Injurious feather-pecking in non-cage systems is a serious economic and welfare concern for the egg-producing industry. This study presents results from data of over 1,000 flocks from producers who supplied free-range eggs to McDonald's Restaurants Ltd UK between 2008 and 2013. These producers had a minimum 5% of the outdoor range planted in trees. We investigated the correlation between the plumage damage of end-of-lay hens with i) proportion of the total range planted with trees and ii) proportion of canopy cover within tree-planted areas. As tree canopy developed over the study period, we also investigated whether there were any changes in end-of-lay plumage-damage scores within farms, with year over the five years. There was a negative correlation between canopy cover and plumage damage at the end of lay, ie less canopy cover within tree-planted areas resulted in significantly worse plumage damage at the end of lay. There was no correlation between the amount of range planted and plumage damage at the end of lay. These results support the notion that it is the degree of shade and shelter (ie quality of cover) that is important to the hens rather than the absolute area. We did not find any association between year and end-of-lay plumage-damage scores. Due to commercial changes in supply, the proportion of farms providing data for ≥ 3 years was small, thereby limiting the data set with which to compare individual farms’ plumage-damage scores. It is hoped the relationship between year and plumage-damage score will be reexamined in a future study.

The success of breeding primates in captivity has led to a surplus number of animals in collections. This review examines published journals and key books to investigate the various methods of primate population control. Hormonal, surgical and separation methods are discussed and evaluated with regards to behavioural and welfare implications. Methods of dealing with surplus animals are also reviewed. It is concluded that the successes of contraception methods vary significantly between species, and in some cases not enough is known to conclusively state that one method is preferable to another. The behavioural effects of contraception should be evaluated, as social status and sexual behaviours can be negatively affected by contraception. Non-reversible sterilisation methods, such as castration, should not be used without thorough evaluation due to the behavioural effects on the individual and group as a whole. Overall, the zoo community should share information of successes and failures of contraception in different species, and professional advice should be sought to ensure that the welfare of primates in captivity is not compromised.

This survey was undertaken to assess the attitudes of Croatian veterinary students regarding farm animal welfare issues. The study included students of all undergraduate years at the only Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Croatia. First-year students were surveyed twice, ie before and after attending the course on animal welfare, using a written questionnaire containing statements with a five-point Likert scale for choice of answers. Students consider good animal welfare necessary for sustainability of farming systems and food quality and safety, ranking particular issues in the following order, biological functioning > natural living > emotional states. Students also believe that cattle and pigs have greater cognitive abilities and that their welfare is less compromised in comparison with poultry, whereas standard management procedures performed in pig production are perceived as more humane than beak-trimming in poultry. In addtion, students tend to consider pain in farm animals caused by management procedures only when these procedures involved the affliction of significant pain. There were no differences between attitude scores on most of the statements from first-year students before and after the course. Furthermore, for the majority of statements, the mean responses were lower in final-year students, suggesting a lower level of empathy toward farm animals. Although similar results have also been recorded elsewhere in the world, these results raise concerns as to the ability of these future veterinarians to promote good farm animal welfare in the country and abroad. The results also suggest a need to modify veterinary student education in Croatia in the field of farm animal welfare.

Farmers’ recognition of health and welfare problems, and their responses to related intervention programmes, such as those to reduce injurious pecking in hens, directly influence the welfare of animals in their care. Changing those responses can be achieved through a re-positioning of social drivers as well as from individual behaviour. This study begins by considering how certain levels of plumage damage become normalised while others might be considered unacceptable. Drawing upon in-depth farmer interviews, the study investigates how management practices for addressing the issue of injurious pecking are developed and enacted, looking at the relative influence of intrinsic and extrinsic individual behavioural factors. Twelve farmers with varied uptake of evidence-based management strategies designed to reduce levels of injurious pecking were interviewed. Although farmers ranked images of flocks with various levels of plumage damage in a similar order to scientists, their perception of levels of injurious pecking in their own flocks varied, and was not consistently associated with the actual levels measured. Most farmers recognised both financial and welfare implications of injurious pecking and expressed pride in having a good-looking flock. The popular management strategies were those designed to redirect pecking to other objects, whereas a substantial barrier to uptake was the perception of creating other problems: for example, mislaid eggs if early access to litter and range were adopted. To achieve uptake of knowledge that improves animal welfare on-farm, it may be necessary both to shift the norms perceived as acceptable, and to overcome barriers to change that include lack of time and understanding, by providing impartial advice and facilitation of ownership of the issues.

