Welfare of Production Animals: Assessment and Management of Risks

593 Pages·2009·6.798 MB·English

by  Frans J. M. Smulders, Bo Algers

Food safety assurance and
veterinary public health
– volume 5 –
Welfare of production animals:
assessment and management of risks
edited by:
Frans J.M. Smulders
Bo Algers
ningen Academic 
l i s h e r s
Welfare of production animals:
assessment and management of risks
EE CC VVPPHH
Food safety assurance and
veterinary public health
– volume 5 –
Welfare of production
animals: assessment and
management of risks
edited by:
Frans J.M. Smulders
Bo Algers
Wageningen Academic 
P u b l i s h e r s
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ISBN: 978-90-8686-122-4 www.WageningenAcademic.com
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Riitta Maijala
Preface
The International Committee of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has recognised
that animal welfare is a complex, multifaceted public policy issue which includes scientific,
ethical, economic and political dimensions. Determinants of animal welfare may influence
the occurrence of animal diseases and have a positive or negative effect on food safety. For
example, stress may increase susceptibility to infections, which in turn may lead to illness
in animals or increased shedding of pathogens and contaminants into the food chain. On
the other hand, diseases often decrease the welfare of animals. Whereas outdoor farming
systems may improve animal welfare, they may also increase the exposure of animals to
certain zoonotic hazards. These interlinking aspects between animal welfare and animal
health highlight how important animal welfare is within the area of veterinary public health.
Both the European College of Veterinary Public Health (ECVPH) and the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) provide unique European platforms to collect and distribute the skills and
knowledge on animal welfare. EFSA provides independent scientific advice to the European
Commission, European Parliament and Member States on food and feed safety, animal health
and welfare, plant protection products, plant health and nutrition. Although the main focus
of ECVPH has been in the area of animal diseases and food safety, animal welfare represents
an important element within the college, too.
ECVPH aims at the improvement and promotion of: (a) the quality of animal health care
and welfare by making available specialized knowledge and skills in the subspecialties
of population medicine and food science to the benefit of animals; (b) the quality of
veterinary practice through contacts of general practitioners with registered specialists;
(c) the structure of animal health care through enhancing the application of formal risk
assessment procedures, quantitative problem analysis methods, systems of monitoring and
surveillance at population level, food safety and process quality management systems; (d)
the structure of population medicine, risk management and risk communication by improving
the knowledge and perception of veterinarians, livestock owners, food processing industries
and the general public; (e) consumer protection with regard to prevention and control of
foodborne hazards and to food hygiene procedures; (f) the further development of veterinary
public health and its subspecialties, population medicine and food science; and, (g) the
integrated, multidisciplinary approach towards analysis, control and prevention of hazards
to human and animal health.
EFSA is on the forefront for developing risk assessment methodologies, including also
methods for the assessment of animal welfare. EFSA’s activities in this area are carried out
by the Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW). Its scientific opinions focus on helping
risk managers to identify methods to reduce unnecessary pain, distress and suffering of
animals and to increase welfare where possible. EFSA is not mandated to give advice on
ethical or cultural issues related to animal welfare. Since the initiation of EFSA in 2002, the
AHAW Panel has adopted several Scientific Opinions on animal welfare, dealing – amongst
others – with laboratory animals, stunning and killing methods, animal transport, welfare
Welfare of production animals: assessment and management of risks 7
Riitta Maijala
of calves, welfare risks of the import of captive birds as well as welfare of pigs, fish and
dairy cows. In addition, EFSA’s Scientific Committee has, in 2009, adopted an opinion on
experimental animals examining the possibility of replacement, reduction and refinement
of animal testing in the food and feed sector.
Given the close link between the welfare conditions of farmed animals on the one hand, and
disease occurrence and food safety on the other, animal welfare questions have also been
looked at by other Scientific Panels of EFSA. For instance, in relation to pigs the Panel on
Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) has delivered opinions on issues such as the food safety aspects
of pig housing and husbandry systems. The Panel on Additives and Product Substances Used
in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) issues scientific opinions on feed additives used in animal nutrition,
including a number of substances for intended use in pig feed.
International organisations have issued recommendations and guidelines concerning animal
welfare, such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Council of Europe. The
EU is signatory to the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming
Purposes, which has been adopted by the Council of Europe. As the International reference
organisation for animal health, OIE started in 2002 its activities in animal welfare, i.e.
elaborating recommendations and guidelines covering animal welfare practices, reaffirming
that animal health is a key component of animal welfare. A permanent Animal Welfare Working
Group was formed in May 2002 and the first recommendations of the Working Group were
