Animal Welfare
Our team of consultants is specialised in food safety at 360°.
We attend to all the stages of production, including primary production.
“Animal welfare is a state of complete mental and physical health, where the animal is in harmony with its environment.”
(Hughes, 1976).
Our customers’ supply chains often start with the breeders and animal feed manufacturers and go all the way to the transformation plants. Our contribution is not only aimed at meeting and respecting the regulations in force, but also enhancing products by means of certification. We verify that the procedures carried out by the companies are correct and if they are not, we recommend interventions to help them attain acceptable results.
Our team includes veterinarians certified by the CReNBA who assess animal welfare.
True welfare is the ability of the animal to adapt to the environment it finds itself in. It is therefore important to assess the environmental context, how the livestock farm is managed and the effects these factors have on the animals themselves.
For many years, the Istituto Zooprofilattico of Brescia has successfully transformed a philosophy into a scientific approach to livestock farming, which stems from the Five Freedoms originating in the 1965 Brambell Report:
- Freedom from hunger or thirst
- Freedom from discomfort or the provision of an appropriate environment, including shelter and a comfortable resting area
- Freedom from pain, injury or disease
- Freedom to express normal behaviour by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind
- Freedom from fear and distress
The animal welfare and biosafety evaluation system for bovine farming (beef cattle and dairy cattle) established by the CReNBA (Italian National Animal Welfare Reference Centre) at the Istituto Zooprofilattico of Brescia, examines all of these aspects. The system requires a qualified assessor to complete a check list that comprises fundamental points including stall management, evaluation of the structures, measurements of specific parameters related to the animals, biosafety and an assessment of large-scale risks. The data gathered is submitted to the CReNBA, which issues a certificate of Animal Welfare and Biosafety that includes the amount of points given as a result of the assessment.
ANIMAL WELFARE IS A QUESTION OF BALANCE.
“The welfare of an animal is its state as regards to its attempts to cope with its environment.”
(Broom, 1986).