We are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Donald Broom, Colleen Macleod Professor of Animal Welfare, Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge to the journal's panel of Editorial Advisers. We also welcome two new Section Editors to the journal's Editorial Board: Professor David Fraser of the Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Centre for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and Professor Peter Sandøe of the Department of Animal Science and Animal Health, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen. Professor Sandøe will act as our Section Editor for papers in ‘Ethics and Philosophy’ and Professor Fraser for papers on ‘General Animal Welfare Science’. All three will be well known to Animal Welfare readers and have contributed to the journal in the past. The new Section Editors have joined the Board following Professor Marian Stamp Dawkin's decision to step down as Section Editor of the ‘Ethics and Philosophy ‘ section, owing to pressure of other commitments. We are most grateful to Marian for all she has done for the journal as a Section Editor - and we are pleased that she will continue her involvement with it as an Editorial Adviser.

The November 1999 issue of Animal Welfare will be published as a Special Issue, devoted to the topical subject of Genetics and Animal Welfare. The journal has established itself as the objective, international forum for quarterly publication of peer-reviewed papers on all aspects of farm, laboratory, zoo, wild and companion animal welfare science - from practical husbandry to ethical debates. In 1998, it ranked in the top 25 per cent of all veterinary/zoological journals covered by the Science Citation Index® - attesting to the quality and impact of its contents.

Sounds in the laboratory and animal house environment were monitored for sound pressure levels over both low frequency (10Hz-l2.5kHz) and high frequency (12.5—70 kHz) ranges and were recorded for frequency analysis over the range 10Hz-100kHz. Forty sources of sound were investigated at 10 different sites. Sources included environmental control systems, maintenance and husbandry procedures, cleaning equipment and other equipment used near animals. Many of the sounds covered a wide frequency band and extended into the ultrasonic (> 20kHz) range. Sound levels produced by environmental control systems were generally at a low level. High sound pressure levels (SPLs) up to and exceeding 85dB SPL were recorded during cleaning and particularly high levels were recorded from the transport systems studied. Equipment such as a tattoo gun, a condensation extractor system, a high-speed centrifuge, and an ultrasonic disintegrator produced high levels of sound over a broad spectrum.

As many laboratory animals are much more sensitive to a wider range of sound frequency than humans, it seems likely that the levels of sound reported here could adversely affect animals through physiological or behavioural changes, or may even cause sensory damage in extreme cases. There appear to have been no studies on the minimal threshold levels for such adverse responses, or on the long-term effects of exposure to the types of sounds recorded here. It is not yet possible to set realistic exposure limits for laboratory animals.

The behavioural effects of mixing individuals from two different flocks were studied in prepubertal lambs of about 20kg body weight kept at either low (1 animal m−2) or high (3.3 animals m−2) stocking densities. At both densities, flock mates associated preferentially with one another over the three experimental days. The social mixing conditions decreased the total number of aggressive interactions (including head-to-head clashes, head-to-body buttings and mountings). Since animals associated preferentially with flock mates, aggressive behaviours were also preferentially directed towards individuals from the same flock. Males initiated significantly more aggressive interactions than females. The total number of aggressive interactions received was similar for males and females, but females received more mountings than males. Stocking density, therefore, had no effect on aggressive behaviour. These results are discussed as they relate to transport and it is suggested that social mixing may not be a welfare problem in prepubertal lambs.

A captive group of white-faced capuchins, Cebus capucinus, was presented with four deep litters in simultaneous choice (or preference) tests. A floor covering of ground corn cob, woodchips, wood wool or peat was presented once in each quarter of the group ‘s indoor floor-area for 14 consecutive days, and the layout of the litters was rotated after each such period. The monkeys were observed on 10 days in each period to determine the occurrence of locomotion, foraging, play, and social contact on each of the litters. The ground corn cob was clearly the least attractive floor covering for the monkeys, while peat and wood wool proved to be the most attractive. Most instances of social contact occurred on the peat, due to the occurrence of communal peat-bathing, while wood wool afforded the most play. The provision of different litter types in different areas of the indoor enclosure is a simple means of promoting a greater range of natural activities in captive primates, and probably also in other animals.

