A selection of animal welfare news from around the world

Brought to you by
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 13-26 November 2020

Cross-sectoral
  • Transparency in the supply chain is not merely a box to tick (Int Leather Maker O/S)
  • World-first investigation raises ethical and policy challenges in using robots in agriculture (Beef Central)
  • ‘The Christian Ethics of Farmed Animal Welfare report’ (University of Chester O/S)
  • Ireland’s first, dedicated Animal Welfare Strategy (gov.ie O/S)
  • The moral conflict between environmentalism and animal welfare (New Statesman (O/S)
  • Animal welfare report: The COVID curveball (Meat+Poultry O/S)
  • Bridging the gap between producers and consumers (Farmonline)
  • New methods and technologies hope to make mulesing, docking, castration painless for livestock (ABC)
Cattle in beef & dairy production
  • Starter guide to pairing dairy calves (Wisconsin Agriculturist O/S)
  • Dairy Herd Health Revolution: The need for animal welfare and sustainability (Open Access Government O/S)
  • Regulators need to hear from those on-the-ground in cattle: Hancock station bosses (QLD Country Life)
  • Former live export chief says beef industry is at risk of losing its social licence, producers must be proactive (ABC)
  • The Demise Of Milk? How Technology Shows Its Decline Has Been Exaggerated (Forbes O/S)
Pigs in pork production
  • UK pig industry continues to reduce antibiotic use (The Pig Site O/S)
  • ‘Suffocating closeness’: US judge condemns ‘appalling conditions’ on industrial farms (Guardian O/S)
  • Retailer pig welfare policies ‘do not go far enough’, report says (The Grocer O/S)
  • New Zealand: Farrowing crates for pigs are unlawful (Pig Progress O/S)
  • Promising News For Europe’s Pigs (CIWF O/S)
  • Agriculture minister introduced ‘unlawful and invalid’ pig welfare standards, judge rules (StuffNZ O/S)
Poultry in meat & egg production
  • Biosecurity and preventing welfare impacts in poultry and captive birds (DEFR O/S)
  • Welfare concerns raised over chlorinated chicken (The Roslin Institute O/S)
  • ‘Listening’ to chicks could improve poultry welfare (The Poultry Site O/S)
  • Czech Senate Approves Bans on Cages for Hens as of 2027 (Prague Morning O/S)
  • New report alleges that the USDA is turning a blind eye to animal abuse at large poultry plants (The Poultry Site O/S)
  • Better bird care – Tyson (Meat+Poultry O/S)
  • Poultry farms are havens for wildlife (Poultry World O/S)
  • Is everything really going smoothly with cage-free production? (WattPoultry O/S)
  • UK hailed for progress in transition away from cage-free eggs (FarmingUK O/S)
  • Shopping for a Thanksgiving Turkey? Beware of These Downright Deceptive Labels (Animal Welfare Institute O/S)
Sheep in meat & wool production
  • Animal Welfare Clock Ticking On Shearer Border Decision (Scoop NZ O/S)
  • Shearer shortage extends season, causes farm stress and sheep welfare concerns (ABC)
Animals in transit & at slaughter
  • The $400 margin that helps drive the dairy cow live export market (Stuff NZ O/S)
  • Poland scraps bill barring ritual slaughter, vows to introduce new one (Times of Israel O/S)
Animals in aquaculture
  • Why fish slaughtering methods must be improved in Brazil (The Fish Site O/S)
Animals in research & teaching

-

Animals in racing & sport
  • SPCA joins calls for greyhound racing to be banned after five deaths in five weeks (Stuff NZ O/S)
  • The greyhound industry is inherently cruel – so why should the taxpayer fund it? (The Journal.ie O/S)
  • New Zealand rodeo: Animals ‘throttled, given electric shocks, punched and slammed to ground in violent scenes’ (Independent O/S)
  • Horses and humans feel the same pain when whipped, study finds (Guardian)
Animals in zoos, aquaria & the wild
  • Feds to begin surgical sterilizations on wild horses, starting with a Utah herd (Salt Lake Tribune O/S)
  • New guide on using drones for conservation (ScienceDaily O/S)
  • World Animal Protection Billboard Removed From Melbourne’s Lonsdale Street (Aust Leisure Management)
  • The National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes 18/11/20 (AgriFutures)
  • World Animal Protection Unveils New Campaign Calling For End To Captive Dolphin Breeding At Gold Coast’s Sea World (Ausleisure)
  • New study shows that big mammals suffer brain damage in captivity (Down to Earth O/S)
  • Zoo crisis deepens amidst second national lockdown and ‘restrictive‘ bailout conditions (Nat Geographic O/S)
  • Australian farm to hold 50,000 crocodiles for luxury Hermès goods questioned by animal welfare groups (Guardian)
Pets & companion animals
  • Could measuring the brain waves of horses have a place in welfare assessments? (Horse Talk NZ O/S)
  • The “good death” revolution—Companion animal euthanasia in the modern age (Vet Practice News O/S)
  • Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Center Newsletter (UPEI O/S)
  • Joy over first White House shelter dog reflects growing embrace of rescue pets (Nat Geographic O/S)
Other/Publications
 

AWSC November Newsletter (AWSC)

Podcasts & presentations
  • Overview of Pig Welfare. Jeremy Marchant-Forde. (NAWRDES News)
  • ABC Landline looks at social licence in agriculture and how it affects farmers and consumers (ABC)
Policy
  • RSPCA Victoria welcomes increased budget funding for animal welfare (Mirage)
  • Trade advisor Tony Abbott says animal welfare standards shouldn’t be in Brexit deal (Mirror (O/S)
  • The National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes 18/11/20 (AgriFutures)
  • NSW set to unleash toughest penalties for animal cruelty in Australia (DPI NSW)
  • Ontario Establishes Advisory Table to Improve Animal Welfare (Ontario News O/S)
  • It’s not just chlorinated chickens: there’s still nothing appetising about a UK-US trade deal (Guardian O/S)

Conferences, Seminars & Events

  • 10th NAWRDES Forum – Pain – elimination, mitigation and inter-disciplinary learnings. 2 December (NAWRDES)
  • Nat Livestock Wellbeing Seminar Series. Tuesday 8 December 2020 – Microbiome Story (Nutritional & Gut/Brain) (Univ Adel)
  • 3/11/20  ISAE Benelux online meeting was held under the topic “Elevating Animal Lives” Proceedings / Recorded event
Note: By subscribing to Animal Welfare Snapshot, you are also consenting to receive other communications from The Animal Welfare Collaborative. You may choose to unsubscribe from either of these mailing lists at any time.