When female kangaroos are shot during commercial harvesting, it is a requirement that dependent young-at-foot are euthanased. However, there are anecdotal reports that harvesters either cannot euthanase young-at-foot (eg they do not see them or they flee) or will not (eg they do not think it is necessary). In this study we used the theory of planned behaviour to understand the beliefs, attitudes and behaviour of kangaroo harvesters with regards to the euthanasia of young-at-foot. We firstly conducted a survey of a small number of kangaroo harvesters (n = 21) to gather information to develop the main questionnaire. Recruitment of participants was conducted using a number of approaches including a mail out of over 600 pen-and-paper questionnaires to harvesters in NSW, QLD and SA, Australia. We received completed questionnaires from 65 harvesters. Behaviour was directly observed in only 14 harvesters. The results indicated that those kangaroo harvesters with a more favourable attitude towards euthanasing young-at-foot and who feel more social pressure to do so are more likely to intend to euthanase young-at-foot. However, intention to euthanase orphaned young-at-foot only rarely translated into actual behaviour. The participating harvesters believe that euthanasing young-at-foot reduces joey suffering; that government kangaroo management agencies and farmers and graziers approve of them doing it (but animal protection groups do not); and that the greatest limiting factor preventing them from euthanasing young at-foot is that they escape. This research revealed deficiencies in knowledge and training of kangaroo harvesters with regard to humane harvesting practices. We conclude that the use of social psychology methodology and frameworks, such as the theory of planned behaviour, can provide a detailed insight into human attitudes and behaviours that affect animal welfare. This approach can reveal the most important specific factors to consider when training and educating personnel who have direct responsibility for the humane treatment of animals.

Lame broiler chickens perform poorly in standardised mobility tests and have nociceptive thresholds that differ from those of nonlame birds, even when confounding factors such as differences in bodyweight are accounted for. This study investigated whether these altered responses could be due to pain, by comparing performance in a Group Obstacle test and a Latency to Lie (LTL) test of lame (Gait Score [GS] 2.5-4) and non-lame (GS 0-1) broilers administered analgesia or a saline control. We used exploratory subcutaneous doses of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), meloxicam (5 mg kg−1) or carprofen (35 mg kg−1) or the opioid butorphanol tartrate (4 mg kg−1). We included butorphanol to explore the possibility that NSAIDs could improve mobility by reducing inflammation without necessarily invoking an analgesic effect. Lameness was a significant predictor in all analyses. Neither the number of obstacle crossings nor latency to cross an obstacle was significantly changed by either NSAID, but LTL was longer in lame birds given carprofen and meloxicam than in lame birds given saline. LTL was associated with foot-pad dermatitis and ameliorated by both NSAIDs. Butorphanol did not affect LTL but appeared soporific in the obstacle test, increasing latency to cross and, in non-lame birds, reducing the number of crossings. Combined with data from other studies, the results suggest carprofen and meloxicam had some analgesic effect on lame birds, lending further support to concerns that lameness compromises broiler welfare. Further investigation of opioid treatments and lameness types is needed to disentangle effects on mobility and on pain.

The objective of this study was to describe the availability and use of designated hospital pens in Danish dairy herds and to analyse the association between availability and use of hospital pens and the herd-level incidence of reported disease treatments. Hospital pens were divided into either ‘individual hospital pens’ designed for only one animal or ‘group hospital pens’ designed for two or more animals. Questionnaires were sent to 350 dairy cattle herd owners. These questionnaires focused on four animal categories: dairy cows, heifers, males six months or older, and calves younger than six months. Depending on the category of animal, between 50 and 82% of the herds had access to individual hospital pens and between 39 and 65% of the herds had access to group hospital pens. Between nine and 24% of the herds did not have access to any type of hospital pens. The availability of hospital pens was generally higher for dairy cows than the other animal groups. There were significantly more reported treatments for hoof/leg disorders in herds with one or more cows in hospital pens at the day of visit.

