Research
Research on animal welfare science and ethics at the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine has focused on five key themes:
- Stakeholder engagement for improved policy and practice in farm animal welfare
- Routine data capture and utilisation for monitoring farm animal welfare
- Veterinary ethics
- Veterinary Behaviour Medicine
- Equine Health and Welfare
Current areas of research include Understanding Tail-Biting Risk Factors and Control in Fully Slatted Pig Production Systems (PigNoDock); Using a 'One Welfare' framework to develop alternative high welfare pig production systems (OneWelPig); Racehorse welfare assessment; Optimising the welfare of ex-racehorses involved in equine assisted therapy; Moral stress amongst veterinary team members; Automated detection of lameness in dairy cattle; Animal welfare agricultural payment policy options.
Completed research projects include:
- Management of acutely injured bovines (Funded by DAFM)
- An Evaluation of Quality Assurance Schemes in the context of dairy cow welfare
- SWAB Surveillance, Animal Welfare and Biosecurity in farmed animals in Ireland (Funded by DAFM)
- Effect of design and management of out-wintering pads on the health and welfare of dairy cows (Funded by Teagasc Walsh Fellowship)
- Welfare aspects of grass-based systems of milk production (Funded by Teagasc Walsh Fellowship)
- Influence of in situ utilisation of winter crops on the performance of foraging behaviour of dairy cows (Funded by Teagasc Walsh Fellowship)
- Refining Current Systems of Early Warning and Prevention of On-Farm Animal Welfare Incidents (Funded by DAFM)
- Assessing the impact of quality assurance programmes on cattle welfare and related farmer behaviours (Funded by DAFM)
- Evaluation of abattoir meat inspection as a welfare surveillance tool for commercial pig units with a special emphasis on the island of Ireland (Funded by the Wellcome Trust)
- Challenges and Solutions to Support Good Equine Practice in Ireland (Funded by World Horse Welfare)
- Current and Future Challenges Facing the Veterinary Profession in Ireland (Funded by Veterinary Council Education Trust Newman Fellowship)
- Exploring the Understanding of Common Canine and Feline Behaviour Problems by Veterinary Professionals in Ireland
- One Welfare: the human element of farm animal neglect (Funded by DAFM)
- The development of ante-mortem and post-mortem meat inspection of pigs as a welfare diagnostic tool
More information on animal welfare research at UCD School of Veterinary Medicine and a full list of research publications are available from the lead researchers:
(opens in a new window)https://people.ucd.ie/siobhan.mullan
(opens in a new window)https://people.ucd.ie/alison.hanlon
(opens in a new window)https://people.ucd.ie/vivienne.duggan