Introduction

Webinar 1:
ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT IN RUMINANTS AND EQUINES
September 20, 2024

In natural habitats, animals receive many stimuli that vary in place and time. In such habitats, they can express a wide range of behaviours, defining the species “behavioural repertoire”; these behaviours allow the species to be adapted to its habitat. Farming or captive environments are designed to cover biological basic needs (for rest, for feeding…), but are far less complex than natural habitats. Animals thus cannot express some behaviours of their repertoire and may experience boredom.

Enriching the environment requires to grasp the animals’ needs, which depend on the species and on the developmental stage within species. A good knowledge of the species, its behaviour and its biology is thus essential to implement relevant enrichments.

Specific learning objectives
  • To know the concept of animal welfare
  • To know what is mentioned in the EU legislation about enrichment
  • To identify what is an environmental enrichment and to know the main types of enrichments
  • To learn how to assess the effectiveness of an enrichment
  • To know what needs to be considered to design enrichments
  • To know some recommendations during inspection

Webinar 2:
VISUAL AND TACTILE CONTACT IN INDIVIDUALLY HOUSED CALVES
November 28, 2024

It is common practice in the dairy sector to separate calves from their dam shortly after birth and to keep them in individual pens during the first weeks of life. This routine, however, disregards the social nature of bovine species and strongly limits or even rules out social contact between a calf and other adult or young conspecifics.

Council Directive 2008/119/EC of 18 December 2008, laying down minimum standards for the protection of calves, makes it clear that calves older than 8 weeks must not be housed individually. Further, individual pens for calves (except those for isolating sick animals) must not have solid walls, but perforated walls which allow the calves to have direct visual and tactile contact.

Based on the Thematic Factsheet and the Indicator Factsheet ‘Visual and tactile contact in indiviually housed calves’ this training course will provide background information on the importance of social contact in calves and the assessment of compliance to Council Directive 2008/119/EC.

Specific learning objectives
  • To learn about biology and needs of calves with regard to social contact
  • To identify minimum standards for the protection of calves regarding visual and tactile contact in individual housing according to Council Directive 2008/119/EC of 18 December 2008
  • To learn criteria for assessment of compliance to Council Directive 2008/119/EC

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