The most widely used stunning method in sheep is electrical. However, in lambs, this method leads to rupture of the blood vessels, provoking ecchymoses. In pigs (Sus scrofa), the use of CO2-stunning systems has increased in popularity due to positive effects on meat quality and animal welfare (movement of animals in groups). The aim here was to assess the effectiveness of a progressive exposure to 90% carbon dioxide (CO2) in inducing unconsciousness in lambs (Ovis aries) through changes in the middle latency auditory-evoked potentials (MLAEP) of the central nervous system (CNS), blood parameters (pH, carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2), oxygen partial pressure (pO2), oxygen saturation (SatO2) and bicarbonate (HCO3J, behaviour (head-shaking, sneezing, gasping and gagging) and physiological reflexes (corneal reflex, breathing and sensitivity to pain). Fourteen male lambs of the Ripollesa breed, weighing between 19 and 25 kg were progressively exposed to an atmosphere of 90% CO2 over 66 s. All blood parameters changed between 23 and 43 s after the onset of the immersion. The MLAEP did not decrease significantly until after 48 s exposure to CO2, suggesting an absence of auditory-evoked brain activity. Before that, lambs exhibited head-shaking and sneezing starting at 10.6 (± 0.77) s, and gasping starting at 20.6 (± 1.36) s. After exposure, all animals showed absence of breathing and sensibility to pain, and 36% of them absence of corneal reflex. The pH and pCO2 recovered basal values at 90 and 120 s, respectively, after the end of the exposure. The burst suppression index (BS%) and the A-Line ARX index (AAI) recovered basal levels at 116 and 159 s, respectively. Exposure to CO2 at high concentration induces effective stunning in sheep for a period of 124 s. However, during exposure, the animals exhibited signs of aversion and breathlessness.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of chamber stocking rate on facets of animal welfare and efficacy during euthanasia of weaned pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) with argon gas. Two hundred and thirty-three weaned pigs designated for euthanasia at a commercial production farm were randomly assigned to group sizes of one, two, or six pigs. Gas euthanasia of each piglet group was performed in a Euthanex® AgPro chamber. The chamber was filled with argon gas for 6 min in order to reduce the oxygen concentration to less than 2%. Pigs were then placed into the pre-filled chamber and gas flow was continued at a high rate to displace introduced air and re-establish a fatally low residual oxygen concentration. Pigs remained in the chamber for 10 min and were then removed to test for signs of sensibility and life. There was no significant evidence of an effect of stocking rate on focal pig latencies to onset of neuromuscular excitation or last movement, as scored from video recordings. Solitary pigs were more likely to pace and make righting attempts in the chamber than paired or grouped focal pigs, although pigs in higher stocking rate treatments tended to retain posture longer. The results of this study do not support seclusion during argon gas euthanasia as a method of improving animal welfare. The portable chamber did not facilitate a truly pre-filled atmosphere for euthanasia, although the procedure used in this study was consistently effective.

Free-range egg producers face continuing problems from injurious pecking (IP) which has financial consequences for farmers and poor welfare implications for birds. Beak-trimming has been practised for many years to limit the damage caused by IP, but with the UK Government giving notification that they intend to ban beak-trimming in 2016, considerable efforts have been made to devise feasible housing, range and management strategies to reduce IP. A recent research project investigated the efficacy of a range of IP-reducing management strategies, the mean costs of which came to around 5 pence per bird. Here, the results of the above project's consumer survey are presented: consumers’ attitudes to free-range egg production are detailed showing that, whilst consumers had a very positive attitude towards free-range eggs, they were especially uninformed about some aspects of free-range egg production. The contingent valuation technique was used to estimate the price premium consumers would be prepared to pay to ensure that hens do not suffer from IP: this was calculated as just over 3% on top of the prevailing retail price of free-range eggs. These findings reinforce other studies that have found that whilst consumers are not generally well-informed about certain specific welfare problems faced by animals under free-range conditions, they are prepared to pay to improve animal welfare. Indeed, the study findings suggest that producers could obtain an additional price premium if they demonstrate the welfare provenance of their eggs, perhaps through marketing the eggs as coming from birds with intact beaks. This welfare provenance issue could usefully be assured to consumers by the introduction of a mandatory, single, accredited EU-wide welfare-standards labelling scheme.

This study aimed to develop a scientific and practical tool to be used to assess horse welfare after commercial transport over long journeys. A set of physical, behavioural and environmental measures was selected, covering welfare aspects of both transport and unloading procedures. The protocol was field-tested on 51 intra-EU commercial transports arriving at different sites in Italy. Univariate analysis was implemented to look for associations between the input variables (environmental hazards potentially affecting the animal well-being during long transports) and the outcome variables (direct evaluation of the animal condition). No severe welfare impairments were recorded (ie dead on arrival, severe injuries, non-ambulatory animals), while milder ones were more frequent at unloading (eg slipping; 36.7%, reluctance to move; 9.6%). Correlations emerged between ramp slope and falling; type of ramp floor and slipping; fast gait and the presence of gaps between the ramp and the floor. The horses’ behaviour was also related to the type of handling procedure used. The measures were repeatable and practical to apply and score during real-time unloading. This work provides a sound basis for a new and practical welfare assessment tool for horses travelling over long journeys. Careful and constant application of this protocol would provide stakeholders with the opportunity to track and monitor changes in the industry over time, as well as to identify high risk areas in transport routines.

