Integration of animal welfare in the product chain: from public concern to improved welfare and transparent quality
Abstract
The Integrated Project entitled Integration of animal welfare in the food quality chain: from public concern to improved welfare and transparent quality (WELFAREQUALITY) addresses citizens’ concerns for the welfare of farm animals. Its ultimate goals are to 1) link animal husbandry practices to informed animal product consumption and 2) to develop innovative practical strategies to improve welfare. The first goal demands reliable on-farm welfare monitoring systems enabling assessment of welfare status and the standardised conversion of welfare measures into accessible and understandable information, thereby addressing concerns and allowing clear marketing and profiling of products. The second goal will improve animal welfare by minimising the occurrence of harmful behavioural and physiological states, improving human-animal relationships, and providing animals with safe and stimulating environments. The aims of WELFAREQUALITY are: to develop practical strategies/measures to improve animal welfare, to develop a European on-farm welfare assessment standard, to develop a European animal welfare information standard, to integrate and interrelate the most appropriate specialist expertise in the multidisciplinary field of animal welfare in Europe These aims will be realised through the following research objectives: to analyse consumer concerns about food animal welfare, the type of information demanded, and the most effective communication and information strategy, to evaluate the current and potential market for welfare friendly animal based food products, welfare label characteristics, and inspection systems, to identify potential barriers to the development of animal friendly products faced by producers, to develop robust on-farm welfare monitoring systems and information standards for selected farm animal species, to define integrated, knowledge-based, practicable species-specific strategies to improve farm animal welfare, to develop strategies for implementing a welfare information system as well as the welfare improvement strategies identified in the project. WELFAREQUALITY is organised in 9 subprojects. Three research subprojects will identify the requirements of stakeholders (consumers, retailers, producers) in regard to information systems on animal welfare (subproject 1), develop monitoring systems of animal welfare based on animal parameters (for the actual assessment of welfare) and design parameters (management and environment, for the search of causes of poor welfare) to be used from farm to slaughter (subproject 2), investigate remedial measures to well identified welfare problems (subproject 3). A fourth research subproject is targeted at implementation of the results produced by subprojects 1 to 3. It includes the publication of agreed standards, the training of welfare assessors/advisors, the evaluation of the economic impact and of acceptability of information systems by stakeholders, and recommendations to policy makers. Five horizontal activities (subprojects 5 to 9) will give support to and strengthen the research activities by increasing Science-Society dialogue through increased interaction between all stakeholders, promoting knowledge transfer from academy to industry, facilitating the mobility of researchers, ensuring high quality of the research through reviewing processes of proposals and deliverables, and coordinating all activities. The research will be focused on three models of animal species (cattle, pig, and poultry) and nine targeted European countries (Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United-Kingdom). The University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) is involved in subprojects 2 and 3.
Schlagworte Tiergerechtheit tierbezogene Parameter Praxisbeurteilung Lahmheit Epidemiologie
Publikationen
On-farm assessment of lying behaviour in dairy cattle
Autoren: Dippel, S., Brinkmann, J., Winckler, C. Jahr: 2004
PUBLIZIERTER Beitrag für wissenschaftliche Veranstaltung
Lahmheiten bei Milchkühen erkennen und vorbeugen
Autoren: Dippel, S., Winckler, C. Jahr: 2005
Populärwissenschaftlicher Beitrag
Effect of training on the inter-observer reliability of lameness scoring in dairy cattle
Autoren: March, S., Brinkmann, C., Winckler, C. Jahr: 2005
PUBLIZIERTER Beitrag für wissenschaftliche Veranstaltung
Validation of an automatic recording device for lying behaviour in cattle
Autoren: Winckler, C. Jahr: 2005
PUBLIZIERTER Beitrag für wissenschaftliche Veranstaltung
Influence of overstocking on behaviour and claw haemorrhages in dairy cows
Autoren: Dippel, S., Winckler, C., Weary, D.M., Tucker, C.B. Jahr: 2005
PUBLIZIERTER Beitrag für wissenschaftliche Veranstaltung
Tiergerechte Milchviehhaltung - wichtiger Faktor für Gesundheit, Leistung und Wohlbefinden
Autoren: Winckler, C. Jahr: 2005
PUBLIZIERTER Beitrag für wissenschaftliche Veranstaltung
Promising parameters for on-farm welfare assessment: is there anything new?
Autoren: Waiblinger, S., Winckler, C. Jahr: 2005
PUBLIZIERTER Beitrag für wissenschaftliche Veranstaltung
New behaviour based developments to collect health information in dairy cattle farming
Autoren: Winckler, C. Jahr: 2005
PUBLIZIERTER Beitrag für wissenschaftliche Veranstaltung
Mitarbeiter*innen
Christoph Winckler
Univ.Prof. Dr.med.vet. Christoph Winckler
christoph.winckler@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-93221
Projektleiter*in
01.05.2004 - 31.03.2010
Elisabeth Theresia Gratzer
Dipl.-Ing. Elisabeth Theresia Gratzer
Projektmitarbeiter*in
01.05.2004 - 31.03.2010
Marlene Katharina Kirchner
Mag. Dr. Marlene Katharina Kirchner
Projektmitarbeiter*in
01.05.2004 - 31.03.2010
BOKU Partner
Externe Partner
Universität Kassel, Fachgebiet Nutztierethologie und Tiergerechte Nutztierhaltung
Prof. Dr. Ute Knierim
Partner