WG1-SUB1: Setting things apart: Distinction and connection between positive animal welfare, positive affective states and animal welfare
Lead: Jean-Loup Rault (Austria)
Co-lead: TBD
Aim: Clarify the concept of positive animal welfare, especially in relation to animal welfare and positive affective states. Propose definitions and delimitations between these concepts.
Start date: November 2023
Expected output: Scientific publication (Review or Perspective), Report
WG1-SUB2: Survey on cross-disciplinary concepts and definitions of positive animal welfare
Lead: Katy Overstreet (Denmark)
Co-lead: David Arney (Estonia)
Aim: Develop, circulate, and analyse a survey on perspectives and views of Animal Welfare and Positive Animal Welfare among members of this COST Action – LIFT.
Start date: November 2023
Expected output: Data set, Scientific publication (original research paper), social media content.
WG1-SUB3: The 4 why’s of positive animal welfare
Lead: Monica Battini (Italy)
Co-lead: Matteo Chincarini (Italy)
Aim: The aim of this sub WG is to explore the evolutionary function (and root) of positive emotion/mood/welfare.
Start date: November 2023
Expected output: Scientific publication (review)
WG1-SUB4: Socio-individual factors modulating positive animal welfare
Lead: Sébastien Goumon ( Switzerland)
Co-lead: Charlotte Goursot (Austria)
Aim: Discuss the importance of accounting for inter-individual differences in appraisal and their interactions with social life for positive animal welfare.
Start date: November 2023
Expected output: Scientific publication (Review)
WG1-SUB5: Timescale of positive animal welfare
Lead: Laura Whalin (Norway)
Co-lead: Laura Webb (Netherlands)
Aim: Synthesize the literature and discuss the timescale on which positive animal welfare may be conceptualized, from views on instant pleasurable experiences to a long-lasting, possibly lifelong, positive state.
Start date: November 2023
Expected output: Scientific publication (review)
WG1-SUB6: Mapping of Positive Animal Welfare
Lead: Björn Forkman (Denmark)
Co-Lead: Marta Brscic (Italy)
Aim: The aim of the group is to map the use of the terms “positive animal welfare”, “positive mood” and “positive affective state” as they occur in the scientific literature. A preliminary list of questions that we will aim to answer are:
- For what species are the terms most commonly used? (Possibly in relation to how much overall research on the species that is done)
- For what species are they never used? (mink? fish? crustaceans?)
- What is the context in which the term is used?
- What is the development of the terms over time? (e.g. are we moving from positive emotions to positive affect etc.)
In contrast to other working groups this is a purely descriptive study rather than e.g. evaluating the different studies or descriptions.
Start date: December 2023
Expected output: Scientific article
WG2-SUB1: Catalogue of methodologies
Lead: Laura Webb (the Netherlands)
Co-Lead: Isabel Blanco Penedo (Spain)
Aim: The aim is to develop a catalogue of the different methodologies/indicators to assess positive animal welfare. This catalogue is not a deliverable, but it will help us towards developing a Code of Good Research Practice (Deliverable month 24), and the Review on validity of methods (Deliverable months 34-36).
Start date: November 2023
Expected output: Database
WG2-SUB2: Indicators of cumulative welfare
Lead: Janja Sirovnik Koscica (Austria)
Co-Lead: Melissa Bateson (UK)
Aim: To review the current literature on possible indicators of cumulative welfare. Whenever possible, we report the state of the art for non-human species and when this knowledge is missing, we refer to the findings in human literature.
Start date: March 2024
Expected output: Scientific publication (review)
WG2-SUB3: Choice and agency
Lead: Pralle Kriengwatana (Belgium)
Co-Lead: Lisa Dickel (Norway)
Aim: The goal of this sub-working-group is to assess the possibilities and challenges of turning ‘choice’ and ‘agency’ from concepts into measures of positive animal welfare.
Start date: November 2023
Expected output: Scientific publication
WG2-SUB4: Low arousal positive states
Lead: Heather Neave (USA)
Co-Lead: Laura Whalin (Norway)
Aim: To critically review the state of the art on low-arousal positive (emotional) states in humans and animals
Start date: February 2024
Expected output: Scientific publication (review)
WG2-SUB5: Affect balance
Lead: Laura Webb (the Netherlands)
Co-Lead: Céline Tallet (France)
Aim: To describe affect balance in humans (definition, methodologies and correlates) and investigate whether and how we should/could apply it to other animals.
Start date: February 2024
Expected output: Scientific publication (review/perspective)
WG2-SUB6: Circadian rhythms
Lead: Barbara Murphy (Ireland)
Co-Lead: Pal Westermark (Germany)
Aim: The circadian system, a hierarchy of body clocks, governs the timing of almost all physiological and behavioural processes in animals. Circadian rhythms are the 24-h outputs from the body clock and are entrained to the animal’s environment by lighting, feeding, exercise and social cues. These rhythms include hormone production, rest/activity patterns and gene expression rhythms. The more in synchrony an animal is with regularly occurring 24-h environmental stimuli, the stronger these rhythms are, but this also depends on the appropriateness of the environmental stimuli that the animal is exposed to.
