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 25 November - 8 December 2021

Cross-sectoral
  • Farmers continue to be the most trusted part of the supply chain, but there is continued demand for transparency (ADHB O/S)
  • Gene edited sex selection may spare animal suffering (BBC O/S)
  • Vic moves to hit farm-trespassing activists with on-the-spot fines (Beef Central)
  • Guest Opinion: How can we improve animal welfare amid climate change? (Statesman Journal O/S)
  • Consumers Want Labels On Meat And Dairy Products Detailing Animal Welfare (The Independent O/S)
  • Farmers unite to unlock environmental asset values (Sheep Central)
  • Why the future of animal welfare lies beyond the West (Vox O/S)
Cattle in beef & dairy production
  • What's the best method to reduce calf disbudding pain? (University of Guelph)
  • Major blow for live export trade as MEPs vote for effective ban on transport of unweaned animals (Independent.ie O/S)
  • Calves: Concerns over possible ban on transport under 5 weeks of age (Agriland O/S)
  • Cow mobility issues nearly halve after video monitoring (Farming UK O/S)
  • Preparing for Cattle Transport Saves Time, Money and Stress (The Cattle Site O/S)
  • “Fake meat” manufacturers face meat definitions Senate Inquiry (Beef Central)
Pigs in pork production
  • Maple Leaf completes conversion to group housing (Pig Progress O/S)
  • The 'soul-destroying' impact of the pig crisis - and why it's happening (Sky News O/S)
  • Animal welfare in EU’s pig meat sector: What’s wrong? (Brussels Times O/S)
  • AWC advise on methods for killing piglets on farm (AgriLand O/S)
  • Pigs beaten and cut without pain relief on farm linked to Tesco, Sainsbury, Morrisons and Asda (The Independent O/S)
  • What’s next for pigs’ tails? (Pig Progress O/S)
  • APSA Conference (Pig Progress (O/S)
  • Maple Leaf Foods to complete conversion to open housing systems (The Pig Site O/S)
Poultry in meat & egg production
  • Historic turning point: Italy closer than ever to the ban on the killing of male chicks (Eurogroup for Animals O/S)
  • Cage-free US egg industry: sooner rather than later (Poultry World O/S)
  • Free range now accounts for two thirds of UK egg production (Farming UK O/S)
  • China sets formal standard for businesses to use cage-free eggs (Food Ingredients 1st O/S)
  • Slower growing strains of broiler breeders may alleviate welfare concerns, improve production metrics (Feed Navigator O/S)
  • Global Animal Partnership Releases Initial List of Eligible Broiler Breeds for Animal Welfare Certification (Perishable News O/S)
  • Welfare implications of cage-free egg production (Poultry World O/S)
  • Amazon-backed animal welfare certifier pushes slow-growing chickens (Farm Progress O/S)
  • Machine vision can detect broiler floor distribution (Watt Poultry O/S)
  • Chicken Check In promotes broiler industry transparency (Watt Poultry O/S)
  • Why The World’s Largest Beef Company Is Launching Vegan Chicken (VegNews O/S)
  • 8 epic failures of current Poultry Laws (Animals Australia)
Sheep in meat & wool production
  • EU welfare law proposals prompt WPA policy review (Sheep Central)
Animals in transit & at slaughter
  • Live export company Emanuel Exports' licence renewed after three-year ban (ABC)
  • Live export permit system lacks efficiency, review tells Dept of Ag (Beef Central)
  • Animal welfare while they're on the move (The Standard)
  • No routine checkups on welfare of fish at slaughter, officials admit (The Guardian O/S)
Animals in aquaculture
  • Undercover Investigation Reveals How Fish Farms Fail to Meet Animal Welfare Standards (One Green Planet O/S)
  • Report lambasts supermarkets’ aquaculture sourcing policies (The Fish Site O/S)
  • UK’s Animal Welfare Law not expected to have impact on shellfish, restaurant industry (Seafood Source O/S)
Animals in research & teaching
  • HSUS’s Financial and Ethical Obligations to the Chimpanzees at Project Chimps and the New Iberia Research Center (Their Turn O/S)
Animals in racing, sports & work
  • 'Game changing' tech perfect for Victoria (Racing.com)
  • Racing minister defends greyhound industry amid RSPCA probe into dog euthanasing (ABC)
  • Hold your horses on CBD ban, carriage operators plead (The Age)
  • RSPCA supports proposed ban on horse-drawn carriages in Melbourne’s CBD (Mirage News)
  • Cautious support from bookies to support horse welfare amid racehorse slaughter scandal (SMH)
  • Slaughter scandal sparks call for new racehorse welfare regulator (The Age)
  • Opinion - We have welfare standards for sheep and cattle, why not racehorses? (The Age)
Animals in zoos, aquaria & the wild
  • Why insects are more sensitive than they seem (BBC O/S)
