Animal Welfare Standards and International Collaborations

Animal welfare and international trade.

Globalisation is becoming a force that is revolutionising international trade, particularly that of animals and animal products. There is increasing interest in animal welfare worldwide, and as part of its 2001-2005 Strategic Plan the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) identified the development of international standards on animal welfare as a priority. The OIE's scientific approach to...

International cooperation in animal welfare: the Welfare Quality® project

Introduction Consumers' perception of food quality is not only determined by its overall nature and safety but also by the welfare status of the animal from which it was produced. In other words, animal welfare is an important attribute of an overall 'food quality concept'. Recent surveys carried out by the European Commission (e.g. [1,2]) as well as studies within Welfare Quality®, confirm tha...

Strengths and weaknesses for the animal of upgraded welfare standards

Economic implications of moving to improved standards of animal welfare

 replacing existing buildings and equipment with higher welfare systems often involves very large capital outlay costs. However, these costs will be much reduced if the change is delayed until the existing facility has reached the end of its working life;  where a producer is constructing a new building (rather than replacing an existing one) the capital costs entailed in selecting a higher w...

Advancing animal welfare standards within the veterinary profession

Historically, expenditure on animals and attitudes toward animal welfare have improved, with increasing social affluence. However, recent events suggest veterinary attitudes may be lagging behind those of the general public. Despite widespread public opposition to, and in some cases the passage of legislation against, the force-feeding of ducks and geese during foie gras production, the export ...