In a 2x2 factorial design, (n=6) sheep were either transported by road for 15h or kept in their home pens, and then either starved for 12h with access to water or offered hay ad libitum, with access to water. All groups were offered hay and water 12h after transport. Behavioural observations and measurements of dehydration and feed restriction were made before, during, and for 24h post-transport, to evaluate the implications of these procedures for the welfare of sheep.

After the journey, the immediate priority for the sheep was to eat. Consumption of hay increased water intake and reduced the time spent lying down. The plasma Cortisol concentration was greater in sheep which had been starved during the 12h post-transport period, than in those offered hay during this time; and the plasma free fatty acid concentration was greater in sheep which had been transported than in those which had not. Although transported sheep kept without hay during the first 12h post-transport drank more water than those which had not been transported, the mean time before they drank was greater than 7h. During the transport period, there was less lying behaviour in transported sheep than in non-transported sheep but transported sheep did not lie down more posttransport than non-transported ones. This work suggests that sheep should be offered both feed and water after a 15h journey. However, when feed was not available after a 15h journey, drinking and resting did not appear to be immediate priorities.

To examine the effect of hay on behaviour of caged rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, a study was carried out on 86 rabbits, kept in wire cages with no access to hay in one period and with access to hay in a second period. As the study was part of a larger experiment analysing the rabbits’ behaviour in two different cage systems, the rabbits were equally distributed across two systems: a system with conventional barren wire cages, and an enriched system with boxes and raised height at the back of the wire cages. The rabbits’ behaviour was recorded using direct scan sampling during the day and continuous registration based on video recording at night. When hay was available, the rabbits in both cage systems performed significantly less bar gnawing and excessive grooming. This applied especially to the rabbits kept in the conventional cage system which also showed a distinct decrease in their frequency of changing between different behaviours. This suggests that rabbits kept in cages where hay is available are less stressed than those kept in cages where it is not. Enrichment with hay should, therefore, be considered in attempts to improve the welfare of caged rabbits.

Chickens were reared in pairs in wooden boxes from 1 to 10 days of age. One chick from each pair was marked to facilitate identification and its position in one or other of the symmetrical halves of the home box was noted at each of 32 visual scans carried out every day. Cumulative sightings in each half were calculated across the first 5 days to establish the least preferred half. Three ‘enrichment’ objects were then placed in the least preferred half of each box on day 6. The chicks ‘positions were again recorded at each of 32 scans on 5 consecutive days. The enrichment objects were avoided on day 6 but such neophobia waned within 24h and a weak, non-significant trend for enrichment to increase usage of the least preferred half became apparent. The strong side preferences shown by the chicks before the introduction of enrichment stimuli, and their transitory neophobia, sound important cautionary notes for the design and assessment of husbandry and environmental enrichment procedures.

In the UK, the Animal Procedures Committee (APC) is a statutory committee that provides advice to the Home Secretary on the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and his functions under it. The membership of the Committee is prescribed under the Act and at least two-thirds of the members must be either medical practitioners or veterinary surgeons or qualified in a relevant biological subject. One member must be a barrister, solicitor or advocate. At least half of the members must not have held a licence under the Act during the last 6 years, and the interests of animal welfare must be adequately represented. Given these restrictions, individuals are appointed in their own right, and not because of their membership of or employment by various organizations. This Annual Report is the last for which Professor Margaret Brazier was the Chair of the Committee, her place being taken with effect from February 1999 by The Reverend Professor Michael Banner. It is particularly important, as it contains the final Report of The Review of the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 which covers the whole breadth of the functioning of the Act. It is interesting to note, that the Committee accept that there are opportunities for improving the Act's operation and enhancing its effectiveness. It is also the first APC Annual Report since Dolly the cloned sheep was produced, and the Committee have accepted that that this event demonstrated that there are ethical issues on which they not developed a position.

