A selection of animal welfare news from around the world

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Please note that the articles below do not reflect opinions of TAWC. Although we aim to provide comprehensive coverage, there are likely articles that we’ve missed.

O/S = Overseas source

News 11 – 17 December 2020

Cross-sectoral
  • Translating transparency: Brands double down on clear messaging (Food Ingredients 1st O/S)
  • End the cage age – (CIWF O/S)
  • Littleproud welcomes stronger farmer protections against extreme animal activists (Mirage)
  • We’re bringing animals back to prime time TV (Animals Australia)
  • Temple Grandin: alternative business models that farmers consider (New Journal O/S)
  • Animal welfare improvements do not necessarily improve public opinion, study finds (MRCVS O/S)
  • 1.4+ Million Farm Animals Died in Barn Fires in 2020 (Animal Welfare Institute O/S)
Cattle in beef & dairy production
  • Cattle producers wanted for pilot policy council (Seedstock Central)
  • Animal welfare and consumer relations (Beef Magazine O/S)
  • The end of dairy’s ‘dirty secret’? UK Farms have a year to stop killing male calves (Guardian O/S)
Pigs in pork production
  • Piglets vocally indicate preference for their piglet friends over human conspecifics (Phys.Org O/S)
  • Facial recognition for pigs: Is it helping Chinese farmers or hurting the poorest? (Guardian O/S)
  • Pig welfare calls for broad approach (Pig Progress O/S)
Poultry in meat & egg production
  • EU’s largest meat supplier signs the Better Chicken Commitment (The Poultry Site O/S)
  • RSPCA approved turkey at Woolworths, what’s it all about? (RSPCA Aus)
  • Australians can support higher welfare farming during the holiday season (The Poultry Site)
Sheep in meat & wool production
  • Changing consumer sentiment pushes for improved sheep handling (ABC)
Animals in transit & at slaughter
  • Safety standards in UK slaughterhouses risk being compromised by the ‘stringent’ rules requiring a permanent veterinary presence in all abattoirs, a food lawyer has claimed (Food Navgator.com O/S)
  • RD&E 2020 Cattle Update (LiveCorp)
Animals in aquaculture
Animals in research & teaching

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Animals in racing & sport
  • Racing bodies urged to adopt new minimum welfare standards for thoroughbreds (Horsetalk NZ O/S)
  • Independent welfare report due early 2021 (Racing.com)
  • SAFE Zeroes in On Rodeo With A New Petition Launching Today (Scoop NZ O/S)
Animals in zoos, aquaria & the wild
  • Cher turns attention to mall gorilla after freeing ‘world’s loneliest elephant (Guardian O/S)
  • Foxes starving to death and resorting to cannibalism in Polish fur farms (Independent O/S)
  • Animal welfare organisations call for the permanent closure of fur farms in Europe (Brussels Times O/S)
  • The Most Dedicated Activists Don’t Always Shout the Loudest (Sentient Media O/S)
  • New Action Plan to Improve Wildlife Response During Fire (Mirage)
Pets & companion animals
  • EU Policy on Dog Breeding (Purdue Univ O/S)
  • What Animals Think. The Discussion Is Underway (Bedlam Farm O/S)
  • RSPCA ‘concerned’ over BBC’s ‘irresponsible’ puppy-breeding show (BBC O/S)
Podcasts & presentations
  • Will the burger of the future be made of plants, meat or cultured cells? (UniMelb)
  • Can post-Brexit Britain ban live animal exports? (BBC O/S)
  • Fish welfare insights now available online (The Fish Site O/S)
 
Policy
  • Agriculture ministers approve plans for animal welfare label (AgriLand O/S)
  • Monkeys could be banned as pets, says government (BBC O/S)
Other/Publications
  • Interview with US professor of animal science Temple Grandin (Cat Behaviorist.com O/S)
  • The Meat Industry’s Bestiality Problem (The New Republic O/S)
  • Pérez Fraga, P., Gerencsér, L. & Andics, A. Human proximity seeking in family pigs and dogs. Sci Rep 10, 20883 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77643-5
  • John K Yost, Jarred W Yates, Matt P Davis, Matthew E Wilson, The Stockman’s Scorecard: quantitative evaluation of beef cattle stockmanship, Translational Animal Science, Volume 4, Issue 4, October 2020, txaa175, https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaa175
  • Bergstra, TJ; Hogeveen, H; Stassen, EN; Oude Lansink, AGJM. Efficiency of measures for sow husbandry: Integrating farm income, animal welfare and public attitudes. Animal Welfare 2020, 29: 433-447. https://doi.org/10.7120/09627286.29.4.433

Conferences, Seminars & Events

  • 10th NAWRDES Forum – Pain – elimination, mitigation and inter-disciplinary learnings. Presentations (NAWRDES Forum)
  • 10th NAWRDES Forum – EXTRA Project Snapshots (NAWRDES Forum Extra)
  • Nat Livestock Wellbeing Seminar Series. Tuesday 9 February 2021 – Infection Resilience (Univ Adel)
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