Cats are often subjected to minimally painful or forced procedures during routine clinical practice, which can be poorly tolerated, leading veterinary surgeons to need to offer physical restraint, usually aided by an assistant. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and ultimate welfare implications of using clipthesia as a method of restraint during veterinary examination. This was carried out in a real clinical setting and compared to manual scruffing. Twenty-seven cats were restrained, during a veterinary examination, using two stationery clips placed on the skin along the cervical dorsal midline, whilst a group of 13 cats were restrained through gentle manual scruffing. Susceptibility to clipthesia (ie a positive clip score) was observed in 81.5% of cats, while a complete response was found in 40.7% of subjects. The presence or absence of a disease/condition did not affect the susceptibility. Heart rate and the number of cats showing mydriasis (pupillary dilation) was statistically higher during manual scruffing, whilst plasma cortisol did not differ between the two groups. The more responsive the cats were to clipthesia, the more they displayed kneading and purring. These preliminary findings suggest that clipthesia is not more stressful than manual scruffing in restraining cats during a veterinary examination. However, not all cats were found to be susceptible to this method of restraint. Further research is needed to clarify whether clipthesia should be implementated as a matter of course in veterinary practice from the point of view of welfare and safety.

Veterinary care is important for maintaining companion animal health; however, it also has the potential to impact other aspects of patient welfare. To investigate factors related to veterinary care that are likely to influence canine and feline welfare, animal welfare researchers, veterinarians with an expertise in animal welfare, and Canadian and American companion and mixed animal veterinarians were invited to participate in a three-stage online survey. Participants were asked to do the following: i) identify factors related to the veterinary experience that impact patient welfare; ii) rate the relative impact of each factor; and iii) gauge the feasibility of measuring and improving each factor. Overall, 78 participants identified 85 factors that impact animal welfare in the clinic (eg restraint techniques) and home environment (eg advice regarding behaviour and training). Among factors, seven themes emerged: physical environment of the clinic; routine animal care provided by veterinary team members (‘staff); interactions between the patient, staff, and client; clinic management; medical and surgical procedures; staff attitudes and education; and communication between the veterinarian and client. Mean relative impact scores ranged from 1.0 to 3.8 on a five-point scale (0-4), with 70% of factors receiving a score greater than 3. Most participants (> 80%) agreed that 68% of the identified factors could be feasibly improved in an average veterinary clinic and that 43% of the factors could be feasibly measured during a welfare assessment. These results identify key areas where veterinary care may impact the welfare of canine and feline patients and highlight priority areas where assessment and improvement are possible.

The present study investigated the operational feasibility of the recently developed Salmon Welfare Index Model (SWIM 1.0) designed for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L) in production cages. Ten salmon farms containing spring smolts were visited twice, first between May and June the first year in sea cages, and secondly 2-3 months later. On each farm the SWIM 1.0 assessments were carried out for the two cages assumed by the farmer to represent the best and worst welfare status. The applied welfare indicators (WIs) were water temperature, salinity, stocking density, lighting, disturbance, daily mortality rate, appetite, sea lice infestation ratio, condition factor, emaciation state, vertebral deformation, maturation stage, smoltification state, fin condition and skin condition. The effective time to carry out the welfare evaluation was about 1.5 h per farm. The results showed some marked differences between visits; relatively larger proportions of emaciated fish were sampled during the first compared to the second visit, and more homogeneous scores of skin and fin damage were found on the second visit. The overall welfare index scores were generally in accordance with the farmers’ ranking of the ‘best’ and the ‘worst’ sea cage during the first visit. Together, the findings of this study suggest that the SWIM model may be employed for documentation of animal welfare over the salmon marine production cycle. The results call attention towards re-assessment of some of the welfare indicators, improved sampling methods, and a more user-friendly interface. All-in-all, the current SWIM model is regarded as a promising candidate tool towards welfare assessment of farmed salmon.

This study aimed to determine the load-bearing capacity of trotting Yonaguni ponies using gait analysis. The Yonaguni pony is one of the Japanese landrace horses, and has normal gait characteristics when trotting. As a breed they are small in stature and hence susceptible to the effect of the rider's weight. It is therefore important to determine their load-bearing capacity as regards to their welfare. Ten Yonaguni ponies with a (mean ± SD) height at withers of 122 (± 2.9) cm had a marker attached to their chests, and their unridden gait was recorded using two high-resolution hybrid cameras while they trotted along a short (40 m), straight course. In total, nine tests were performed for each horse: the first with a 0-kg load; seven with randomly loaded weights weighing 10-70 kg; and then a final test again with a 0-kg load. Three-dimensional movement of the marker was analysed using a motion capture system. The time series of vertical displacement of the marker underwent spectrum analysis, and the autocorrelation coefficient was calculated. The first two peaks of the autocorrelation were defined as symmetry and gait regularity, and their sum was defined as stability. Symmetry (no unit) in the 70-kg test (0.53) was lower than that in the first 0-kg test (0.68), and stability (no unit) in the 70-kg test (1.16) was lower than that in the first 0-kg test (1.41). We concluded that the maximum permissible load for a trotting Yonaguni pony is < 70 kg, which represents 33% of its bodyweight. To promote welfare, it is important to determine the load-bearing capacity for individual types of horse.