Stress, behaviour and reproductive performance in female cattle and pigs
Female farm animals are exposed to a great variety of environmental and management related stressors. As a consequence, their reproductive and maternal abilities may be compromised through mechanisms acting on the hypothalamic, pituitary, ovarian and uterine function. Responses to short- and long-term stressors may differ as short-term stressors often fail to affect reproduction or even […]
Central nervous regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and its impact on fertility, immunity, metabolism and animal welfare – a review
The paper reviews mechanisms of neuronal control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis with a view on its impact on performance and welfare. The limbic hippocampal and amygdaloid input to the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus constitutes the basic intracerebral axis by which emotional stimuli affect the stress response. This axis is the backbone of the HPA feedback […]
Ethical regulation and animal science: why animal behaviour is special
Like other areas of animal science, the study of animal behaviour is becoming increasingly subject to ethical regulation and legislation. Sensible and well-informed regulation is to be welcomed both on compassionate grounds and because misuse of animals is likely to compromise the science itself. However, it is evident that much of the impetus and direction […]
Ethical regulation and animal science: why animal behaviour is not so special
Refinement, replacement and reduction of animals in research has become a guiding principle for legislation governing animal research, and for the implementation of that legislation. However, one of these [`]3Rs’, replacement, would seem incompatible with the science of animal behaviour, where the animal is not a model for the human condition, but the object of […]
Informed debate- the contribution of animal welfare science to the development of public policy
The development of animal welfare science has had a fundamental influence on the development of public policy towards the treatment of animals, not only in individual countries such as the United Kingdom, but also within the institutions of the European Union. This has led to a new a body of legislation which is intended to […]
Trade-offs between welfare, conservation, utility and economics in wildlife management — a review of conflicts, compromises and regulation
In choosing among alternative wildlife management techniques, trade-offs between animal welfare and conservation, utility or economics are often apparent. This paper reviews the roles of science, scientists, regulators and educators in attempts to overcome this inter-dependence and to make simultaneous progress on all fronts. Illustrations are drawn in particular from trapping and pest population control. […]
Better rodent control by better regulation: regulatory incentives and regulator support to improve the humaneness of rodent control
Regulation by government can act as a constraint to improving the humaneness of rodent control, or it can be used to support improvements. How do we make sure it does one and not the other? Societal support and understanding, economic impacts and current knowledge can all ‘make or break’ progress towards improved rodent control. This […]
Animal welfare and intergovernmental organisations: the role of intergovernmental organisations such as the OIE in animal welfare
No abstract available