adopted one year later. The OIE Guiding Principles on animal welfare were included in the
OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (‘Terrestrial Code’).
The EU has one of the world’s highest standards of animal welfare. Harmonised EU rules are
in place, covering a range of animal species and welfare-affecting issues. Council Directive
98/58/EC lays down the minimum standards for the protection of all farmed animals, while
other EU legislation sets welfare standards for farmed animals during transport and at the
time of stunning and slaughter. Specific Directives cover the protection of individual animal
categories such as calves, pigs and laying hens. In addition to farmed animals, animals used in
laboratory tests and wild animals kept in zoos are also protected by harmonised EU standards.
The overall framework for EU action on animal welfare is set out in rolling action plans,
currently the Community Action Plan on the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2006-2010.
On the 19th of September 2007, the European Commission (EC) adopted a Communication
setting out the EU’s Animal Health Strategy (AHS) for 2007-2013.
Although the importance of animal welfare is recognised both at the international and EU
level, there is still a lack of harmonization of indicators for animal welfare. EFSA, in line with
mandates received from the EC, will start to assess the indicators for the welfare of food-
producing animals with a view to developing a harmonised European monitoring system
assessing the quality of farming systems and their impact on the diseases and welfare of
animals according to the outcome-based approach described in the Community Action Plan
on the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2006-2010. Such indicators could be integrated
into future legislative proposals and should provide the basis for the development of an EU
label for animal welfare proposed by the EC.
8 Welfare of production animals: assessment and management of risks
Riitta Maijala
Both the European and international organisations responsible for ensuring animal welfare
need scientific advice. In this context it is important to appreciate the complexity of animal
welfare, which is impacted on by a range of factors including, for instance, housing and
bedding, space and crowding, transport conditions, stunning, slaughter and killing methods,
castration of males and tail docking. This complex nature of animal welfare challenges our
competence and knowledge in many ways. Whilst animal welfare science is developing fast,
many basic questions are still waiting for their answers. The application of the risk analysis
framework, particularly the development of methodologies for the assessment of risk for
animal welfare, has started, but their implementation is still in its infancy as compared with
the longer tradition within the food safety and disease prevention area. Moreover, in addition
to its complex nature, the fact that many animal welfare problems are introduced by human
beings, make it even more difficult to separate purely scientific facts from the perceptions
and ethical issues of individuals. Finally, the risks for animal welfare considered acceptable
by society are continually re-appreciated, as an inevitable result of which decisions taken a
long time ago may not necessarily still be considered ethically valid in modern day society.
Animal welfare should be taken into account not only by welfare scientists, but should
represent a natural part of the daily activities of other professionals – e.g. those dealing
with food-borne hazards and animal diseases – as decisions taken in these areas may indeed
have an impact on animal welfare. Also, one must realize that animal welfare is an important
issue when evaluating the appropriateness of methods for transport and slaughtering of
production animals, or when the acceptability of animal testing related to safety evaluations
and diagnostics has to be considered. Research in animal welfare has greatly advanced our
ability to understand the behaviour of animals and which factors can cause unnecessary
pain and suffering. This knowledge needs to be taken into account in many practical
situations, e.g. in planning new stables for animals, building new slaughterhouses, defining
transport conditions or for purposes of handling diseases outbreaks. Consequently, a basic
understanding of welfare concepts needs to be acquired by farmers as well as individuals in
charge of transport, slaughter and killing of animals.
A sustainable high level of welfare for food producing animals cannot be achieved without
costs. In addition, other legitimate factors need to be taken into account when making
decisions. Since daily decisions on handling animals are to be based both on a proper
understanding of animal behaviour and on an awareness of the practical constraints, it does
not suffice if only those active in Academia or governmental bodies understand the essential
aspects of animal welfare. In general, when one sets out to make sustainable political
decisions on risks, it is crucial that the definition of acceptable levels of risks is established
through an intensive dialogue with stakeholders, so as to ensure that such definitions are
supported by the society in which we live. This is particularly challenging for an area such
as animal welfare. There seems to be no single commonly acceptable level of risks within a
single country, let alone within the entirety of the European Union when it comes to taking
a stance on animal welfare issues. Consequently, equally challenging will be the area of risk
communication. In this context major questions include (1) how to measure animal welfare
objectively? (2) what level of risks are considered acceptable by society? And (3) which
specific risk management options should be contemplated, so as to avoid unnecessary pain
and suffering? It is not uncommon that the various stakeholders’ standpoints range from
Welfare of production animals: assessment and management of risks 9