In all scientific research using animals there is the potential for animal welfare to be compromised, due both to the experimental procedures themselves and to features of their husbandry and management. The Three Rs aim to minimize animal welfare compromise, ideally by replacing animal use with other methods. In situations where the use of animals is unavoidable, care is taken to reduce the nu...

Recent high profile incidents and public debates in the United States have highlighted the increasing interest residents have regarding animal rearing and handling practices. This paper examines resident support for national legislation that mirrors Proposition 2, which in November 2008 passed in California. Results suggest perceptions regarding animal welfare information accuracy of livestock ...

Just occasionally, a landmark event triggers lasting animal welfare change. So it was for farm animal welfare with a book called Animal Machines published in 1964 by Ruth Harrison (Harrison, 1964). The book alerted the general public to the suffering of intensively farmed calves and chickens and prompted the Brambell Report that developed a list of five freedoms for farmed animals and prompted ...

Australia has implemented a through-chain regulatory framework to address animal welfare issues in the livestock export trade. The framework places the responsibility for ensuring that the welfare of exported animals meets internationally accepted standards on those who hold the licences issued for the export of Australian livestock. It applies to all livestock (cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, c...

Concern for zoo animals is palpable throughout society in many countries in South East Asia. It is important to understand problems of animal welfare in order for zoos to make significant improvement in maintaining high standards. With a case study of 3 zoos in Thailand, this article presents results for the first time on how ethics and welfare evaluations are conducted in South East Asian zoos...

The plasmatic cortisol levels of 60 eight-month-old calves (Charolais breed) were measured as stress indicators resulting from two types of slaughter: traditional and religious rite. The plasmatic cortisol levels were evaluated during three different stages of their productive life: during growth, after transport and during slaughter. The thirty calves slaughtered after stunning showed plasmati...

The European Commission's Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) recently issued an Opinion on the need for non-human primate (NHP) use in biomedical research, and the possibilities of replacing NHP use with alternatives, as part of the Directive 86/609/EEC revision process. Here, we summarise our recent complaint to the European Ombudsman about SCHER's Opinion and the e...

Traditionally, the main considerations for a system of identification for livestock have been cost, ease of application, degree of permanence and legibility. More recently, animal identification systems have also been required to address new areas, including animal welfare, food safety, product quality/consistency and improvements in animal production efficiency. A successful identification pro...