Research visit by Mia Fernyhough completed

Mia Fernyhough´s research visit at University of Stavanger, hosted by me as part of her/our Short-Term Scientific Mission, has just finished, after two weeks of collaborating of drafting an article on the ethics of laying hen genetics.

Minutes on tail biting written

I have just written minutes for the group work yesterday, for one of the three groups at the GroupHouseNet stakeholder workshop in Skopje, Macedonia, focused on avoiding tail docking and reducing tail biting in pigs (3pp).

Secretary for GroupHouseNet stakeholder group work

Today I have acted as secretary for one of the three groups at the GroupHouseNet stakeholder workshop in Skopje, Macedonia. Our topic was how to avoid tail docking and tail biting in pigs.

Skopje approaching

I have now formally been invited to stakeholder meeting and work group meeting to take place in Skopje, Macedonia, on June 7th to 8th, and accepted. I have also arranged the flight - and contributed to the making of the draft programme.

Second Announcement: "From beak to tail – mechanisms underlying damaging behaviour in laying hens and pigs", ISAE 2017 Satellite Meeting

Second Announcement for the ISAE 2017 Satellite Meeting:

"From beak to tail – mechanisms underlying damaging  behaviour in laying hens and pigs"

Organized jointly by the FareWellDock Network and the GroupHouseNet COST Action.

By joining efforts on an interspecies level, we have the opportunity to greatly enhance the understanding of the mechanisms underlying tail biting and feather pecking. Both behaviours are challenging, from an animal welfare and from an economic point-of-view, while in several countries, as well as at the EU level, the ethical justification of tail docking and beak trimming is currently being debated. 

This full-day meeting will be held at the ISAE 2017 congress venue on August 7th , 2017, starting at 9am. The meeting will focus on two main themes: 'Mechanisms underlying the link between health and damaging behaviour' and 'Predisposing factors for damaging behaviour during early development'. Both themes will be introduced by invited experts, followed by short research presentations by participants, and then elaborated on in inter-species discussion groups. In addition, the program will include a networking session, with the aim to facilitate knowledge exchange and future cooperation between researchers working on damaging behaviour in pigs and poultry.

Registration for the meeting will be open until May 15th, 2017. The meeting participation is limited to 80 persons, so early registration is recommended. 

For further information on the programme and venue, and on how to register, please see the "Beak to Tail" homepage or contact: anna.valros@helsinki.fi.

The workshop is sponsored by Topigs Norsvin, RSPCA and COST.

Planning meeting on Skopje GroupHouseNet stakeholder workshop

I have just taken part in a planning meeting of GroupHouseNet (Synergy for damaging behaviour in group housed pigs and chickens) in relation to our planned stakeholder workshop in Skopje, Macedonia, on June 7th.

Planning of Skopje stakeholder workshop

Today I attended a meeting via Skype in relation to planning of a stakeholder workshop to be held in Skopje, Macedonia on June 8th by the COST action GroupHouseNet (Synergy for preventing damaging behaviour in group housed pigs and chickens).

GroupHouseNet MC meeting attended in Belgrade

Today, in Belgrade, Serbia, I have attended the 3rd Management Committee meeting of the COST action "Synergy for preventing damaging behaviour in group housed pigs and chickens" (GroupHouseNet). Some 22 countries were represented at the meeting.

Management Committee meeting for COST action GroupHouseNet in Belgrade attended

Yesterday I attended the second Management Committee meeting of the COST-action "GroupHouseNet" (Synergy for preventing damaging behavior in group housed pigs and chickens, CA15134), in Belgrade, Serbia. After the 8 hour meeting we had a social dinner, with Serbian food and music.

Webpage for COST action GroupHouseNet

Here is the COST page with info about the research network "Synergy for preventing damaging behaviour in group housed pigs and chickens (GroupHouseNet)" (COST Action CA15134). The network also has its own webpage, at http://www.grouphousenet.eu.

COST GroupHouseNet call for applications for research exchange

The COST action GroupHouseNet - Synergy for preventing damaging behaviour in group housed pigs and chickens - has issued a call for applications for research exchange. The deadline is May 31st. The call for applications is available at the webpage animalwelfarenorway.com.

COST-action "GroupHouseNet" approved; to operate 2016-2019

The COST-action "GroupHouseNet", a research network (acronym for "Synergy for preventing damaging behaviour in group housed pigs and chickens"), has been funded. The network will coordinate research on various measures that can improve animal welfare for pigs and poultry in animal husbandry.

I have been involved in the application, and will now likely become one of the members of the COST-action´s Management Committee, which will consist of up to two members from each participating COST country. The network will be in operation for some 4 years, 2016-2019.

COST is short for European Cooperation in Science and Technology.