The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and test-retest reliability of the Welfare Quality® Animal Welfare Assessment Protocol for Growing Pigs. Twenty-three German pig farms were visited repeatedly by the same trained observers; each farm being visited six times during two fattening periods. The entire protocol assessment was carried out during each farm visit, ie a Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA), behavioural observations (BO), a Human Animal Relationship test (HAR) and different individual parameters (IPs), eg bursitis and tail-biting. Test-retest reliability was evaluated by a Wilcoxon signed rank test (W) and by calculation of the Smallest Detectable Change (SDC) and Limits of Agreement (LoA). The QBA presented non-satisfactory agreement between farm visits. However, good agreement, in general, was found for the BO. For the HAR, no reliability could be detected. Most IPs were of acceptable agreement, with the exception of bursitis and manure on the body. Bursitis showed great differences, which can be explained by difficulties in the assessment when the animals moved around or their legs were dirty. The disagreement in the parameter manure on the body can be explained by seasonal effects. Disagreement was further found concerning the parameters coughing, sneezing, pleuritis, pneumonia and milkspots. Feasibility was good; both observers could be well-trained to fulfil the protocol. Furthermore, the time needed for an assessment did not exceed 6 h. The parts of the protocol that proved to be insufficiently reliable need to be addressed in the future in order to enhance and improve the objective measurement of animal welfare.

Fasting is commonly used in aquaculture to empty the gut before slaughter, but little is known about how feeding frequency before fasting affects the stress response of trout. To find out more, 240 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were separated into three groups with different feeding schedules during the final month of fattening, from 26 September to 28 October 2013 (daily, every two days or every four days) and two durations of pre-slaughter fasting (two days of fasting; 24.3 degree days, to nine days of fasting; 102 degree days). After slaughter, a number of stress-related parameters were measured, such as liver glycogen, skin/gill colour and haematological parameters (cortisol, glucose, lactate, triglycerides, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase). Trout given food every two days on the farm had lower levels of cortisol and higher levels of triglycerides and liver glycogen than the other treatments after two days of fasting; indicating that habituating trout to feed once every two days in the final month of fattening lowered their stress response to two days of fasting before slaughter.

There is a growing demand for civet coffee (also known as ‘Kopi Luwak’ in Indonesia), a luxury coffee produced from coffee cherries that have been eaten and partially digested by civets. Traditionally made using scat collected from the wild, the trend for ‘caged’ civet coffee, where live civets are taken from the wild and housed in captive conditions, is increasing. There is a rapidly expanding civet coffee tourist industry that has emerged within the last five years in Indonesia. The present paper is based on observations of the housing conditions of 48 wild-caught common palm civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) at 16 of these tourist-orientated coffee plantations in Bali. A score between 0-4 indicating welfare concerns was given for eight husbandry factors at each plantation, including: mobility, hygiene, surfaces, shelter, noise, food, water, and social interactions. In addition, interviews were conducted with senior tour guides at each of the plantations to gather information regarding tourist activities and the civet coffee production taking place therein. The data allowed for a welfare assessment to be made, which highlights the inadequate conditions and negative impact on common palm civets associated with the caged commercial production of this luxury product, which are not associated with traditional collection of scat from wild-living civets. We hope that our findings will inform tourists and tour operators about the ethical implications of visiting these attractions.

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 Action Plan of the European Commission 2006-2010 proposed a move towards more private and less state regulation of animal welfare and Great British (GB) Governments made a commitment to reduce the burden of inspection of farms by targeting high-risk enterprises. In previous research in GB, farmers in private, voluntary regulated schemes were more compliant with GB legislation and code at statutory welfare inspections made by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) than farmers not in such schemes. The current study investigated whether membership of other private voluntary regulators and national data sources were associated with greater compliance with welfare at APHA inspections and whether the previous association between greater compliance and membership of private schemes persisted. Compliance at APHA inspections remained higher on farms in the private schemes previously investigated. It was also higher in the one retailer and seven herd health schemes investigated. There was no association between non-welfare EU cross-compliance inspections and compliance at APHA inspections. Approximately 90% of farmers in a scheme passed animal welfare inspections compared with 80% of non-scheme members. We conclude that farms in private schemes are more likely to pass APHA inspections and so this criterion can be used in selection of farms for risk-based inspection. We hypothesise that private regulation with regular inspection of all farms could raise compliance with animal welfare legislation to at least the minimum legal standards, however, it could result in animals with low welfare being concealed; consequently, this hypothesis requires testing.

