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 19 August - 1 September 2021

Cross-sectoral
  • VFF calls for greater cruelty act consultation (Stock and Land)
  • NZ Farmers, growers concerned about animal welfare, produce if staff have to isolate (Newshub O/S)
  • Definitions of meat inquiry: How each side is putting its case (Beef Central)
  • Want People to Eat Less Meat? Fake Burgers Probably Won’t Cut It. (Mother Jones O/S)
  • Community Trust in Australia's Rural Industries: Year 2 national survey 2021 (AgriFutures)
  • Pain is more than a feeling for livestock, it can cause real change at the cellular level (ABC)
  • Trouw Nutrition and Wageningen University strengthen collaboration on sustainable livestock production (The Cattle Site O/S)
  • RSPCA Assured (UK) unveils shortlist in first ever pig and poultry awards (RSPCA Assured UK O/S))
  • Is ‘vegan’ leather really better for the planet? (Popular Science O/S)
Cattle in beef & dairy production
  • Animal health & welfare (Australian Good Meat)
  • JBS counters Twiggy’s animal welfare attack (Beef Central)
  • Twiggy Forrest singles out JBS in stinging attack over animal welfare credentials (Beef Central)
  • Twiggy Forrest burns bridges with beef industry over animal welfare (North QLD Register)
  • The French R&D framework for beef production (The Cattle Site O/S)
  • Are pen-level insights the future for large dairies? (Progressive Dairy O/S)
  • U.S. Cattle Producers Announce Initiatives to Answer Consumer Demands (Drovers O/S)
  • On the front foot with disease diagnosis in feedlot cattle (Farm Online)
Pigs in pork production
  • Information and resources for pig farmers, veterinarians and other interested parties who want to know more about any aspect of free farrowing and lactation systems. (Free Farrowing.org O/S)
  • Free Farrowing is not a matter of "when" but "how" (Pig Progress O/S)
  • What will farrowing of the future look like? (Pig Progress O/S)
  • Quit Stalling 2021: Are Companies Making Good on Promises to End Sow Confinement? (CIWF O/S)
  • Insects on the menu for pigs, poultry after EU approval (Euractiv O/S)
  • California's animal welfare law caused hysteria on both sides — here are the real impacts (The Hill O/S)
Poultry in meat & egg production
  • Strong outlook for plant-based meat alternatives in Asia (Poultry International O/S)
  • Dutch Supermarkets to sell ‘better life’ chicken only from end 2023 (DutchNews O/S)
  • New poultry breed could help UK's Red Tractor assurance scheme deliver on sustainability goals (The Poultry Site O/S)
  • Time to rethink cage-free commitments for layer welfare? (Watt Poultry O/S)
  • Welfare metrics help optimize egg production sustainability (Watt Poultry O/S)
  • Poultry welfare advocates hope to take cage-free mission to processed egg sector (The Poultry Site O/S)
  • Public consultation on laying hen standards for environmental enrichment in the hen house, outdoor ranging distance and flock size. (Soil Association O/S)
  • Undercover video depicts animal cruelty at turkey farm (Meat+Poultry O/S)
  • Size matters when it comes to layer hen welfare (The Poultry Site O/S)
Sheep in meat & wool production
  • Sheep welfare issues loom as QLD-NSW border rules bite (Sheep Central)
  • WoolProducers welcomes new members to animal health group (Sheep Central)
  • €30 per ewe needed in Sheep Welfare Scheme Eire (Agriland O/S)
Animals in transit & at slaughter
  • Live animal transport: Government introduces rules on shorter journey times and warmer temperature (The Independent O/S)
  • Live export ban and shorter journeys for livestock confirmed in UK (Farmers Weekly O/S)
  • Sensors Measure Swine Trailer Temperature During Heating and Animal Welfare Factors During Transport (Farms.com O/S)
  • Lack of meat processing facilities prevents producer-led beef brands from entering market (ABC)
  • Live animal exports are being used as cover by smugglers, say NGOs (The Guardian O/S)
Animals in aquaculture
  • Social media influencers deemed 'a threat' to Australia's budding aquaculture industry (ABC)
Animals in research & teaching
  • Abstracts of the 11th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences ,Maastricht, 2021. (ALTEX)
Animals in racing & sport
  • No more horsing around: Activists demand end to Manhattan carriages over animal abuse (amNY O/S)
  • International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses Announces Organizational Restructuring (IFAR O/S)
  • A draft standard is open for comments on the Standards Australia public comments system. Standard: DR AS 5350.1:2021 Privately contracted security and detection dogs, Part 1: Acquisition, welfare, training, deployment, and retirement. (Standards Australia registration required)
Animals in zoos, aquaria & the wild
  • Animal Law Association lobster complaint upheld by parliamentary committee (Stuff NZ O/S)
  • US zoos giving special animal coronavirus vaccine to tigers, bears and gorillas (CNN O/S)
  • Animal Rebellion paints Buckingham Palace fountain red (The Guardian O/S)
Pets & companion animals
  • Concerns over pet welfare crisis due to high demand for ‘pandemic puppies’ (The Guardian O/S)
  • Rescue dogs shot dead by NSW council due to COVID-19 restrictions (SMH)
  • Puppy smuggling: Rise in cases prompts new welfare rules (BBC O/S)
  • Indospicine toxicity in dogs (AgVic)
  • Dog deaths prompt calls for updated pet food standards (Sheep Central)
  • Toxic pet food case closed, but no charges laid over dead dogs (ABC)
  • Does your pet have separation anxiety? Here’s how to help, according to vets (CNN O/S)
  • Calls for bans on breeding short-nosed dogs gain momentum in Norway (ViN News O/S)
  • Ex-marine: I'm not leaving Kabul without my animal rescue staff (BBC O/S)
Podcasts & presentations
  • Pain-free meat — is it possible? (ABC)
  • Samantha Chiew on understanding the effects of animal-visitor interactions, learning from little penguins, and animal welfare policy (PAWS)
  • Technology transforming the livestock industry - tag to satellite animal tracking and data platform (AgriFutures)
  • International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses Conference 2021 (IFAR)
Policy
  • Vegans fail in bid to ban British meat and dairy ads (Beef Central)
Other/Publications
  • The Incredible Brains of Cuttlefish Hold Memories That Never Seem to Fade (Science Alert O/S)
  • Agricultural Infrastructure: happy homes help health (Farming Connect O/S)
  • International Society for Applied Ethology – Papers by Members, horses, dogs, cattle, pigs (ISAE)
  • Animal Welfare, Volume 29, Number 3, August 2020 (UFAW)
  • Abstracts of the 11th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences ,Maastricht, 2021. (ALTEX)
  • Bremhorst, A., Mills, D.S., Würbel, H. et al. Evaluating the accuracy of facial expressions as emotion indicators across contexts in dogs. Anim Cogn (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-021-01532-1
  • Guzhva Oleksiy, Siegford Janice M., Lunner Kolstrup Christina. The Hitchhiker's Guide to Integration of Social and Ethical Awareness in Precision Livestock Farming Research. Frontiers in Animal Science,2,2021,35. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fanim.2021.725710
  • Jessica Meade, Vicky A. Melfi, Melanie Keith & Alicia L. Burns (2021) The Effect of Visitor Number on the Behavior of Zoo-Housed Macropods, Anthrozoös, 34:4, 477-489, https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2021.1914432
  • Shiffman, D.S., Macdonald, C.C., Wallace, S.S. et al. The role and value of science in shark conservation advocacy. Sci Rep 11, 16626 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96020-4
  • Watanabe, S., Masuda, S., Shinozuka, K. et al. Preference and discrimination of facial expressions of humans, rats, and mice by C57 mice. Anim Cogn (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-021-01551-y
  • Wenker, M.L., Bokkers, E.A.M., Lecorps, B. et al. Effect of cow-calf contact on cow motivation to reunite with their calf. Sci Rep 10, 14233 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70927-w
  • Whalin, L.; Weary, D.M.; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G. Understanding Behavioural Development of Calves in Natural Settings to Inform Calf Management. Animals 2021, 11, 2446. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082446