The aim of this sub-group is to explore the link between internal rhythms, welfare assessment and environmental conditions. Specific objectives are:
1) Determine how circadian rhythms contribute to positive animal welfare.
2) Identify methodologies that can be used to assess circadian rhythms in animals as markers of PAW
Start date: February 2024
Expected output: Scientific publication (review)
WG2-SUB7: Validity of play as an indicator of positive animal welfare
Lead: Ruth Newberry (Norway)
Co-Lead: Marek Špinka (Czech Republic)
Aim: The plan is to conduct a systematic review of literature on play in farmed animal species (broadly interpreted), with emphasis on how play has been measured and interpreted in relation to aspects of positive animal welfare (rewarding experience and the development of competence and resilience). The focus will be on construct validity. The results will inform assessment of the validity of play as an indicator of positive animal welfare, with identification of knowledge gaps and formulation of recommendations for future research and application.
Start date: February 2024
Expected output: Scientific publication (review)
WG3-SUB1: Selection of indicators from WG2 (bridge between WG2 & 3)
Lead: Monica Battini (Italy)
Co-Lead: Maria-Anastasia Karatzia (Greece)
Aim: To select feasible indicators of positive welfare to be applied on farm in different species/categories and husbandry systems of farm animals and to provide a set of indicators ready to be used by stakeholders.
Start date: March 2024
Expected output: Scientific publication (review), Toolbox
WG3-SUB2: Identification of stakeholders, and preparation of surveys
Lead: Boris Antunović (Croatia)
Co-Lead: Ivona Djurkin Kusec (Croatia)
Aim: The aims are to a) identify stakeholders and b) prepare surveys.
Start date: January 2024
Expected output: List of stakeholders, Stakeholder surveys
WG3-SUB3: Consultation of stakeholders
Lead: Silvana Mattiello (Italy)
Co-Lead: Heng-Lun Ko (Spain)
Aim: To prepare and conduct a survey amongst stakeholders regarding PAW indicators for implementation (grouped by species and stakeholders). The outcome of the survey will be compared against the list from WG2 on indicators.
Start date: March 2024
Expected output: Scientific publication (research article)
WG3-SUB4: Organisation of workshops to discuss implementation
Lead: Céline Tallet (France)
Co-Lead: Fernando Gonzalez Uarquin (Germany)
Aim: To consult and discuss the PAW indicators with the stakeholders for further implementation.
Start date: tbc, 2024
Expected output: workshops, Scientific publication (research article)
WG3-SUB5: Exploring feasible technology to be used on farms for assessing/monitoring positive welfare
Lead: Océane Schmitt (Germany)
Co-Lead: Jen-Yun Chou (Canada)
Aim: To conduct a scoping review on the possible technology that can be feasibly applied on farms to help monitoring/assessing positive welfare. The specific aims of this subgroup are:
- Surveying the current literature on any technology that measures farm animal welfare and to understand what the current features are and what feasible options are.
- Investigating whether technology can indeed be applied to measure/assess/monitor positive welfare as well.
- Looking for instances of more advanced/future technology that may have potentials to implement positive welfare on-farm assessment/monitoring.
Start date: February 2024
Expected output: Scientific publication (review)
WG4-SUB1: Social media
Lead: Madalina Mincu (Romania)
Co-lead: Christian Nawroth (Germany)
Aim: Increase the visibility of the COST Action to a broad audience, and to engage with stakeholders and society.
Start date: January 2023
Expected output: social media content, PKI
WG4-SUB2: Website
Lead: Jen-Yun Chou (Ireland)
Co-lead: Heng-Lun Ko (Spain)
Aim: Set up and maintain the COST Action LIFT website in order to provide project related information to the Action members as well as the general public.
Start date: September 2023
Expected output: Website
WG4-SUB3: Conference and training
Lead: Laura Whalin (Norway)
Aim: Prepare templates for training school materials and assist training school organizers with running a successful training school; guarantee that training schools are organized with a fair geographical and gender balance. Spread information about, and increase visibility of, the COST Action on conferences; assist members with COST Action conference attendance grants in the preparation of their abstract or presentation when representing the COST Action.
Start date: April 2023
Expected output: Training materials, templates, conference materials
WG4-SUB4: Editorial
Lead: Fernando Mata (Portugal)
Aim: Evaluate manuscripts and conference abstract that are written as part of the COST Action for scientific quality, readability and appropriate acknowledgements. Provide guidance to Action members on where they can best submit their manuscripts on positive animal welfare.
Start date: May 2023
Expected output: Report (Journal recommendations)