Currently recommended landmarks for captive-bolt euthanasia of cattle often result in failure to penetrate the brainstem. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability to disrupt the brainstem by placing the shot at a higher position on the head. Intact heads from euthanased animals or natural mortalities were used for this study. Heads were grouped as adult (> 2 years), young (6-24 months) and neonate (< 1 month) and randomly assigned to either the LOW group (the intersection of two lines drawn from the medial canthus to the top of the opposite ear) or the HIGH group (midline halfway between the top of the poll and an imaginary line connecting each lateral canthus). Each head received a single shot from a CASH penetrating captive bolt with bolt length and power load selected based on manufacturer's recommendations. Computed tomography images of each head were evaluated independently by two veterinary radiologists. Brainstem disruption was assumed to occur if the bolt passed caudal to the presphenoid bone and deep to the third ventricle and was within 1.5 cm of midline. Brainstem disruption occurred in 16/18 adult HIGH and 7/14 adult LOW heads, 13/16 young HIGH and 11/19 young LOW heads, and 11/11 neonate HIGH and 14/14 neonate LOW heads. The higher shot location landmarks used in this study increased the probability of disrupting the brainstem when adult cattle were shot with a penetrating captive bolt which should reduce the risk of regaining sensibility. Reliable brainstem disruption is a precondition for considering penetrating captive bolt as a single-step euthanasia method. Further research is needed to determine if this method will reliably ensure a humane death.

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 present study seeks to evaluate the potential of a more cost-efficient animal welfare assessment by investigating the association between animal welfare indices (AWI) based on different data sources, namely register data (AWI 1, ie routine registrations, such as treatment, reproduction and abattoir data) and resource data (AWI 2, ie barn design and equipment) validated against animal-based data (AWI 3, ie direct animal observations). AWIs were created based on data from 73 Danish dairy herds. Indices for each information source were created by a weighted linear aggregation of herd level incidence and prevalence of the given indicators. Indicator weights were assigned by expert opinion for each of the AWIs. Linear dependency between the high cost AWI 3 and the two low cost AWI 1 and AWI 2 was investigated. Additionally, different time-periods of 90, 180 and 365 days prior to the actual on-farm collection of AWI 3 measures were evaluated in order to find the most predictive time-period of AWI 1. Predictive key indicators for on-farm animal welfare were investigated in uni- and multivariable analyses. Significant associations were found between the AWI 1 based on incidences 180 days prior to the farm visit and the AWI 3. Predictive key indicators were milk yield, abattoir and mortality data. Predictive models for 180 and 365 days prior to the on-farm assessment consisted of abattoir indicators, while the model 90 days prior included mortality and milk yield. The limited associations between indices and the predictive key indicators and models suggest that these cost-effective welfare assessments are not suitable to stand alone and cannot replace the actual animal welfare assessed by on-farm collection of animal-based measures.

Stressful housing and management practices affect animals, potentially increasing their receptiveness to pathogens. Since some pathogens do not lead to clinical signs of sickness, subclinical pigs could enter the food-chain, contaminating carcases and offal at slaughter, representing a threat to human health. Here, we assess the feasibility of a new approach (using animal-based welfare outcomes) to investigate the association between the animal welfare status of finishing pigs on-farm and the occurrence of Yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella enterica in slaughtered pigs in Northern Italy. Thirty batches of finishing pigs were assessed for animal-, resource- and management-based measures according to the Welfare Quality® protocol for pigs on-farm and at slaughter. A sample of five individuals per batch was tested for Y. enterocolitica and S. enterica in tonsils and in mesenteric lymph nodes, respectively, and gross pathological changes were recorded. Environmental faecal samples per batch on-farm were tested for the same pathogens. Univariable logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between batches of pigs that were positive to Y. enterocolitica and S. enterica and indicators of poor welfare. The animal-based measures of welfare, greater on-farm mortality and poor human-animal relationship, were found to be associated with Y. enterocolitica. This study provides a good indication of the validity of this approach, but there is a need for larger-scale studies in the future to confirm the magnitude of the associations between these animal welfare and food safety indicators.

