Proposal for an animal welfare audit approach for inspections under EU organic farming legislation
Project Leader: Dr. Keppler, Christiane; Prof. Dr. Knierim, Ute
Project description:
The aim of this testing concept is to support the testing of animal welfare aspects within the framework of inspections carried out in accordance with EU legislation on organic production for inspection personnel of the competent authorities and organic inspection bodies by means of a standardized procedure.
At the heart of the inspection concept is the competence of the personnel who carry out and evaluate these inspections. To this end, the concept is based on intensive training of inspectors to make it easier for them to recognize relevant animal welfare problems. By involving scientists, inspection bodies, associations and official animal welfare authorities in the development and discussion of the concept, a broad basis for a uniform understanding should be created, which will then also be useful for the necessary follow-up in the area of advice and involvement of official veterinarians. As it is not possible to fully anticipate possible problems on the farms, the concept is intended to control an inspection through the competence of the trained inspectors. Checklists are kept short and flexible in order to be able to react to new circumstances. The recognition and classification of the most frequently encountered animal welfare indicators are supported by picture cards with definitions of the respective condition or damage. In addition, free text is used in the documentation to describe the situations encountered. These free texts are to be supplemented by photos to make the situations comprehensible.
The inspection concept currently covers laying hens, broilers, turkeys, pigs, sheep, goats and cattle.
Supported by: Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection of Lower Saxony
In cooperation with: Gesellschaft für Resourcenschutz (GFRS) and Beratung Artgerechte Tierhaltung (BAT e.V.)