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Background: While the quality of clinical research is often criticized, there is no underlying consensus on a definition of the term “quality” yet. Objectives: (1) To systematically survey definitions of quality in clinical research; and (2) to develop a conceptual framework of criteria[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], Klasse statt Masse – wider die wertlose Wissenschaft; 18. Jahrestagung des Deutschen Netzwerks Evidenzbasierte Medizin

Council Directive 91/630/EEC1, as amended, laying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs, requires the Commission to submit to the Council a report, based on a scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), concerning the welfare various aspects of housing and husbandry systems for farmed pigs. EFSA has therefore been required to provide a Scientific Opinion on several aspects of this, one concerning fattening pigs. The opinion should include: the effects of stocking density, including group size and grouping methods, space requirements and the impact of stall design and different flooring types taking into account different climatic conditions. The Scientific Opinion was adopted by the Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) on 6 September 2007. Based on the scientific data presented in the Scientific Report and risk assessment, conclusions and recommendations were drawn. In relation to disease, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections and production-related diseases can have a major impact on the welfare of fattening pigs. Management, inspection and other disease prevention measures, handling, hygiene, floor type and the manure system have major effects on disease risk and significant importance for ensuring good welfare. At post-mortem slaughter inspection, pigs kept outdoors usually have a lower prevalence of lesions due to respiratory infections than indoor pigs but higher risk of some internal parasites. Leg disorders, which are caused by a complex of factors including genetic selection and high energy and high protein diet, are a major problem. Interactions between many aspects of the biological functioning of pigs and effects of housing and management on welfare are described. Without suitable rooting and manipulation materials, pigs are likely to direct tactile behaviour towards companions using aggression or other causes of poor welfare. Manipulable material makes any floor more attractive for exploration and pigs prefer the presence of straw to an unbedded floor. The provision of appropriate foraging material is difficult in pens with fully slatted floors unless there is automatic shredding in the waste disposal system. If the ambient temperatures are too high, adequate space to separate from other pigs, sufficient contact with a cool floor, access to outdoors, air-flow rates to help evaporation, water on the skin, or more drinking water help to avoid over-heating. In the case of too low a temperature, better insulation of the floor lowers the risk of hypothermia. When there is too little sensory input, because of social isolation, a barren environment or too little light intensity, pigs are likely to show abnormal behavioural and physiological responses. Flashing lights can be disturbing to pigs and poor welfare is also associated with light of a wavelength or intensity that does not allow the pig to discriminate the behaviour of other pigs or materials. The genetic selection for rapid growth and lean meat without enough consideration of other factors has led to some widespread and serious problems. However, selective breeding to eliminate the halothane gene has improved pig welfare. Poor quality pen design can cause poor welfare in pigs because of parts that cause injury, or disturbance and aggression. If pigs do not have sufficient exercise, there can be adverse effects on bone and muscle development. Dunging behaviour (urination and defecation) is facilitated by design of the housing system and good management. Mixing unacquainted pigs leads to a substantial risk of fighting, injury and production loss. Recommendations presented in the Scientific Opinion include the need to provide an environment and management so that the negative consequences of poor welfare such as injurious behaviours, physiological problems and immunosuppression, caused in barren environments, are avoided.

The European project Welfare Quality aims to produce a standard for the evaluation of the welfare of farmed cattle, pigs and poultry to be used in certification schemes. Because welfare is multidimensional, and refers to quality of life perceived by the individual, this evaluation will rest on various measures that are essentially animal-based. A reasoned approach, using methods developed in MultiCriteria Decision making, will be followed to aggregate the measures into an overall assessment. At the outset of the project, four welfare criteria were outlined as being applicable to any species: good feeding, good housing, good health, and appropriate behaviour. Each criterion was further refined into 2 to 4 subcriteria giving a total number of 12 subcriteria. The subcriteria were constructed using several mathematical methods chosen according to the number of measures contained in each subcriterion, their nature and the precision with which it is assumed they can be taken. The appropriate subcriteria were combined to evaluate each criterion, and compensations were limited by attributing more importance to the lowest subcriterion-scores, thus encouraging producers to correct the more severe problems first. The aggregation of criteria, to create an overall assessment, will aim to limit further compensations because one welfare criterion should probably not compensate for another. This progressive construction of an overall welfare assessment for farmed animals may help in the design of similar tools for other animal use situations – such as in companion animals, for labelling pet breeding units, kennels or shops.

International audience

The prevalence of Salmonella shedding was compared in 34 organic, conventional outdoor, and indoor pig herds. Individual faecal and meat juice samples from 30-50 pigs per herd were analysed for presence of Salmonella, and Salmonella antibodies, respectively. We found low levels of Salmonella shedding on farm and at slaughter in organic and conventional outdoor herds compared to indoor pigs. Overall 5,5 % of the pigs were seropositive. The serological test result was associated with Salmonella shedding at slaughter in pigs from conventional systems, but not in organic pigs. The duration of transport did not affect the risk of Salmonella shedding.

Elevage en Europe Affiche 1; International audience; Le projet Welfare Quality ®(1) vise à produire un standard européen d’évaluation du bien-être des bovins, porcs et volailles. Le bien-être étant multidimensionnel (santé, comportement, absence de stress...), son évaluation globale dans les élevages relève des méthodes développées en évaluation multicritère (Bouyssou, 1990). La construction d’une évaluation globale est cependant soumise à de nombreuses contraintes. En effet, les données collectées peuvent être qualitatives ou ordinales, les mesures varient en précision, pertinence et importance et peuvent être liées les unes aux autres. Par ailleurs, les dimensions du bien-être ne peuvent pas totalement se compenser. Par exemple, la bonne santé ne peut pas compenser l’absence d’expression de certains comportements. Ainsi, des situations de compromis, avec des résultats corrects sur toutes les dimensions du bien-être, seraient à favoriser par rapport à des situations contrastées. Toutes ces spécificités compliquent la tâche d’agrégation.

International audience

The health of weaned pigs should be described using several information sources to get an overall assessment of the health state in the herd. In this case study four organic pig herds each fattening between 800 and 3500 pigs per year provided data from clinical examination of a sample of animals, pathological findings at slaughter, post weaning mortality and medicine usage in the herd. Clinical symptoms were present in 8 – 18 % of the pigs, and 2 – 6 % of the pigs showed more serious symptoms of disease. At slaughter 10 – 17 % of the pigs got remarks for pathological lesions, primarily liver spots, abscesses and chronic pericarditis. The post weaning mortality varied between herds, while the usage of medicine was rather low in the herds. The herd health status can be aggregated in many ways. A suggestion is made for the four herds. According to this the good health state is achieved in herds combining a modest medicine usage with a low level of disease, measured by low prevalence of clinical symptoms, low number of remarks at slaughter and low mortality.

Traditionally horsemen have used odours to attract, repel and calm horses, and therefore a knowledge of horse preference for certain odours has potential value in horse management. This study investigates the behaviour of horses when presented with 11 test substances of herbal or animal origin and one odourless control.