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
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News 18 – 31 March 2021

Cross-sectoral
  • Farmers across NSW inspect livestock and properties after flood (ABC)
  • Rescue dogs in cages, cows submerged under water and a VERY sad wallaby: Devastating pictures show dozens of stricken animals rescued from the flood waters (Daily Mail UK)
  • Animal welfare campaigners urging public to snitch on farmers (The Scottish Farmer O/S)
Cattle in beef & dairy production
  • Lack of outside pasture may lead to poor well being in dairy cattle (Farming Life O/S)
Pigs in pork production
  • Measuring pig emotions and why it matters (Pig Progress O/S)
Poultry in meat & egg production
  • MPs unite to call for total ban on ‘wicked’ foie gras in the UK (The Guardian O/S)
  • The biggest animal welfare success of the past 6 years, in one chart (Vox O/.S)
  • Feather pecking in hens leads to cascade of consequences (Watt Poultry O/S)
  • Who Invented Chicken Nuggets? (History.com O/S)
  • Banning Chicken Cages Won’t Make Eggs Humane (New Republic O/S)
  • Leading food companies call on the EU to phase out the use of cages in animal farming (The Poultry Site O/S)
Sheep in meat & wool production
  • Trust In Australian Wool campaign attracts worldwide interest (Sheep Central)
  • AWEX extends the NWD review submissions deadline to 6 April (Sheep Central)
Animals in transit & at slaughter
  • Animal welfare in slaughtering establishments regulatory scorecard (RSPCA)
  • At least 20 livestock ships caught in Suez canal logjam (The Guardian O/S)
  • Live exports being ‘regulated into oblivion’, says outgoing NTCA president (ABC)
  • Is Europe becoming a miserable place for Jews to live… again?! (The Times of Israel O/S)
  • Why Ireland Announcing Plans to Export Cows by Plane is a Horrible Idea (One Green Planet O/S)
Animals in aquaculture
  • Salmon farms instigate open door policy for welfare inspectors (The Fish Site O/S)
  • Animal welfare: Fish are complex, emotional and intelligent beings and yet we treat them so cruelly. If only they had fur – Philip J Lymbery (The Scotsman O/S)
  • Suffering ‘endemic’ at Scottish salmon farms (The Ferret O/S)
Animals in research & teaching
Animals in racing & sport
  • Horse racing is still off course on animal welfare (Morning Star O/S)
  • UK Greyhounds being shipped to Pakistan for illegal races and breeding pig fighters (Daily Mirror O/S)
  • Stanthorpe Rodeo calf roping – March 2021 (Warwick Daily News)
  • Pig hunters defend lifestyle in wake of animal cruelty prosecution (QLD Country Life)
Animals in zoos, aquaria & the wild
  • Australia’s Cats Kill Two Billion Animals Annually. Here’s How the Government Is Responding to the Crisis (Smithsonian O/S)
  • The battle to control America’s ‘most destructive’ species: feral pigs (National Geographic O/S)
  • Kangaroo shooting is mass-slaughter of wildlife… for profit (Animals Australia)
  • Polar bear hotel rejects criticism, saying animals ‘taken care of’ (Global Times O/S)
Pets & companion animals
  • Pet owners warned to be vigilant about poisonous fungi that is flourishing following rains (ABC)
  • Horse brain waves reflect welfare state, researchers find (HorseTalk NZ O/S)
Podcasts & presentations
  • Webinar on heat stress in pigs, On-demand  – (Pig Progress O/S)
  • Webinar. Basic Animal Behavior – Temple Grandin. April 23 7am AEST. (Future Horizons O/S)
  • HSA webinar, “Slaughter of livestock – keeping it close to home”. Wednesday 28th April 3pm to 5.30pm BST. (Humane Slaughter Association O/S)
Policy
  • Germany eyes new animal welfare levy to help raise standards in livestock farming (Euractiv O/S)
  • Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) response to DEFRA Consultation on The regulation of genetic technologies. (ADHB O/S)
  • Rodent glue traps consultation (UFAW O/S)
  • UK Ministers Warned About Brexit Deals With Countries With Low Animal Welfare Standards (Euro Weekly O/S)
  • Animal farming: Do our animal welfare laws need an overhaul? (NewsHub NZ O/S)
Other/Publications
  • Agriculture Victoria boosts biosecurity and animal welfare staff (Sheep Central)
  • ISAE Papers by members. https://www.applied-ethology.org/cgi-bin/showpage.fcgi
  • Do Animals Feel Empathy? (Psychology Today O/S)
  • Carnovale, F.; Jin, X.; Arney, D.; Descovich, K.; Guo, W.; Shi, B.; Phillips, C.J.C. Chinese Public Attitudes towards, and Knowledge of, Animal Welfare. Animals 2021, 11, 855. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030855
  • Chiew, S.J., Butler, K.L., Fanson, K.V., Eyre, S., Coleman, G.J., Sherwen, S.L., Melfi, V. and Hemsworth, P.H. (2021) Effects of the presence of zoo visitors on zoo-housed little penguins (Eudyptula minor), New Zealand Journal of Zoology, https://www.tandfonline.com/…/10…/03014223.2021.1896560
  • Dallago, G.M.; Wade, K.M.; Cue, R.I.; McClure, JT.; Lacroix, R.; Pellerin, D.; Vasseur, E. Keeping Dairy Cows for Longer: A Critical Literature Review on Dairy Cow Longevity in High Milk-Producing Countries. Animals 2021, 11, 808. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030808
  • del Campo, M.; Manteca, X.; Soares de Lima, J.M.; Brito, G.; Hernández, P.; Sañudo, C.; Montossi,F. Effect of Different Finishing Strategies and Steer Temperament on Animal Welfare and Instrumental Meat Tenderness. Animals 2021, 11, 859. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030859
  • Herlin, A.; Brunberg, E.; Hultgren, J.; Högberg, N.; Rydberg, A.; Skarin, A. Animal Welfare Implications of Digital Tools for Monitoring and Management of Cattle and Sheep on Pasture. Animals 2021, 11, 829. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030829
  • Kittawornrat, A., & Zimmerman, J. (2011). Toward a better understanding of pig behavior and pig welfare. Animal Health Research Reviews, 12(1), 25-32. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1466252310000174
  • Roadknight, N.W., Courtman, N.F., Mansell, P.D., Jongman, E.C., Loh, Z.A. and Fisher, A.D. (2021). Biochemistry and hematology reference intervals for neonatal dairy calves aged 5‐12 days. Vet Clin Pathol. 2021; 00: 1– 9. https://doi.org/10.1111/vcp.12955
  • Roadknight, N.W., Mansell, P.D., Jongman, E.C., Courtman, N.F. and Fisher, A.D. (2021). Invited review: The welfare of young calves transported by road. Journal of Dairy Science. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-19346
  • Vigors Belinda, Ewing David A., Lawrence Alistair B. The Importance of Farm Animal Health and Natural Behaviors to Livestock Farmers: Findings From a Factorial Survey Using Vignettes. Frontiers in Animal Science, 2, 2021. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fanim.2021.638782
  • Wichman, A.; De Groot, R.;Håstad, O.; Wall, H.; Rubene, D. Influence of Different Light Spectrums on Behaviour and Welfare in Laying Hens. Animals 2021, 11, 924. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11040924
 

