Indicators Relevant to Farm Animal Welfare : A Seminar in the CEC Programme of Coordination of Research on Animal Welfare, Organized by Dr. D. Smidt, and Held in Mariensee, 9–10 November 1982

Front Matter....Pages I-IX Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Animal Welfare Legislation....Pages 3-12 The Problem of Assessing “Well-Being” and “Suffering” in Farm Animals....Pages 13-24 Discussion....Pages 25-25 Front Matter....Pages 27-27 Significance of Physiological Criteria in Assessing Animal Welfare....Pages 29-37 Neuroendocrine Strategies for Assessing Welfare Application to Calf Management Systems....Pages 39-46 Corticosteroids in Welfare Research of Laying Hens....Pages 47-53 The Sleep-Waking Pattern and Behavior of Pigs Kept in Different Husbandry Systems....Pages 55-60 Neurochemistry of Abnormal Behaviour in Farm Animals....Pages 61-65 Discussion....Pages 66-67 On the Significance of Ethological Criteria for the Assessment of Animal welfare....Pages 71-79 Stereotypies as Animal Welfare Indicators....Pages 81-87 Ingestive Behaviour and Wing-Flapping in Assessing Welfare of Laying Hens....Pages 89-95 Behavioural Tests to Quantify Adaptation in Domestic Animals....Pages 97-108 Effect of Social and Environmental Factors on Performance in Gilts, Barrows and Boars....Pages 109-115 Operant Conditioning in Farm Animals and its Relevance to Welfare....Pages 117-120 Discussion....Pages 121-121 An Ecopathological Approach for Assessing Risk Factors in Intensive Rearing Systems: Examples from Pig Production....Pages 125-138 Comparative Mortality and Morbidity Rates for Cattle on Slatted Floors and in Straw Yards....Pages 139-142 Pathological Approaches to Evaluate Calf Boxes under Animal Welfare Aspects....Pages 143-153 Results of a Methodical Approach with Regard to External Lesions of Sows as an Indicator of Animal Well-Being....Pages 155-162 Front Matter....Pages 27-27 Discussion....Pages 163-163 Significance of Production Performance Traits as Indicators of Animal Welfare....Pages 167-182 Farrowing Accomodation And Losses, Vitality and Daily Gain of Piglets as Indicators of Well Being....Pages 183-188 Production Performance in Laying Hens Kept Under Different Housing Conditions....Pages 189-196 Discussion....Pages 197-197 Front Matter....Pages 199-199 Advantages and Problems of Using Integrated Systems of Indicators as Compared to Single Traits....Pages 201-207 Assessing of Housing Systems by Combined Indicators....Pages 209-213 Application of an Integrated System of Indicators in Animal Welfare Research....Pages 215-221 Discussion....Pages 222-222 Front Matter....Pages 223-223 Applicability of Indicators in Animal Welfare Research....Pages 225-232 The Use of Ethological Welfare Indicators in Practical Control Procedures....Pages 233-242 Discussion....Pages 243-243 General Conclusions....Pages 245-247 Back Matter....Pages 249-251 The CEC-seminar on "Indicators relevant to Animal Welfare" was held on November 9 - 10, 1982 at the Institut fUr Tierzucht und Tierverhalten, Mariensee, of the Bundesforschungsanstal t fUr Landwirtschaft (FAL) - It was the intention of this meeting to outline the present state of know ledge on proven and potential indicators and to discuss their applica bility in the assessment of farm animal management systems. After an introduction of the legal and material aspects of animal welfare, the following topics were dealt with : - Significance of indicators relevant to animal welfare - Integrated systems of indicators relevant to animal welfare - Applicability of indicators in animal welfare research and control procedures. The concluding discussion focussed on the applicability of indicators in science and in practice. As a result of the seminar, the presently known indicators can be grouped into the following categories : - indicators already being applied to animal welfare assessment in prac tice, such as morbidity and mortality, technopathies, behavioural aberrations and production performances; - indicators of high sensitivity, such as physiological criteria, which as yet are too demanding for general application; - indicators still under investigation for their reliability. It became also evident that the continuous integration of indicators into canprehensive assessment systems promises an ever improving judgement of animal welfare problems. The proceedings will be of substantial value to the CEC in the pursuit of animal welfare problems