October 26, 2007

Animal welfare carry different meanings among EU farmers

The term animal welfare has a slightly different meaning as interpreted by Dutch, Italian and French pig farmers, according to a survey of pig farmers carried out in each country.

The survey, carried out by the British Food Journal, asked more than 60 Dutch and French farmers and a small number of Italian farmers on their interpretation of animal welfare.

The response from Dutch farmers can be divided into two groups: farmers operating in price- and production-efficient markets define animal welfare in terms of animal health and zoo-technical performance.

Farmers operating in a 'value-market' emphasising animal welfare and care for the environment, tend to define animal welfare as giving enough room for pigs to express their natural behaviour.

For French pig farmers in stringent quality assurance schemes, animal welfare would mean to providing natural living conditions for the animals.

For farmers not in such schemes, animal welfare means having a healthy livestock with a balanced diet and good housing.

The British Food Journal will publish three articles in its next volume on the attitudes of Dutch, Italian and French pig farmers to animal welfare.

The papers will focus on the main characteristics of animal welfare in each country and examples of good practices.