Conferences, Seminars & Events

  • DIARY HOLD – Animal Welfare Horizons 2021, Brisbane, December 1st (TAWC)
  • DIARY HOLD – The National Primary Industries Animal Welfare Strategy 11th Annual Forum, Brisbane. December 2nd – Further details to be announced. Express interest on NAWRDES Webpage
  • National Livestock Wellbeing Seminars – Topic TBA – 13 April 1.00pm AEST (Univ Adelaide)
  • The Great Livestock Industry Day Out. 25 June 10.30 AEST (Australian Association of Animal Sciences)
  • Universities Federation for Animal Welfare. Recent advances in animal welfare science VIII. 29-30 June. (UFAW)
  • Graham Centre Livestock Forum. 30 July. (Graham Centre for Ag Innovation)
  • 54th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology (on-line). 2 – 6 August. (ISAE 2021)
  • 8th International Conference on The Assessment of Animal Welfare at Farm and Group Level. 16-19 August – Virtual Conference. (WAFL)
  • 11th World Virtual Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences 22-27 August 2021. (WC11)
  • One Welfare World Conference – Virtual. 15-16 Sept 2021. (OneWelfareWorld)
  • LIVEXchange, Nov 10 – 11. Darwin. (LIVEXchange)
  • Australasian Pig Science Association Conference. 15 – 18 November. (APSA)
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