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 7 - 20 April 2022

Cross-sectoral
  • Judging for the Future – Online training courses on animal welfare offered by Agricultural Shows of Australia (Agricultural Shows of Australia)
  • The 5 Domains model for animal welfare (Pig Progress O/S)
  • Why Europe needs to talk about livestock vaccination (European Scientist O/S)
  • A dose of resilience research for livestock producers (Beef Central)
  • R.M. Williams could soon be making a plant-based boot (Beef Central)
  • Livestock Pain Relief and Prevention Market is Anticipated To Grow At A Steady CAGR | Zoetis, Merck, Elanco (Digital Journal O/S)
  • Plant-based patties, lab-grown meat and insects: how the protein industry is innovating (Science Meets Business)
  • Plant based food substitutes on the rise, but not at the expense of meat sales says ABS (Beef Central)
  • Grill’d backs down on exclusively plant-based burger restaurant venture (Beef Central)
Cattle in beef & dairy production
  • Research shows young dairy calves like to have company (The Western Producer O/S)
  • Acorn poison warning after toxin kills dairy cattle in Victoria (ABC)
  • Caring for cows and people (Dairy News Australia)
  • SmartCow project aims to promote animal welfare and healthy livestock (Agriland O/S)
  • Lameness detection tool wins prestigious innovation award (Farming UK O/S)
Pigs in pork production
  • What types of free farrowing pens are there? (Pig333 O/S)
Poultry in meat & egg production
  • Bird flu's grisly question: How to kill millions of poultry (CBS News O/S)
  • KFC faces backlash over ‘misleading’ portrayal of UK chicken farming (The Guardian O/S)
  • How farm raised welfare with switch to fully beaked birds (Farmers Weekly O/S)
  • Top tips when choosing the right technology for your poultry business (Poultrysense O/S)
  • ‘Frankenchicken’ at the centre of fight for animal welfare (The Guardian O/S)
  • Cultivated meat company seeks poultry industry partners (Watt Poultry O/S)
Sheep in meat & wool production
  • FOUR PAWS takes aim at wool from mulesed sheep (Sheep Central)
  • Is the SRS Merino a genetic answer to fewer shearers? (Sheep Central)
Animals in transit & at slaughter
  • Australia relaxes summer ban on live sheep exports to Middle East (The Guardian)
  • Agriculture boss denies signing ‘death warrant’ after relaxing live exports ban (SMH)
  • Authorities tight-lipped on Gulf Livestock 1 investigation (Beef Central)
  • Australia's live sheep trade still has more life in it yet says key industry participant (Farmonline)
  • Explained: How an animal is slaughtered in the ‘halal way’ and why stunning may not adhere to Islamic principles (Opindia O/S)
Animals in aquaculture and wild caught
  • Inspections at fish slaughterhouses now mandatory (The Ferret O/S)
  • Web application could help producers assess lumpfish welfare (The Fish Site O/S)
  • Animal welfare campaigners call for a ‘moratorium’ on fish farming (Fish Farmer O/S)
Animals in research & teaching
  • JRC supporting alternatives to animal testing (EU Commission O/S)
  • NSW Animal Research Review Panel Annual Report, 2020 – 21 (NSW DPI)
  • NSW 2020 Animal Use in Research Statistics (NSW DPI)
  • Professor Jane Hurst recognised for outstanding contribution to animal welfare (Univ Liverpool O/S)
  • Lawsuit Alleges USDA Secretly Relaxed Animal Welfare Inspections (The Scientist O/S)
Animals in racing, sports & work
  • Grand National 2022: Four horses die at Aintree festival as animal charity calls for end to ‘cruelty’ (iNews O/S)
  • ‘I sat on the ramp and cried’: top riders’ welfare fears after horses delayed for hours in transit (Horse and Hound O/S)
  • GWIC seeking new representatives for animal welfare committee (Aust Racing Greyhound)
  • Helping Haiti’s horses: Million-dollar project improves equine and human lives (Horsetalk O/S)
Animals in zoos, aquaria & the wild
  • Dunkeld meeting cans dingo trial proposals (Sheep Central)
  • Wool grower says fence the parks if dingoes return (Sheep Central)
  • Wolves force California ranchers into deadly compromises (SFGate O/S)
  • Scoop: Zoo seeks new accreditation, but not without critics (Axios Columbus O/S)
  • The Hidden Slippery Slopes of Animal Reintroduction Programs (Psychology Today O/S)
  • Are zoos really saving animals? (The Paisano O/S)
Pets & companion animals
  • Rethink needed on stallion housing, say researchers (Horsetalk O/S)
  • Defra’s equine ID shake-up consultation of ‘pivotal importance’ (Vet Times O/S)
  • Illegal kitten sales, animal cruelty charges levelled at Ballarat couple as they fire lawyer at beginning of trial (ABC)
  • RSPCA UK urges owners away from Bulldogs and other flat-faced breeds (BBC O/S)
  • Chickens deemed too old for mass egg laying find new homes, but not all can be rescued (ABC)
Podcasts & presentations
  • TAWC Talks: Marine animals and their welfare – Culum Brown, Macquarie Univ (TAWC)
Policy
  • The UK has recognised Animal Sentience in Law, Now the Hard Work Begins… (UFAW O/S)
  • Improvements to Equine Identification and Traceability in England – Consultation (DEFRA O/S)
  • Law forcing new pet cats to be indoor-only passes in ACT (1News)
  • US Supreme Court agrees to hear pork council case on Prop 12 (The Pig Site O/S)
  • SCOTUS Could (and Should) Strike Down California's Animal-Rights Law (Reason O/S)
Other/Publications
  • Animals Farmed (The Guardian O/S)
  • Canada - Poll tracks rising concern for animal welfare (New Westminster Record O/S)
  • Do animals have rights? Do plants? They do in the UK. Is the US next? (The Beet O/S)
  • How do we know what emotions animals feel? (Science News O/S)
  • Moral hierarchy giving different value to different animals is learned during adolescence, survey suggests (The Guardian O/S)
  • Animals Special Issue: The Effects of Housing and Management on the Behaviour and Welfare of Hens and Broilers (Animals)
  • Rodrigo Arruda de Oliveira, Christine Aurich. Aspects of Breeding Stallion Management with Specific Focus on Animal Welfare, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, Volume 107, 2021, 103773. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080621004032
  • Aaser, M.F.; Staahltoft, S.K.; Korsgaard, A.H.; Trige-Esbensen, A.; Alstrup, A.K.O.; Sonne, C.; Pertoldi, C.; Bruhn, D.; Frikke, J.; Linder, A.C. Is Virtual Fencing an Effective Way of Enclosing Cattle? Personality, Herd Behaviour and Welfare. Animals 2022, 12, 842. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070842
  • Bisazza, A., Santacà, M. Zebrafish excel in number discrimination under an operant conditioning paradigm. Anim Cogn (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-022-01602-y
  • Coria-Avila, G.A.; Pfaus, J.G.; Orihuela, A.; Domínguez-Oliva, A.; José-Pérez, N.; Hernández, L.A.; Mota-Rojas, D. The Neurobiology of Behavior and Its Applicability for Animal Welfare: A Review. Animals 2022, 12, 928. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070928
  • Gresham, C.; Mathews, F.; Ferguson, A.; Mitchell, J.; Clifforde, L.; Clarke, D.; Rowden, L.J. Does Handling for Public Talks in Zoos Affect the Behaviour of Captive Mexican Red-Kneed Spiders Brachypelma hamorii? J. Zool. Bot. Gard. 2022, 3, 158-169. https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg3020013
  • Lindner, E.E.; Gingerich, K.N.; Burke, K.C.; Doyle, S.B.; Miller-Cushon, E.K. Effects of Social Housing on Dairy Calf Social Bonding. Animals 2022, 12, 821. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070821
  • Marshall, L.J.; Constantino, H.; Seidle, T. Phase-In to Phase-Out—Targeted, Inclusive Strategies Are Needed to Enable Full Replacement of Animal Use in the European Union. Animals 2022, 12, 863. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070863
  • Massari, J.M.; de Moura, D.J.; de Alencar Nääs, I.; Pereira, D.F.; Branco, T. Computer-Vision-Based Indexes for Analyzing Broiler Response to Rearing Environment: A Proof of Concept. Animals 2022, 12, 846. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070846
  • May, F.; Stracke, J.; Heitmann, S.; Adler, C.; Krasny, A.; Kemper, N.; Spindler, B. Structuring Broiler Barns: How a Perforated Flooring System Affects Animal Behavior. Animals 2022, 12, 735. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12060735
  • McGuire L, Palmer SB, Faber NS. The Development of Speciesism: Age-Related Differences in the Moral View of Animals. Social Psychological and Personality Science. April 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F19485506221086182
  • Nielsen, H.B.; Jensen, H.A.; Meilby, H.; Nielsen, S.S.; Sandøe, P. Estimating the Population of Unowned Free-Ranging Domestic Cats in Denmark Using a Combination of Questionnaires and GPS Tracking. Animals 2022, 12, 920. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070920
  • Rault Jean-Loup, Sandøe Peter, Sonntag Quixi, Stuardo Leopoldo. Positive Animal Welfare: Bridging the Gap or Raising Inequalities Worldwide?  rontiers in Animal Science, 3, 2022. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fanim.2022.825379
  • Samet, L.E.; Vaterlaws-Whiteside, H.; Harvey, N.D.; Upjohn, M.M.; Casey, R.A. Exploring and Developing the Questions Used to Measure the Human–Dog Bond: New and Existing Themes. Animals 2022, 12, 805. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070805
  • Stevenson, R.; Morales, C. Trauma in Animal Protection and Welfare Work: The Potential of Trauma-Informed Practice. Animals 2022, 12, 852. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070852
  • Sulkama, S., Salonen, M., Mikkola, S. et al. Aggressiveness, ADHD-like behaviour, and environment influence repetitive behaviour in dogs. Sci Rep 12, 3520 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07443-6