Conferences, Seminars & Events

  • DIARY HOLD – Animal Welfare Horizons 2021, VIRTUAL EVENT, 29th November. Express interest on TAWC Webpage
  • DIARY HOLD – The National Primary Industries Animal Welfare Strategy – Research Snapshots,  November 30th  – Further details to be announced. Express interest on NAWRDES Webpage
  • National Livestock Wellbeing Seminar, The University of Adelaide. 14 September, 1.00pm AEST. Lauren Hemsworth “Human-animal interactions and animal welfare” and Megan Hayes “Effects of early life experiences on fear of humans in pigs” (Register for ZOOM)
  • 2021 Animal Welfare Foundation Discussion Forum (Virtual). 15 September. (AWF)
  • SJDAWC 2021 Fall Webinar Series with Dr. Karen Overall (Details)
  • One Welfare World Conference – Virtual. 15-16 Sept 2021. (OneWelfareWorld)
  • The 11th Annual Robert Dixon Memorial Animal Welfare Symposium – Ensuring a ‘good life’ for layer hens in Australia. 22 September 2021 2 –4 pm AEST. (Univ Sydney)
  • 76th WAZA Annual Conference, virtual, 11-14 October. (Details)
  • 12th International Working Dog Conference, Oct. 12-14 (IWDC 2021)
  • 2nd Aggression in Dogs Conference, Oct. 22-24 (Loose Leash Academy O/S) Register
  • LIVEXchange, Nov 10 – 11. Darwin. (LIVEXchange)
  • Australasian Pig Science Association Conference. Brisbane, 15 – 18 November. (APSA)
  • ISAE Online Regional Meeting (Africa/Australasia) 1 – 2 December. (Details)
  • 2nd Australian Biosecurity Symposium, Gold Coast, 1-3 December. Details.
  • World Aquaculture 2020, 5 – 8 December, Singapore (Details)
  • European Assn of Zoos and Aquaria first Animal Welfare Forum. 21 – 24 March 2022,The Netherlands. (EAZA)
  • Australian Association of Animal Sciences Conference. 5 – 7 July 2022. (AAAS2022)
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