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 16 - 29 September 2021

Cross-sectoral
  • RSPCA Australia- Responsible Sourcing – Updated (RSPCA)
  • Emotion identification can improve welfare (Western Producer O/S)
  • MLA ‘impact’ webinars aimed at boosting livestock value (Sheep Central)
  • Canadian food companies get their first Animal Welfare Scorecard (The Pig Site O/S)
Cattle in beef & dairy production
  • Teagasc Moorepark Open Day Booklet - Irish Dairying - Delivering Sustainably (Teagasc O/S)
  • Livestock-monitoring tech company CattleEye raises €2.1m in funding (Irish Times O/S)
  • Milk advertising should party like its 1990 to beat plant protein's sales pitch (Farm Online)
Pigs in pork production
  • Freedom for sows during farrowing and lactation is the future (The Pig Site O/S)
  • Castration headache for French pig farmers (Pig Progress O/S)
  • Tail biting comes under sharper focus (Anglo Celt O/S)
  • Temporary sow crating can deliver better welfare and good results – but at enormous expense (Pig World O/S)
Poultry in meat & egg production
  • Egg farmer trust and support on the rise, consumer study finds (Stock and Land)
  • World's biggest food firms look to cage-free future for eggs (Farming UK O/S)
  • Russian farmers criticise European End the Cage Age campaign (Poultry World O/S)
  • Wendy's sued by nonprofit FACT for violating DC consumer law by misleading customers about use of eggs from caged hens (CISION O/S)
  • ‘Largest and longest’ global cage-free campaign a success (Poultry World O/S)
  • Expect 2022 cage-free mandates to disrupt US egg market (Watt Poultry O/S)
Sheep in meat & wool production
  • Victorian meat processing restrictions a cause for concern (QLD Country Life)
  • Defining sheep wellbeing is focus of top livestock researcher (Sheep Central)
Animals in transit & at slaughter
  • LiveCorp defends New England Merino use in live export trials (Sheep Central)
  • Comment: live export industry reforms (Farm Weekly)
  • Live export: animals at risk in giant global industry (The Guardian O/S)
  • Big Four adamant they are not anti live-ex (Farm Weekly)
  • Ireland’s decision to export live pigs, sheepmeat to China sparks backlash (Euractiv O/S)
  • Live export industry pauses plans for new monitoring program roll-out (ABC)
  • NSS welcomes plans for non-stun slaughter labelling (Nat Secular Society O/S)
  • Questions remain over what happened to Gulf Livestock 1 a year on from tragic live export voyage (ABC)
  • Kangaroo processing proposal for old Inglewood abattoir draws criticism (ABC)
  • New animal transport guidance following Defra consultation (Farmers Weekly O/S)
  • Abattoir CO2 crisis averted by government intervention (Scottish Farmer O/S)
  • UK carbon dioxide shortage could ‘cancel Christmas’, warns turkey supplier (The Guardian O/S)
Animals in aquaculture
  • ASC responds to concerns over aquaculture standards (The Fish Site)
Animals in research & teaching
Animals in racing & sport
  • 'Health and welfare paramount': Greyhound track shut after spate of injuries (NZ Herald O/S)
  • Strict new vet tests rule out Prince Of Arran Melbourne Cup campaign (The Age)
  • GBGB announces launch of long-term animal welfare strategy (Insider Sport O/S)
Animals in zoos, aquaria & the wild
  • Faroe Islands to review annual dolphin hunt following global outcry (Washington Post O/S)
  • Albany fisherman hit with temporary YouTube ban over 'animal cruelty' (ABC)
  • 'A life of abject misery': Why you should never ride an elephant on holiday (Euronews O/S)
Pets & companion animals
  • High cost of veterinary care at major chains causing pets to be unnecessarily euthanised, senior vets say (ABC)
  • ‘Asking for an injury’: Do smaller dogs need designated parks? (SMH)
  • #ActNow4Horses: new campaign targets ‘window of opportunity’ to improve equine welfare (Horse and Hound O/S)
  • NSW council’s shooting of rescue dogs legal, RSPCA finds (SMH)
Podcasts & presentations
  • Highlights from WAFL 2021, the international welfare research conference (Teagasc)
  • Humane Food Podcast (RSPCA Ausatralia)
Policy
  • S.Korea's Moon hints at dog meat ban amid debate over animal rights (Reuters O/S)
  • Delay Implementation of Proposition 12, Food Industry Leaders Urge (Pork Business O/S)
  • Animal Welfare Groups Commend US Senators for Reintroducing Bill to Ban Horse Slaughter (AW Institute O/S)
Other/Publications
  • Could gene editing chickens prevent future pandemics? (The Guardian O/S)
  • DC Court Revives Animal Welfare “Natural” Lawsuit (National Law Review O/S)
  • FAO and OIE kickstart global initiative to stop spread of deadly pig disease (FAO)
  • More people are eating bugs, but is it ethical to farm insects for food? (Phys.org O/S)
  • UK Government Debates Fur Import And Sales Ban As Part Of Animal Welfare Push (Plant-based News O/S)