Livestock transport regulations in many countries require that cattle be unloaded for feed, water and rest when they are being transported long distances, but there are few evidence-based guidelines about how to most effectively manage and provide these requirements at rest stops. The aim of this study was to assess whether available feeding space at a commercial rest facility affected eating behaviour and general activity. Twenty-four trailer loads of cattle were selected for study, and each load was divided into two groups. The control group was provided ad libitum access to a single, round, hay-bale feeder. The treatment group had two round, hay-bale feeders and thus twice as much feeding space per animal. Cattle behaviour was recorded during a 5-h rest period using instantaneous scan sampling every 5 min. This was performed at the group level by counting the number of animals engaged in pre-defined activities, as well as individually by tracking a subset of focal animals from each group. Behaviour was categorised as one of the following: eating, drinking, lying, or ‘other’. Interruptions to eating were also quantified. Eating was counted as interrupted when, instead of being followed by a consecutive eating observation, it was interspersed by another behaviour. Doubling feeding space increased the mean proportion of cattle eating by 30%, decreased interruption of eating bouts and had no effect on drinking and lying behaviour. Increased access to feed has potential welfare and health benefits. These data can be used to inform standards for feeding beef cattle at rest stops during long distance travel.

Manual blunt force trauma is a common method of euthanasia or culling of goat kids, however it is difficult to apply consistently and may vary in effectiveness. Therefore, a controlled mechanical method is needed. The overall objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of a non-penetrating captive bolt (NPCB) to euthanase goats (Capra hircus) up to 48 h of age. In a pilot study (n = 27), the optimum anatomical site for placement of the NPCB was evaluated using signs of insensibility and death, and post mortem assessment of traumatic brain injury. Three different anatomical sites (frontal bone, poll or behind the poll) were evaluated. In Experiment 1 (n = 100), goats were euthanased using the optimum anatomical placement determined in the pilot study and the presence of brainstem reflexes, rhythmic respiration, convulsions and cardiac activity were recorded. In Experiment 2 (n = 7), electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded to assess awareness following application of the NPCB. Results from the pilot study showed that immediate insensibility followed by death was achieved when the muzzle of the NPCB was positioned behind the poll and the goat's head was bent so that the chin touched the chest. In Experiment 1, all goats were rendered immediately insensible without return to sensibility prior to cessation of cardiac activity. In Experiment 2, application of the NPCB resulted in the immediate onset of EEG activity which was incompatible with awareness. In conclusion, the NPCB reliably caused immediate insensibility and death in goats up to 48 h of age.

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 slaughter of animals for the halal market is both ethically and economically significant. There are animal welfare and spiritual requirements that must be met for meat to be considered fit for Muslim consumption. These requirements are enshrined in Islamic law, known commonly as the Shariah law, derived from commandments in the Holy Quran and the Hadith (teachings or traditions of the Prophet of Islam, Mohammed, Peace Be Upon Him). Islamic jurists widely interpret the Shariah law differently, and this has led to debate as to whether pre-slaughter stunning is acceptable for halal slaughter. This paper reviews how these laws are interpreted and implemented and reviews the methods of stunning accepted by proponents of halal stunning. It also describes why some proponents of halal stunning do not accept irreversible stunning methods for producing halal beef within the EU, a situation which has meant that thousands of halal cattle are slaughtered without any form of stunning.

The EU-funded Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) research project (2011-2015) aimed to improve animal welfare through the development of practical on-farm animal welfare assessment protocols. The present study describes the application of the AWIN approach to the development of a welfare assessment protocol for horses (Equus caballus). Its development required the following steps: (i) selection of potential welfare indicators; (ii) bridging gaps in knowledge; (iii) consulting stakeholders; and (iv) testing a prototype protocol on-farm. Compared to existing welfare assessment protocols for other species, the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for horses introduces a number of innovative aspects, such as implementation of a two-level strategy focused on improving on-farm feasibility and the use of electronic tools to achieve standardised data collection and so promote rapid outcomes. Further refinement to the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for horses is needed in order to firstly gather data from a larger reference population and, secondly, enhance the welfare assessment protocol with reference to different horse housing and husbandry conditions.

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.

