published in 2022

Scientific review of technological developments that can be used in extensive sheep and goat production systems to improve the nutrition, production, health and welfare of these species, as part of an integrated approach that takes the environment into account.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Canines, Sheep

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Livestock farming system

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