  • Teagasc Moorepark Open Day Booklet - Irish Dairying - Delivering Sustainably (Teagasc O/S)
  • We managed to toilet train cows (and they learned faster than a toddler). It could help combat climate change (The Conversation O/S)
  • What animals think of death (Aeon O/S)
  • White striping disease in supermarket chicken (Humane League O/S)
  • Vegan class attracts most entries at British Pie awards (The Guardian O/S)
  • Volvo Cars to go leather-free in all pure electric cars as part of animal welfare ambitions (Automotive World O/S)
  • ISAE 2020: COVID-19 and confinement (App An Beh Sci special issue)
  • ISAE Papers by Members, broilers, deer, fish, dairy, horses. (ISAE)
  • Casey, R.A., Naj-Oleari, M., Campbell, S. et al. Dogs are more pessimistic if their owners use two or more aversive training methods. Sci Rep 11, 19023 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97743-0
  • Hanna K. Eriksson, Ruan R. Daros, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk, and Daniel M. Weary. Standing behavior and sole horn lesions: A prospective observational longitudinal study. J. Dairy Sci. 104:11018–11034. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-19839
  • Suresh Neethirajan. Happy Cow or Thinking Pig? WUR Wolf – Facial Coding Platform for Measuring Emotions in Farm Animals. bioRxiv 2021.04.09.439122; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.09.439122
  • Cassandra N. Reedman, Todd F. Duffield, Trevor J. DeVries, Kerry D. Lissemore, Charlotte B. Winder. Risk factors for morbidity in 1- to 9-day-old dairy calves following caustic paste disbudding, JDS Communications, 2021,  https://www.jdscommun.org/article/S2666-9102(21)00148-4/fulltext 
  • Shrestha K, Gilkerson JR, Stevenson MA, Flash ML (2021) Drivers of exit and outcomes for Thoroughbred racehorses participating in the 2017–2018 Australian racing season. PLoS ONE 16(9): e0257581. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257581
  • Janja Sirovnik, Ariane Stratmann, Sabine G. Gebhardt-Henrich, Hanno Würbel, Michael J. Toscano, Feeding from perches in an aviary system reduces aggression and mortality in laying hens,Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 202, 2018, Pages 53-62, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016815911830025X
  • Snowdon, C.T. Animal Signals, Music and Emotional Well-Being. Animals 2021, 11, 2670. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092670
  • Valtonen Elli, Koskela Tarja, Valros Anna, Hänninen Laura. Animal Welfare Control—Inspection Findings and the Threshold for Requesting a Police Investigation. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8, 2021, 1093. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2021.736084
  • Veit, S. Foister, A. Valros, C. Munsterhjelm, D.A. Sandercock, A.M. Janczak, B. Ranheim, J. Nordgreen, The use of social network analysis to describe the effect of immune activation on group dynamics in pigs, Animal, Volume 15, Issue 9, 2021, 100332, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100332

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
  • 76th WAZA Annual Conference, virtual, 11-14 October. (Details)
  • FVAS, UniMelb Dean’s Research Seminar – Andrew Fisher “Improving the welfare of young calves – research on welfare implications of feeding, transport and surgical husbandry practices” Tuesday Oct. 12, 12.00 AEDST (Register)
  • 12th International Working Dog Conference, Oct. 12-14 (IWDC 2021)
  • Pain In Animals Workshop 2021, Exploring best practices and knowledge gaps for measuring chronic pain objectively in dogs and acute pain in cattle. Oct. 14 – 15. (11.00pm AEDST) (Details)
  • RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Meeting 2021. Oct. 19 (11.00 UKDST) (Details)
  • 2nd Aggression in Dogs Conference, Oct. 22-24 (Loose Leash Academy O/S) (Register)
  • Companion Animals NZ Conference 2021. “Towards a Good Life. Oct 28-29 8.30 NZDT. (Register)
  • LIVEXchange, Nov 10 – 11. Darwin. (LIVEXchange)
  • Human-animal interaction before and since Covid-19: lessons & priorities 12 Nov 1 – 3 am AEST (Univ of York)
  • Australasian Pig Science Association Conference. Brisbane, 15 – 18 November. (APSA)
  • ISAE Online Regional Meeting (Africa/Australasia) 1 – 2 December. (Details)
  • World Aquaculture 2020, 5 – 8 December, Singapore (Details)
  • RSPCA Animal Welfare Seminar 2022 – Animal welfare in a changing climate 16 – 17 February 2022 (Details)
  • European Assn of Zoos and Aquaria first Animal Welfare Forum. 21 – 24 March 2022,The Netherlands. (EAZA)
  • DATE CHANGE: 2nd Australian Biosecurity Symposium, Gold Coast, 3 – 5 May 2022. (Registration)
  • UFAW International Conference, Edinburgh UK June 28-29 (Details)
  • Australian Association of Animal Sciences Conference. 5 – 7 July 2022. (AAAS2022)
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