An alternative emergency method for killing poultry on-farm is required following European legislation changes (EU 1099/2009), which heavily restricts the use of manual cervical dislocation. This study investigated the kill efficacy of two mechanical methods that conform to the new legislation: (i) a novel mechanical cervical dislocation device; and (ii) a modified captive-bolt device (Rabbit Zinger™) and manual cervical dislocation (the control). Killing treatments were applied to broilers and layers at two stages of production (broilers: 2-3 and 5 weeks of age; layers: 12-13 and 58-62 weeks), with a total of 180 birds. Latency to abolition of cranial and behavioural reflexes, as well as post mortem analysis of the physiological damage produced, were used to estimate time to unconsciousness and assess kill efficacy. The novel mechanical cervical dislocation device was reliable and a practical method for killing poutry on-farm (100% kill success), with the majority of cranial reflexes showing no significant differences between interval mean durations across killing methods (eg nictitating membrane [mean = 0.7-3.3 s], and rhythmic breathing [mean = 0.0-0.3 s]), however for jaw tone and pupillary reflex, the modified Rabbit ZingerTM had significantly shorter interval mean durations compared to the control and mechanical cervical dislocation device (mean differences: jaw tone = ~8 s; pupillary = ~38 s). The novel mechanical cervical dislocation device resulted in consistent anatomical damage to the birds (eg high dislocation of the neck and severing of the spinal cord) compared to the manual method, despite both having 100% success rate, while the modified Rabbit ZingerTM was difficult to operate and resulted in varied anatomical damage. The novel mechanical cervical dislocation device showed promise as a replacement kill method on-farm for poultry.

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.

To determine the optimal electrical stunning conditions for edible crabs (Cancer pagurus) their impedance was investigated along with currents with the potential to render the animal insensible within 1 s. This information was used to develop a commercial stunner and determine conditions that both stun and kill the animals instantaneously. Results show that the crabs’ impedance is dependent on the current frequency with the optimum outcome seen at net frequencies of 50–60 Hz. The proportion of animals stunned was dependent on the potential difference with 220 V required to stun an animal unconscious within 1 s. Any attempts to kill the crab with asphyxia after a 10-s exposure to electricity failed as 30% of crabs recovered within an hour. A thermal shock, pre- or post-stunning prevented this recovery. Autotomy was not avoided and approximately 4–7% of crabs lost one or more appendage. Electricity caused localised over-heating, but a current of 10-s duration did not cause heating of the carapace. We conclude that electrical stunning used in combination with a thermal shock may stun and kill the animal instantaneously.

Attitudes to animals have been extensively studied for people in developed countries, but not for those in developing countries. The attitudes of prospective stakeholders in the livestock sectors in south-east and east Asia toward transport and slaughter were examined by surveying university students studying veterinary medicine and animal science in Malaysia, Thailand, China and Vietnam, with a total of 739 students taking part. Students had greater acceptability of transport than slaughter issues for livestock, and female students found most transport and slaughter issues of greater concern than male students. Veterinary students were more accepting of several issues than animal science students, in particular killing animals that were injured or ill. Religion had a major effect on attitudes. Muslim students found using animals that died naturally for products least acceptable. Compared to them, Hindu students were less accepting of killing injured or ill animals and Buddhist students less accepting of euthanasing healthy pets. Students with more experience of pets were less accepting of both transport and slaughter issues. It is concluded that concern was exhibited by future stakeholders in the SE and E Asian livestock industries for slaughter and, to a lesser extent, transport issues, although attitudes were influenced by their religion, gender and experience of pet-keeping.

This paper describes a case example where initiatives from private assurance schemes, scientists, charities, government and egg companies have improved the welfare of UK cage-free laying hens. The RSPCA and Soil Association farm assurance schemes introduced formal welfare outcome assessment into their annual audits of laying-hen farms in 2011. Feather loss was assessed on 50 birds from each flock on a three-point scale for two body regions: Head and Neck (HN) and Back and Vent (BV). In support of the observations, assessors were trained in feedback techniques designed to encourage change in farmer behaviour to improve welfare. In addition, during Year 2 farmers were asked about changes they had made, and intended to make on their farms. During 2011-2013 there were also wider industry initiatives to improve feather cover. Data were analysed from 830 and 743 farms in Year 1 and Year 2, respectively. From Year 1 to Year 2 there was a significant reduction in the prevalence of feather loss from 31.8% (9.6% severe) to 20.8% (6% severe) for the HN region, and from 33.1% (12.6% severe) to 22.7% (8.3% severe) for BV. Fifty-nine percent of 662 farmers reported they had made changes on their farms during Year 1 to improve bird welfare. For such a substantial industry change, attributing causation to specific initiatives is difficult; however, this is the first study to demonstrate the value to animal welfare of certification schemes monitoring the effectiveness of their own and other industry-led interventions to guide future policy.