On the instruction of the UK Government's All Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, the Circus Working Group was formed in November 1996 to examine animal welfare aspects of circuses and to review current legislation and husbandry practices. This Group, which included representatives from a number of organizations with relevant interests and expertise, made a 2-year investigation of circuses in England and Wales and published a report of its findings, deliberations and recommendations in October 1998. The Group looked into various issues including: the law, the numbers of animals in circuses, accommodation, training, physical and psychological effects, transport, and standards of veterinary care. Evidence was gathered through consultations and also through visits to circuses.

The birth of Dolly, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh in 1997, prompted worldwide debate about the ethics of this technology. Conscious of public concerns about its welfare aspects, the UK Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food asked the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) to advise on the matter. In the foreword to this, the last report produced before his recent retirement from the FAWC Chairmanship, Professor Sir Colin Spedding reported the Council's view that no aspect of cloning was ‘intrinsically objectionable to the extent that it might be considered something not to be done at all’. However, the Report identifies a variety of potential welfare risks and proposes a number of safeguards.

This Code sets out suggested minimum levels of care for cats and dogs kept by rescue organizations, and is written with the aim of raising standards. Touching on issues associated with animal welfare, rehoming practice, legal requirements of shelters and the setting up and administration of charities, the booklet acts as a useful starting point for anyone thinking of setting up a shelter. However, its usefulness is limited by its surprising brevity (only four pages of A5 are allocated to address all the issues associated with the care and management of animals in shelters, and only one page to rehoming practices) and its tendency (perhaps not surprisingly given the organization which compiled it) to refer to dogs in preference to other species.

The production of foie gras (fat liver) by force-feeding geese was described by Olivier de Serres in 1619 but the practice probably has very much earlier origins. In recent times most foie gras production has involved ducks rather than geese, and a hybrid of the muscovy duck, Cairina moschata, and domestic duck, Anas platyrhynchos, called a mulard, is the favoured bird. The males of these hybrids are used for foie gras production and the smaller females for meat. In 1995, 0.8 million geese and 18 million ducks were reared for foie gras in France. Smaller numbers of birds are reared in Belgium and Spain but there is also production in other parts of the world including Israel. Foie gras is eaten in many European countries and there is also a significant export market to Japan.

The Animal Care and Equine Training Organisation (ACETO) produced these workbooks to support students studying for National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). The books provide materials that aim to cover the range of knowledge needed to achieve the NVQs in Animal Care at Levels 2 and 3. (NVQs are UK qualifications which were devised to give those working within an industry the opportunity to gain accreditation for the skills they were using as part of their job. The NVQs are competency-rather than exam-based, and students need to demonstrate a range of practical skills and supporting background knowledge to claim the qualification.)

The Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) has produced a useful information and training booklet for drivers involved in the transport of pigs. This is aimed at supporting the Scottish Pig Industry Initiative by providing up-to-date information on transport legislation. The booklet is a spin-off from a training package developed by the SAC and can be used on its own in the training, assessment and certification of competence of professional livestock drivers (as required under the Welfare of Animals [Transport] Order 1997).

In 1996, a Working Group comprising representatives of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the Local Government Association, was set up to substantially update guidance on the licensing of dog breeding establishments. The Group's report was published recently and provides a comprehensive and valuable set of guidelines.

The primary legislation protecting wild birds in the UK is the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This basically provides protection to all wild birds and their nests but includes additional special provisions for some rare species. It specifies various exceptions to allow for sport hunting and for the control of certain species which cause conflict with some human interests. The law is quite complex and includes a number of schedules which list various species that are, or are not, covered by various provisions in the Act. For example, provided that they are ringed and have been bred in captivity, birds on Part I of Schedule 3 (including a variety of finches and the barn owl) may be sold alive at all times, and birds on Part II of Schedule 3 (only the woodpigeon and coot) may be sold dead at all times. In view of these complexities, this little booklet is a useful aide memoire. Its use is made easier still by listing UK birds, species by species, with brief notes on the legal protection each one is given. The booklet is fully up to date and includes the provisions of the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997 and the rules concerning the operation of Larsen (cage) traps in the prevention of damage by some bird species to livestock or crops.