2023/01/01 by Mathilde Stomp, Stomp, Mathilde, Christelle Demont +3
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Social Sciences · #Agriculture and Rural Development Research #French Urban and Social Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.17180/ciag-2023-vol87-art02
In response to societal concerns on respect to animals, animal welfare assessment systems have been developed, first by scientists then by industries. For instance, EBENE was developed for poultry and rabbits and BOVIWELL for cattle. These assessment systems are generally integrated into social and environmental responsibility strategy of production chains. They can help farmers not only to assess the welfare of their animals but also, and above all, to put in place improvement strategies. They are based on indicators taken from the animals or their environment. The indicators cover the various aspects of welfare. They result from a compromise between scientific rigour and on-farm feasibility. The results of a farm can be compared with the population from which it originates. They can also lead to a label, if a certain level of results is required. EBENE has been applied in about 1500 farms and BOVIWELL in about 6000 farms. They lead to actual improvements that can be noticed from successive assessments of farms. For the time being, they are tools for progress and for reassuring consumers. To turn them into certification tools, it will be necessary to define a level of requirement for results and to be transparent about the whole process, in particular the indicators, the level of requirement and the frequency of inspections.