Conferences, Seminars & Events

  • Beef Welfare Symposium to Focus on Emerging Issues in Cattle Welfare, 28th April 4.00am AET (Michigan State Univ)
  • 2nd Australian Biosecurity Symposium, Gold Coast, 3 – 5 May 2022. (Registration)
  • Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit Workshop – Increaing Adoption. 10 – 11 May, Armidale, NSW. (Details)
  • Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour – Workshop On Ethics Of Animal Behaviour And Welfare Research, online 21-22 June, UK daytime (ASAB)
  • UFAW International Conference, Edinburgh UK June 28-29 (Details)
  • HSA International Conference – Livestock Welfare during Transport, Marketing & Slaughter. 30 June – 1 July 2022. Edinburgh UK. (Details)
  • Australian Association of Animal Sciences Conference. 5 – 7 July 2022. (AAAS2022)
  • 2022 ANZCCART Conference, 26th to 28th July, Melbourne, Victoria. (ANZCCART)
  • European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming & International Conference on Precision Dairy Farming, 29 Aug-2 Sept University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni)
  • The 55th Congress of the International Society of Applied Ethology, 4 – 8 Sept 2022. N Macedonia. (ISAE)
  • 77th WAZA Annual Conference, 23 – 27 October, Tenerife. (Details)
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