  • Campaigners criticise European zoo proposals to cull adult male gorillas (The Guardian O/S)
  • Vets say ‘I’m a celeb’ needs to #GetAnimalsOutOfThere (British Vet Assn O/S)
  • Yorkshire Wildlife Park joins 'ground breaking' polar bear research (Yorkshire Post O/S)
Pets & companion animals
  • Cat microchipping to be made mandatory (GOV.UK O/S)
  • Expert: Transport Is an Equine Welfare Issue (The Horse O/S)
  • Vets reveal toll of treating sick dogs during Victoria's worst pet food contamination outbreak (ABC)
  • Equine advocates consider opinion and evidence in the horse world (HorseTalk NZ O/S)
Podcasts & presentations
  • National Primary Industries Animal Welfare Research, Development and Extension Strategy - Animal Welfare Research Snapshots. (NAWRDES)
  • The Role of Precision Technologies in Beef Cattle Production. Diego Moya. Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare. (University of Guelph)
  • Flight feathers: Why do laying hens need them? R. Garant. Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare. (University of Guelph)
  • Event Highlights from Animal Welfare Horizons 2021: Virtual event. (TAWC)
Policy
  • Gene-edited livestock: robust rules needed before approval, say ethicists (The Guardian O/S)
  • Clause that would have led to ‘immediate’ ban on farrowing crates dropped in Commons (Pig World O/S)
  • Spain approves new law recognizing animals as ‘sentient beings’ (El Pais O/S)
  • Big win! Animals will finally get the disaster preparedness plans they deserve (HSUS O/S)
  • UK and Canada: Moving forward with poultry welfare (Poultry World O/S)
  • German coalition deal seeks animal welfare improvement (The Pig Site O/S)
  • NSW laws criminalising secret recordings of animal cruelty ‘too great a burden on speech’, high court hears (The Guardian)
Other/Publications
  • Animal Behaviour and Welfare – Short Course – Univ Edinburgh (Coursera)
  • ELLE magazine bans fur in all its titles to support animal welfare (Reuters O/S)
  • Guest Opinion: Marc Bekoff and Andrew Fenton: Father of veterinary medical ethics was himself a force of nature (Daily Camera O/S)
  • Report calls for animal welfare to be at heart of genome editing plans (Phys.org O/S)
  • ‘Just never going to be OK’: report finds luxury brands falling behind on animal welfare (The Guardian O/S)
  • Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre - Canada (Fall Newsletter)
  • SRUC and Waitrose win top category at BBC Food & Farming Awards with a Qualitative Behavioural Assessment App (SRUC)
  • International Society for Applied Ethology – Papers by Members. Pigs, Turkeys, Chicks, Dairy Cows, Snakes. (ISAE)
  • Coghlan, S., Coghlan, B.J., Capon, A. et al. A bolder One Health: expanding the moral circle to optimize health for all. One Health Outlook 3, 21 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42522-021-00053-8
  • Kauselmann Karen, Schrader Lars, Schrade Hansjörg, Krause E. Tobias. The Effects of Refilling Additional Rooting Material on Exploration Duration and Tail Damages in Rearing and Fattening Pigs . Frontiers in Animal Science. 2, 2021, p76. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fanim.2021.749583
  • Maja M. Makagon, Anja B. Riber. Setting research driven duck-welfare standards: A systematic review of Pekin Duck welfare research, Poultry Science, 2021, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579121006350
  • Naab, F.Z.; Coles, D.; Goddard, E.; Frewer, L.J. Public Perceptions Regarding Genomic Technologies Applied to Breeding Farm Animals: A Qualitative Study. BioTech 2021, 10, 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/biotech10040028
  • A. Orihuela, Review: Management of livestock behavior to improve welfare and production, Animal, 2021, 100290, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100290
  • Philip, J. The Dingo Barrier Fence: Presenting the case to decommission the world’s longest environmental barrier in the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Reconstruction 2021–2030. BIOLOGIA FUTURA (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42977-021-00106-z

Conferences, Seminars & Events

  • National Livestock Wellbeing Seminars – Dairy Cattle Welfare. Tuesday 14 December, 1.00pm AEDST. (University of Adelaide)
  • RSPCA Australia 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)
  • 2nd Australian Biosecurity Symposium, Gold Coast, 3 – 5 May 2022. (Registration)
  • 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)
  • The 55th Congress of the International Society of Applied Ethology, 4 – 8 Sept 2022. N Macedonia. (ISAE)
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