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News 16 December 2022 - 11 January 2023

Cross-sectoral
  • Insects may feel pain, says growing evidence – here’s what this means for animal welfare laws (The Conversation O/S)
  • More than 500,000 US farm animals died in barn fires in 2022 (The Pig Site O/S)
  • An exploded aquarium and chimpanzees shot dead: Is it time to stop keeping animals in captivity? (Euronews O/S)
Cattle in beef & dairy production
  • How enrichment could help cow welfare and public perception of dairy (Farmers Weekly O/S)
  • Study looks at how composting shelters affect dairy farm systems (NZ Herald O/S)
Pigs in pork production
  • USDA Issues Report Showing Current Status Of Hog Welfare Laws (SwineWeb O/S)
  • ERS examines impact of state sow welfare policies on pork production (National Hog Farmer O/S)
  • Welfare quality through the piglet perspective (Pig Progress O/S)
  • Is antibiotic reduction related to pig welfare? (Pig Progress O/S)
Poultry in meat & egg production
  • Major Swiss 3-year toe pecking in layers study (Poultry World O/S)
  • Controversy over lack of eggs has been years in the making (StuffNZ O/S)
  • New Zealand bans battery cages for hens – but replacement ‘just as bad’ (The Guardian)
  • Australia ‘decades’ behind in phasing out battery-farmed eggs, animal advocates say (The Guardian)
  • Israeli innovation could end the slaughter of day-old male chicks (Jewish News O/S)
  • Golda, the Israeli hen that lays only female eggs (Israel 21c O/S)
  • Gene-edited hens may end cull of billions of chicks (BBC O/S)
  • Cage-Free Eggs: Yay or Nay? (Health News O/S)
  • Walmart, Kroger will not meet 2025 cage-free commitments (Watt Poultry O/S)
Sheep in meat & wool production
  • Key details of Irish sheep welfare scheme ahead of January 9 closing date (Independent.ie O/S)
Animals in transit & at slaughter
  • Live exports: just five of 38 eligible ships had Australian animal welfare observers (The Guardian)
  • More than 200 veterinarians express support for legislation to permanently end the slaughter of American horses (Humane Society O/S)
  • Shorter Hauls Suggested for Traveling Calves (Dairy Herd Management O/S)
Animals in aquaculture and wild caught
Animals in research & teaching
  • Can we ethically justify harming animals for research? (The Conversation)
  • Exclusive: Probe of Musk's Neuralink to scrutinize long-criticized U.S animal welfare regulator (Reuters O/S)
  • Toothless and ‘paltry’: Critics slam USDA’s fines for animal welfare violations (National Geographic O/S)
Animals in racing, sports & work
  • Jockey suspended for six weeks after horse dies in Perth Cup (The Guardian)
  • Groundbreaking research paves way for improved horse and rider welfare (CQU)
  • Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Darren Weir pleads guilty to animal cruelty charges over use of cattle prod (The Guardian)
  • Registration for Seventh International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses Open (IFAR)
  • Racing Victoria's Equine Welfare Plan Faces Criticism (Bloodhorse)
  • Greyhound racing should be banned in Wales, says committee (BBC O/S)
Animals in zoos, aquaria & the wild
  • World Animal Protection calling on cop15 negotiators to ensure target 5 addresses biodiversity, and pandemic disease risk from wildlife trade.(Yahoo O/S)
  • ‘Trust, but verify’: Animal welfare auditors support greater oversight of B.C. wolf cull (Global News O/S)
Pets & companion animals
  • Animal welfare advocates hail New York law banning sale of pets at retail stores (The Guardian O/S)
Podcasts & presentations
  • Karen Luke “Unravelling the riddle of rider safety in the horse industry” (3 Minute Thesis)
  • Sofia Wilhelmsson on "Pig transport and human-animal relations" (Table Talk O/S)
Policy
Other/Publications
  • Animal Welfare Science Centre December Newsletter (AWSC)
  • Animal Welfare has now moved to a Gold Open Access publishing model. (UFAW)
  • ‘Fuah!’ sure: the vegan foie gras selling out across Spain (The Guardian O/S)
  • Global Food Partners December Newsletter (GFP O/S)
  • New Book - Wildlife Research In Australia, Practical and Applied Methods, Edited by: Bradley Smith, Helen Waudby, Corinne Alberthsen, Jordan Hampton. (CSIRO)
  • RSPCA Australia Science Update (RSPCA)
  • Reasons for Hope: What Went Right for Animals in 2022 (Psychology Today O/S)
  • Mathilde Coutant, Jens Malmkvist, Céline Tallet, Catherine J.A. Williams, Marianne Kaiser, Leslie Foldager, Mette S. Herskin. Administration of procaine-based local anaesthetic prior to surgical castration influences post-operative behaviours of piglets, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 258, 2023, 105813. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159122002738
  • Creutzinger K, Pempek J, Habing G, Proudfoot K, Locke S, Wilson D, & Renaud D. (2021). Perspectives on the management of surplus dairy calves in the United States and Canada. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8, 344. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.661453/full
  • Giraudet CSE, Liu K, McElligott AG, Cobb M. 2022. Are children and dogs best friends? A scoping review to explore the positive and negative effects of child-dog interactions. PeerJ 10:e14532. https://peerj.com/articles/14532/
  • Hayes, M.E., Hemsworth, L.M., Morrison, R.S., Tilbrook, A.J., Hemsworth, P.H., 2021. Positive human contact and housing systems impact the responses of piglets to various stressors. Animals 11, 1619. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/6/1619#
  • Jerine A.J. van der Eijk, Henk Gunnink, Stephanie Melis, Johan W. van Riel, Ingrid C. de Jong. Reducing stocking density benefits behaviour of fast- and slower-growing broilers. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 257, 2022, 105754. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016815912200212X
  • Pempek J, Masterson M., Portillo-Gonzalez R, Creutzinger K, Cheng TY, & Habing G. (2022). The Impact of Antimicrobial Stewardship Training on Calf Producers’ Knowledge, Treatment Behaviors and Quantified Antimicrobial Use. Microorganisms, 10(8), 1525. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/8/1525
  • Sozzi, M.; Pillan, G.; Ciarelli, C.; Marinello, F.; Pirrone, F.; Bordignon, F.; Bordignon, A.; Xiccato, G.; Trocino, A. Measuring Comfort Behaviours in Laying Hens Using Deep-Learning Tools. Animals 2023, 13, 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010033
  • Webber, S., Cobb, M.L., Coe, J. (2022). Welfare Through Competence: A Framework for Animal-Centric Technology Design. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, 2022. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2022.885973
  • Wilhelmsson, Sofia and Andersson, Maria and Hemsworth, Paul H. and Yngvesson, Jenny and Hultgren, Jan, Human-Animal Interactions During On-Farm Truck Loading of Finishing Pigs for Slaughter Transport. Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4279254

