Subject: Health /Diseases

The effects of farming systems (organic vs. conventional) on dairy cow welfare, based on the Welfare Quality® protocol

K. Wagner, J. Brinkmann, A. Bergschmidt, C. Renziehausen, S. Marcha

Published in 2021

Scientific article comparing the welfare levels of German conventional and organic dairy farms, using the Welfare Quality protocol. It shows that organic farms score better on the 4 main Welfare Quality principles, although there is wide variation between farms operating under the same farming system. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement on organic farms in the area of health.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Livestock farming system

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The effects of heat stress on the behaviour of dairy cows - a review

Piotr Herbut,Gundula Hoffmann, Sabina Angrecka, Dorota Godyń, Frederico Márcio Corrêa Vieira, Krzysztof Adamczyk, Robert Kupczyński

Published in 2021

A scientific review reporting on behavioural changes in dairy cows exposed to heat stress conditions and discussing herd management strategies to mitigate the consequences of excessive temperatures on animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

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

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The Human Aspect of Horse Care: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted the Wellbeing of Equestrian Industry Stakeholders

Ashley Ward, Kate Stephen, Caroline Argo, Christine Watson, Patricia Harris, Madalina Neacsu, Wendy Russell, Dai Grove-White, Philippa Morrison

Published in 2021

Scientific article presenting the results of a survey of equine stakeholders on their feelings about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It shows that the pandemic has affected veterinarians and horse owners due to restrictions on contact and human-horse interactions. However, the pandemic has also led to initiatives to maintain social links between owners as a remedy for isolation.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

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

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Enhancing the value of meat inspection records for broiler health and welfare surveillance: longitudinal detection of relational patterns

S. N. Buzdugan, P. Alarcon, B. Huntington, J. Rushton, D. P. Blake, J. Guitian

Published in 2021

A scientific paper that uses data from UK abattoir broiler meat inspection records to highlight relationships between different conditions leading to condemnation of batches that would be useful for monitoring animal health and welfare. It highlights relationships that suggest the presence of syndromes in certain months of the year, potentially providing a basis on which to identify surveillance indicators for broiler producers to use.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Carcass quality, Processing

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Emerging indicators of fish welfare in aquaculture

Michelle Orietta Barreto, Sonia Rey Planellas, Yifei Yang, Clive Phillips, Kris Descovich

Published in 2021

A scientific review of invasive and non-invasive fish-welfare assessment methods, with a focus on their practical application in aquaculture. New technologies are helping to improve the accuracy, automation and practical applicability of these methods.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords:Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Livestock farming system

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Long-Distance Transport of Finisher Pigs in the Iberian Peninsula: Effects of Season on Thermal and Enthalpy Conditions, Welfare Indicators and Meat pH

Genaro C. Miranda-de la Lama, Rubén Bermejo-Poza,Formoso-Rafferty, Malcolm Mitchell, Pilar Barreiro, Morris Villarroel

Published in 2021

A scientific paper to determine the influence of temperature and air enthalpy variations in live pig transport vehicles using welfare indicators. It shows that such variations are greater in winter, and are associated with higher cortisol and lower blood glucose levels in pigs, both indicators of heat stress.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Welfare indicators, Stress, Transport

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-003334/21: Equivalence of veterinary medicines for animal welfare

Question: Eleonora Evi (Greens/EFA). Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2021

Written answer from the European Commission to a question on the regulations regarding the prescribing of human medicinal products for animals when no suitable medicinal product is available to treat an animal's diagnosed condition.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Keywords: Societal issues

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Determination of static space requirements for finishing bulls based on image analysis

N. Volkmann, J. Stracke, S.L. Rauterberg, B. Spindler, N. Kemper

Published in 2021

Scientific paper providing information on the space requirements of finishing bulls to ensure their welfare. It focuses on the space occupied when motionless in the standing and lying positions and concludes that further studies are needed to take into account the space requirements of bulls to allow movement and social interactions.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Housing, Livestock buildings, Livestock farming system

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Network analysis of tail-biting in pigs - indirect effect on tail posture

Thore Wilder, Joachim Krieter Nicole Kemper, Kathrin Büttner

Published in 2021

Scientific paper examining whether the tail position of pigs in a pen can be a predictive indicator for the occurrence of tail biting, taking into account the social structure of the group of penned pigs.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Pain, Modelling, Mutilation, Welfare indicators

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Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Alternative Ventilation Schemes in Cage-Free Poultry Housing

Long Chen, Eileen E. Fabian-Wheeler, John M. Cimbala, Dan Hofstetter, Paul Patterson

Published in 2021

Scientific paper presenting and testing computational fluid dynamics models under 4 different sets of ventilation conditions to simulate airflow in cage-free chicken houses. The transition to cage-free rearing calls for changes to environmental conditions to ensure the best quality of animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Livestock buildings, Living environment, Stress

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