US and EU legislation require that an animal must be rendered insensible to pain before invasive dressing procedures start. If an animal shows any of the following clinical signs, it must be immediately restunned: (i) righting reflex or retains the ability to stand; (ii) species-specific...

Choice of production systems for poultry is complex given the different attitudes and needs of different stakeholders, including producers, retailers, consumers and governments, with welfare and environmental considerations playing an important role. Political and legal decisions both affect and...

Legislative and assurance scheme requirements for standard and alternative indoor and outdoor broiler and turkey production systems are described. Generally, health and welfare are protected to various extents by a series of input requirements, largely related to stocking density, light,...

At present most welfare regulations focus on the control of minimum requirements of space and other environmental factors. It is assumed that welfare (as expressed by behavioural, morphological and physiological indicators) will not be compromised when the maximum stocking density is not exceeded....