Conferences, Seminars & Events

  • International Animal Behaviour Twitter Conference 2023 18 -19th January 2023. https://www.animbehav2023.com/?s=09
  • AWP25 Webinars “Achieving Change in the Animal Protection Movement” February 6 2023 12 pm PT  (Commences 7.00am AEDT 7th February 2023) (UBC)
  • International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) 14 – 19th February 2023, Melbourne (Details)
  • evokeAG. 21st – 22nd February 2023, Adelaide. (evokeAG)
  • RSPCA Animal Welfare Seminar 2023. Quit horsing around: Advancing horse welfare in Australia. Wednesday 22nd – 23rd February 2023. Online. (RSPCA)
  • AWP25 Webinars “Achieving Change for Wild Animals” March 6 2023 12 pm PT (Commences 7.00am AEDT 7th March 2023 (UBC)
  • AWP25 Webinars “Achieving Change in Research” 6th April  2023 12 pm PDT (Commences 5.00am AEDT 7th April 2023) (UBC)
  • International Society for Anthrozoology 2023 Conference, June 15th – 18th, Edinburgh, UK (Details TBA)
  • UFAW Animal Welfare Conference, 20th – 21st June 2023 – Online (Details TBA)
  • International Society for Applied Ethology, Congress. 1st – 5th August, 2023, Tallinn, Estonia (ISAE)
  • Behaviour 2023.14th – 20th August 2023, Univ Bielefeld, Germany. (Behaviour2023)
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