About this Research Topic
The welfare of farm animals is central to the sustainability of food production. Valid and practical methods for assessing animals on farms, during transport and at slaughter are key to ensuring that their welfare is protected and is increasingly required for producing and marketing animal products worldwide. The development of assessment methods and sound animal welfare policy should be based on a solid foundation of animal welfare science as well as an understanding of the social factors that impact improvements in farm animal welfare. The WAFL is an international conference held every 3 years that focuses specifically on these issues.
This Research Topic will contain papers submitted to the 9th International Conference on the Welfare Assessment of Animals at Farm and Group Level (WAFL) that will be held in Florence, Italy, August 30-31, 2024.
Communications (original research, reviews, methods, perspectives or brief research reports) developed from contributions to the conference are very welcome, particularly those which fall into the following themes:
• Humans in the loop – role of sociology in improving farm animal welfare
• New welfare indicators – with a focus on the positive!
• It’s all in the mind – cognition and the welfare of farm animals
• The future of animal welfare: policy and science
• Welfare of farm animals at end of life (culling/euthanasia, transport and slaughter)
• Suppress, substitute and soothe suffering – application of the 3S’s to improve farm animal welfare
• New frontiers in the assessment of animal welfare on-farm
This Research Topic will contain papers submitted to the 9th International Conference on the Welfare Assessment of Animals at Farm and Group Level (WAFL) that will be held in Florence, Italy, August 30-31, 2024.
Communications (original research, reviews, methods, perspectives or brief research reports) developed from contributions to the conference are very welcome, particularly those which fall into the following themes:
• Humans in the loop – role of sociology in improving farm animal welfare
• New welfare indicators – with a focus on the positive!
• It’s all in the mind – cognition and the welfare of farm animals
• The future of animal welfare: policy and science
• Welfare of farm animals at end of life (culling/euthanasia, transport and slaughter)
• Suppress, substitute and soothe suffering – application of the 3S’s to improve farm animal welfare
• New frontiers in the assessment of animal welfare on-farm
Keywords: farm animal welfare, assessment, policy, science, human-animal relations
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
