sponsor day on animal feeding: welfare indicators at farm level
DESCRIPTION
Sponsor Day on Animal Feeding 15th-16th May 2014 IRTA Mas Bover Author: Dr. Antonio Velarde IRTA. Animal Welfare SubprogramTRANSCRIPT
Welfare indicators at farm level
Dr. Antonio Velarde
Animal Welfare Subprogram
IRTA
IRTA – SPONSOR DAY Seminar on animal feeding
1. Animal welfare as an added value
2. Welfare assessment
3. Applications of the assessment
4. Conclusion
Contents
IFC (2006) Good Practice Note. Animal Welfare in Livestock Operations
High standard on animal welfare…
• Enhance business efficiency
• Meet consumer expectation
• Satisfy domestic and international markets
The International Financing Corporation
Add value?
has recognised animal welfare as
an important element of
commercial livestock operations
around the world
-Clear
- Understandable
Farm
Slaughterhouse
Management Resources
Animal Welfare
Welfare Assessment
system
Improvement
strategy
Welfare information system
After Blokhuis et al., 2009
Product
Information
Society Trade
- Scientifically valid
- Meeting societal requirements
- Practical
Multidimensional assessment
Absence of
prolonged hunger
Absence of
prolonged thirst
Comfort around resting
Thermal comfort
Easy of movement
No injuries
No diseases
No painful management
procedures
Expression of orther
behaviour
Expression of social
behaviour
Good human animal
relationship
Positive emotional state
12 Criteria
1. Absence of prolonged hunger
2. Absence of prolonged thirst
3. Comfort around resting
4. Thermal Comfort
5. Ease of movement
6. Absence of injuries
7. Absence of disease
8. Absence of pain induced
by management prodedures
9. Expression of social behaviours
10. Expression of other behaviours
11. Good Human- Animal relationship
12. Positive emotional state
PARAMETERS 12 CRITERIA
Body condition score
Water supply
Bursities, Manure on the body
Shivering, Panting, Huddling
Temperature
Space allowance
Positive & Negative social behaviours
Respiratory and enteric problems
Skin condition, Hernias
Sick animals, Criteria of euthanasia
Castration
Tail docking
Wounds, Lameness, Tail biting
Exploratory Behaviour
Qualitative Behaviour Assessment
Human-Animal relationship test
Inputs (Quality of living)
- High practicability and repeatability
- Individual differences (genetic, experience)
- Difficult to compare between systems
Outputs (Quality of life)
- Physiological, health and behavioral measures
- Reflection of the actual welfare state
- Comparison between systems
- Transparent to stakeholders
- More difficult to assess
Inputs vs. Outputs
Measures to be preferred to assess
animal welfare state
- When no animal based measure is available
- To diagnose causes of poor welfare
- To advice on ways to improve animal welfare
Inputs (Quality of living)
Outputs (Quality of life)
Inputs vs. Outputs
INDIVIDUAL level PEN level
3 POINT SCALE
0 1 2 Good welfare Poor welfare
150 of 10 pens / farm
Growing pigs:
Animal-based measures
Unloading
Absence of
prolonged hunger
Absence of
prolonged thirst
Comfort around resting
Thermal comfort
Easy of movement
No injuries
No diseases
No painful management
procedures
Expression of orther
behaviour
Expression of social
behaviour
Good human animal
relationship Positive emotional state
12 Criteria
BODY CONDITION
0
2
2
Unloading
Absence of
prolonged hunger
Absence of
prolonged thirst
Comfort around resting
Thermal comfort
Easy of movement
No injuries
No diseases
No painful management
procedures
Expression of orther
behaviour
Expression of social
behaviour
Good human animal
relationship Positive emotional state
12 Criteria BURSITIS
0 1 2
0 – no evidence of bursae,
1 – one or several small bursae on the same leg or one large bursa
2 – several large bursae, or one extremely large bursa or any bursa that is eroded
Manure on the body
Absence of
prolonged hunger
Absence of
prolonged thirst
Comfort around resting
Thermal comfort
Easy of movement
No injuries
No diseases
No painful management
procedures
Expression of orther
behaviour
Expression of social
behaviour
Good human animal
relationship Positive emotional state
12 Criteria MANURE ON THE BODY
0 – Less than 20% of the
body surface is soiled
1 – More than 20% but less
than 50% of the body
surface is soiled
2 – Over 50% of the body
surface is soiled
Welfare Assessment
Absence of
prolonged hunger
Absence of
prolonged thirst
Comfort around resting
Thermal comfort
Easy of movement
No injuries
No diseases
No painful management
procedures
Expression of orther
behaviour
Expression of social
behaviour
Good human animal
relationship Positive emotional state
12 Criteria
Wounds on the body
Tail biting
Absence of
prolonged hunger
Absence of
prolonged thirst
Comfort around resting
Thermal comfort
Easy of movement
No injuries
No diseases
No painful management
procedures
Expression of other
behaviour
Expression of social
behaviour
Good human animal
relationship
Positive emotional state
BEHAVIOUR
Mea
sure
s
Cri
teri
a
~30
on-farm measures
developed by
animal scientists
Advice to farmers
12
Preference
dimensions
giving value
judgment
Product information system
4 Principles 12 Welfare criteria
Good feeding Absence of prolonged hunger
Absence of prolonged thirst
Good housing
Comfort around resting
Thermal comfort
Ease of movement
Good health
Absence of injuries
Absence of disease
Absence of pain induced
by management procedures
Appropriate
behaviour
Expression of
social behaviours
Expression of other behaviours
Good human-animal relationship
Positive emotional state
Mea
sure
s
Cri
teri
a
Overall assessment
Prin
cipl
es
4
main independent
dimensions
describing welfare
Information to customers, consumers
1
Synthetic information
attached to a product
Product information system
Conclusions
- The Welfare Quality project has developed an integrated and
standardized welfare assessment system based on twelve welfare
criteria grouped into four main principles (good feeding, good housing,
good health and appropriate behaviour) according to how they are
experienced by animals
- One of the innovations of the Welfare Quality assessment system is that
it focuses more on outcome measures (e.g. directly related to animal
body condition, health aspects, injuries, behaviour, etc.).
-Consumer concerns for good animal welfare
represent a business opportunity.
Animal Welfare Subprgram
Thank you for your attention