Animal Welfare

Grim find in whale’s stomach

Luskentyre Beach served as a stunning backdrop to a “horrific” discovery by the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS).…

SRUC
04/12/2019

Raising the bar on positive animal welfare

A review of positive animal welfare has found it represents an important evolution from the wider concept of animal welfare. Researchers at Scotland’s Rural College led a critical review of the…

SRUC
18/11/2019

Implementing a new model of disease surveillance

Following an internal consultation, Scotland’s Rural College will progress with the new model of disease surveillance announced in August 2019.…

SRUC
13/11/2019

A third of UK marine animal strandings are on Scottish coasts

A total of 1,616 marine animals were reported washed up on Scottish shorelines in a seven-year period between 2011 and 2017, according to a new report published today.…

SRUC
06/11/2019

Teaming up to tackle entanglement

In the first workshop of its kind in Europe, creel fishermen and women from around Scotland gathered in the Highlands to tackle the problem of marine animal entanglement.…

SRUC
30/10/2019

Spring calving warning

After a summer of exceptional grass growth, beef cows across the country are generally in very good condition. Beef farmers should consider delaying weaning over the winter months to ensure cows…

SRUC
30/10/2019

Good vibes in tickled rats are contagious

Just as laughter is contagious in humans, the positive mood induced in rats when tickled can be catching.…

SRUC
18/10/2019

Whale's entanglement wounds among 'most severe'

A Sowerby’s beaked whale found on an East Lothian beach suffered some of the “most severe” entanglement wounds ever recorded by the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS).…

SRUC
17/10/2019

Managing the risk of Grass Staggers

In the last week, there has been a large increase in cases of hypomagnesemia (Grass Staggers) in beef cows. SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), has now issued advice to farmers to…

SRUC
16/10/2019

The curious incident of porpoises killed by ‘dog-bite’ bacteria

Scientists from a wide range of backgrounds have pooled their resources to solve the mystery of a ‘dog-bite’ bacteria attributed to the death of harbour porpoises.…

SRUC
11/10/2019

Finding the positives in animal welfare

Researchers at SRUC have found a significant overlap between the views of farmers and scientists on positive animal welfare. In the first study of its kind, livestock farmers were asked directly what…

SRUC
09/10/2019

Improving the welfare of laying hens

A multi-million pound European-wide project to improve the conditions of egg-laying chickens is launched today (Friday 4 October), to coincide with World Animal Day.…

SRUC
04/10/2019