The Animal Welfare Collaborative

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 6 - 19 October 2022

Cross-sectoral

Flooding forces sheep and cattle movement in NSW and VIC (Sheep Central)
Animal Welfare Committee opinion on the welfare implications of using virtual fencing systems to contain, move and monitor livestock in the UK (DEFR O/S)
Survey: Majority accepts higher meat prices for more animal welfare (Indony O/S)
Do Shoppers Care About Animal Welfare? (Statista O/S)
Plant-based meat gets “a reality check” (Beef Central)
NIFA-funded projects advance research in animal welfare (Feedstuffs O/S)
New laws to protect Victorian farmers (Mirage News)

Cattle in beef & dairy production

Arla raises its dairy cow welfare and sustainability standards (Scottish Farmer O/S)
Taking steps to defend your dairy (Hoard’s Dairyman O/S)
Colorado SU receives $3 million grant to study one of most common, costly problems facing organic dairy industry (CSU O/S)

Pigs in pork production

Supreme Court grapples with animal welfare in a challenge to a California law requiring pork to be humanely raised (The Conversation O/S)
Pig Farming Doesn’t Have to Be This Cruel (NYT O/S)
Niman Ranch Voices Support of Proposition 12 in Advance of Supreme Court Arguments (Swineweb O/S)
Supreme Court justices wallow in legal morass over challenge to California pork industry restrictions (NBC News O/S)
Commission concludes Fitness Check current Animal Welfare legislation (EU REF Cent for AW O/S)

Poultry in meat & egg production

Plans to phase out battery hens and caged eggs causing confusion says industry (ABC)
Researchers assess tracking of laying hens in cage-free systems (Feedstuffs O/S)
Epigenetics could improve poultry welfare traceability (Watt Poultry O/S)
Shift to cage-free for hens in the EU continues (Poultry World O/S)
Walmart, Kroger will not meet 2025 cage-free commitments (Watt Poultry O/S)
Tyson: Don’t just care for chickens, care about them (Watt Poultry O/S)
Vital Farms compares cage-free houses to office cubicles (Watt Poultry O/S)
Judicial review challenging the use of fast-growing broilers granted (Poultry World O/S)
M&S becomes first national retailer to offer higher welfare fresh chicken (M&S Press Release)

Sheep in meat & wool production

Sheep producers urged to consider lamb pain relief implications (Sheep Central)
Uptake of lamb pain relief encouraged, but not mandated (Sheep Central)
Survey shows most sheep owners don’t manage lamb marking pain (Sheep Central)
ParaBoss webinar to outline AWI flystrike workshops (Sheep Central)

Animals in transit & at slaughter

NZ Live export ban sinks hopes of sector despite opposition (Rural News O/S)
Equine Welfare During Transport Examined (Horse Canada O/S)

Animals in aquaculture and wild caught

Farmed fish feel pain, stress and anxiety and must be killed humanely, global regulator accepts (The Guardian O/S)
Compassion welcomes first fish certification welfare standards but says “more must be done” (CIWF)
The Fish Site O/S)

Animals in research & teaching

Profit, pain and puppies: Inside the rescue of nearly 4,000 beagles (Washington Post O/S)
UFAW funds project aiming to reduce the number of animals used in research (UFAW O/S)
Nineteen Lawmakers Request Protections for Cephalopods Used in Research (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine O/S)

Animals in racing, sports & work

"Stressed and frightened": Inhumane treatment of animals at BC rodeo events caught on tape (DH News O/S)
Rodeo Event Banned in California (Progressive Farmer O/S)
Million-dollar disgrace: Greyhound industry's race of shame (Independent Australia)

Animals in zoos, aquaria & the wild

Conflict between activists and zoos shows no sign of going away (The Guardian O/S)
Tourism Australia Ad Draws Backlash From Kangaroo Advocates (Travel Weekly)
Are dingoes the answer to Australia’s feral cat and fox problem? (Beef Central)
Controlling Australia’s feral pests means using 1080 baits – or wildlife will suffer (The Guardian)
‘We feel like we let Doble down’: the unseen dangers of 1080 wild dog baits (The Guardian)

Pets & companion animals

US shelters see increase in surrenders – and one animal ‘returned in droves’ (The Guardian O/S)
EVJ Lifts the Lid on the Relationship Between Human Behavior and Equine Welfare (EquiManagement O/S)
RSPCA UK reports 25% increase in pets being abandoned (BBC)

Podcasts & presentations

How housing affects laboratory rodent health and research results (Univ Guelph O/S)
Innovations for improving animal welfare and human well-being in poultry and pig production systems (One Welfare O/S)
Agroforestry systems that benefit animalwelfare, environmental wellbeing and livelihoods in Ethiopia (One Welfare O/S)
Crate controversy: Pig farmers face growing pressure (WTHR O/S)

Policy

Animal welfare law reform could rein in horse owners' rights (Independent Australia)

