What's news, pussycat?

It seems that the regulation of pet cats is as much a subject of hot debate in the UK as it is here.

Kate Littin, Technical Adviser Animal Welfare, has recently returned to MAF from a year's leave to conduct postdoctoral research in the UK, and reported that the development of a code of practice for pet cats had been the butt of jokes and provided much tabloid fodder earlier this year.

On a more serious note, Kate also notes some interesting conferences, workshops and meetings have been held in the UK over the past year.

Carbon dioxide euthanasia

A meeting on the use of carbon dioxide for euthanasing laboratory animals in research was intended to draw together researchers from around the world to reach a consensus view on the animal welfare impacts and acceptability of carbon dioxide and alternatives. It produced some very helpful advice on best practice and identified future research needs. The report is available through:

Topics of interest to New Zealand

The International Society for Applied Ethology held its fortieth International Congress at the University of Bristol in August. Research of interest to New Zealand included that on lameness in dairy cows, layer hen housing, livestock transport, carbon dioxide for stunning and euthanasia, and environmental enrichment and alternative housing for pigs. Proceedings will be published in a special issue of the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

Quality of life

The real-life question of quality of life for a cat which donated a kidney, and of the recipient cat, was the incentive for a two-day international symposium organised by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare and the British Veterinary Association Ethics Committee to discuss issues around quality of life in animals - what it means, whether it matters and how it is, and can be, assessed.

Proceedings will be available in a special issue of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare journal Animal Welfare.

Workshops

The European Union funded an international training workshop on welfare standards for stunning and killing at slaughterhouses and for emergency disease control. Current EU standards, the science behind them and how to meet them were all covered.

Finally, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare has also been running a series of workshops to discuss rodent control, with a view to assessing the need for public education, regulatory change (in Europe) and/or further research. For further information contact Kate Littin (below) or see:

Back to Biosecurity Magazine - Issue 71

Page last updated: 18 June 2008