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  1. Home
  2. Our role
  3. Animal welfare science
  4. Identified research priorities
Identified research priorities

The RSPCA is an evidence-based organisation that relies on peer-reviewed scientific research to inform our policies, positions and campaigns.

While a large body of animal welfare science is published each year, many gaps in the literature remain. Scientific research that fills these gaps has the opportunity to create important impacts by improving the lives of animals affected by these issues. Below is a list of research priorities based on gaps identified by our scientific staff. This list is created to encourage further research in these areas.

Scientific priorities list

Farmed animals

 

  • The management of dairy cow-calf contact in a pasture-based system including
    • Identifying the optimal age for cow-calf separation while maintaining welfare
    • Strategies for promoting milk let-down
    • Effective management of colostrum

 

  • Social science on mulesing of sheep including
    • Approaches for increasing market demand for un-mulesed wool
    • Understanding and overcoming barriers for producers to transition towards mulesing alternatives

 

  • Understanding and improving animal welfare in poultry hatcheries including breeder birds

 

  • Safe-guarding poultry welfare during mass depopulation activities including
    • Legislative requirements and changes
    • The use of nitrogen expansion foam
    • Inert gas options within the Australian context

 

  • Understanding and improving the welfare of farmed fish (in particular, farmed Atlantic salmon)
    • The need for sleep or rest
    • The need for environmental enrichment
    • The impact of land-based and offshore fish farming systems
    • Optimal stocking density in both freshwater and marine phases
    • Development of a comprehensive fish welfare assessment protocol

 

  • Improving the welfare of grower and breeding pigs in indoor housing systems
    • Design and operation of systems that prevent tail biting
    • Freedom of movement and opportunity to carry out innate behaviours
    • Environmental enrichment and bedding
    • Chronic hunger in breeding pigs

 

  • Humane, reversible stunning methods for religious slaughter

 

  • Modelling the welfare risks of live animal export under changing climatic conditions

 

  • Assessing the sufficiency of space allowance within current land transport standards

 

  • Assessing the impact of time off water within current land transport standards
Wildlife

 

  • Identification and implementation of strategies for improved human-wildlife coexistence

 

  • Assessing and improving the humaneness of wildlife management approaches

 

  • Effective mitigation of wildlife-vehicle collisions
Companion animals

 

  • Outcomes of, and approaches to, mandatory cat containment
Society and education

 

  • Avenues and approaches for creating human behavioural change to improve animal welfare

 

  • Animal welfare curricula and teaching within the Australian tertiary sector with a focus on education in veterinary, agricultural, and animal science

 

  • Improving animal welfare through disaster preparation
Animals in sport

 

  • Assessing animal welfare impacts in rodeo events using the ‘5 Domains’ framework

 

  • Determining horse discomfort from behavioural reactions to flank straps in bucking events

 

  • Community attitudes towards greyhound racing

Please note that RSPCA Australia is opposed to the use of animals for research or teaching where any of the following apply:

  • It causes or is likely to cause injury, pain, suffering and distress to the animals involved and where this cannot be prevented or adequately controlled.
  • It is not clearly justified.
  • It involves unnecessary repetition.
  • It uses more animals than required (in research this refers to the minimum number needed for statistical validity; in teaching this refers to the minimum number needed to achieve the teaching objective).
  • It is not scientifically robust.
  • Suitable alternatives to using animals are available.

For more information on RSPCA Australia policies regarding the use of animals in research please visit this link for the related policy documents.

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