Other/Publications

Dogs and cats to get a bill of rights in, yes, you guessed it, California (Mercatornet O/S)
Give legal rights to animals, trees and rivers, say experts (The Guardian O/S)
Behind the Technology - Individual activity monitoring to assess resilience in pigs. PhD Thesis, Lisette van der Zande, (Univ Wageningen)
RSPCA Australia quarterly Science Update (RSPCA)
Sheep Sustainability Framework On-Farm Insights Report (SSF)
Understanding Owner Behaviours and Motivation Online Collection (Equine Veterinary Journal)
de Castro Lippi, I.C.; Caldara, F.R.; de Lima Almeida Paz, I.C.; Odakura, A.M. Global and Brazilian Scenario of Guidelines and Legislation on Welfare in Pig Farming. Animals 2022, 12, 2615. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192615
Thomas Ede, Emeline Nogues, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk, and Daniel M. Weary. Pain in the hours following surgical and rubber ring castration in dairy calves: Evidence from conditioned place avoidance. https://www.jdscommun.org/article/S2666-9102(22)00118-1/fulltext
Furtado, T. and Rendle, D. (2022), To improve welfare in the equine species should we place greater emphasis on understanding our own?. Equine Vet J, 54: 1001-1004. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13869
Garratt, J.K.; McCulloch, S.P. Wild Fish Welfare in UK Commercial Sea Fisheries: Qualitative Analysis of Stakeholder Views. Animals 2022, 12, 2756. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12202756
Muhammad, M.; Stokes, J.E.; Morgans, L.; Manning, L. The Social Construction of Narratives and Arguments in Animal Welfare Discourse and Debate. Animals 2022, 12, 2582. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192582
Torgerson-White, L.; Sánchez-Suárez, W. Looking beyond the Shoal: Fish Welfare as an Individual Attribute. Animals 2022, 12, 2592. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192592
M. Valadez-Noriega, L.X. Estévez-Moreno, F. Galindo, F. Pérez-Martínez, M. Villarroel, G.C. Miranda-de la Lama. Consequences of long-distance transport on the behavior and health of young-bulls that may affect their fitness to adapt to feedlots, Livestock Science, Volume 265, 2022, 105083. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871141322002578

Valente, D.; Stilwell, G. Applying a New Proposed Welfare Assessment Protocol to Suckler Herds from Three Different Autochthonous Breeds. Animals 2022, 12, 2689. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192689
Sofia Wilhelmsson, Inger Arvidsson, Paul H. Hemsworth, Maria Andersson, Jenny Yngvesson, Jan Hultgren. Effects of a training intervention for Swedish pig transport drivers on physical workload and time efficiency during loading. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, Volume 92, 2022, 103356. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016981412200097X

Conferences, Seminars & Events

NAWRDES Australian Primary Industries Animal Welfare Research Snapshots. 30^th November 2022. 11.00 am – 2.30 pm AEDT. via ZOOM Webinar (Program and Registration)
2022 Animal Welfare Symposium & Workshop hosted by University of Otago 21^st October 2022 (ANZLAA)
77th WAZA Annual Conference, 23^rd – 27^th October 2022, Tenerife. (Details)
Pig Progress webinar ‘Do we have the Guts to improve animal welfare?’. 25^th October 5.00pm AEDT (Pig Progress O/S)
RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group Meeting – 4 November 2022, Newcastle UK. (Register)
AWP25 Webinars “Achieving Change in Veterinary Practice” November 7, 2022 12 pm PT. (Commences 7.00am AEDT 8^th November) (UBC)
Global Conference on Sustainable Beef, 7^th – 10^th November, Denver, US (GRSB)
2022 NC3Rs Primate Welfare Meeting 8^th November 2022 (Commences 11.00pm AEDT) (NC3Rs)
Animal Behaviour Live: Annual Online Conference 2022 17^th – 18^th November. (AnBehavLive)
AWP25 Webinars “Achieving Change for Animals in Latin America” 5^th December, 2022 12 pm PT. (Commences 7.00am AEDT 6^th December) (UBC)
Controversies and Collaboration: Moving Toward Consensus in Animal Welfare. UFAW Indo-Pacific Asia Online Workshop 2022. Online Event: 6th-8th December, 2022. (UFAW)
AWP25 Webinars “Achieving Change in the Private Sector” January 9^th 2023 12 pm PT (Commences 7.00am AEDT 10^th January 2023) (UBC)
International Animal Behaviour Twitter Conference 2023 18 -19^th 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 7^th February 2023) (UBC)
evokeAG. 21^st – 22^nd February 2023, Adelaide. (evokeAG)
RSPCA Animal Welfare Seminar 2023. Quit horsing around: Advancing horse welfare in Australia. Wednesday 22^nd – 23^rd February 2023. Online. (RSPCA)
AWP25 Webinars “Achieving Change for Wild Animals” March 6 2023 12 pm PT (Commences 7.00am AEDT 7^th March 2023 (UBC)
AWP25 Webinars “Achieving Change in Research” 6^th April 2023 12 pm PDT (Commences 5.00am AEDT 7^th April 2023) (UBC)
Behaviour 2023.14^th – 20^th August 2023, Univ Bielefeld, Germany. (Behaviour2023)

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