Welfare of Broilers: missed opportunities

Transcription

1 Welfare of Broilers: missed opportunities After many months and long debates the Council of Ministers of the European Union adopted a (much diluted) proposal for a new EU Directive on the protection of chickens kept for meat production (broilers). What started some years ago as a promising initiative from the Commission, - and which the European Parliament urged to strengthen even further - has now ended as a little more than a symbolic document. Of course it is better than nothing: there will be a possibility to stop bad cases and from now on broilers will be included in FVO Animal Welfare missions. Several ideas to monitor and improve broiler welfare were deleted from the initial proposal and final discussions primarily focused on the level of stocking densities. Stocking densities are of limited value as sole welfare parameter and may be high as long as housing conditions are good. However it is naïve to leave out other criteria, to allow for high densities and then to think that everything will be all right. An important reason for watering down the proposal was that it would lead to higher costs. It would be too expensive and the European poultry industry could not afford it. But what are we talking about? On average, the price of production in Western Europe is about 0.70 Euros per kg live weight, of which (on average) 5 to 10 % are spent on housing. In other words, an investment of only 2 cents per animal could greatly improve their housing conditions. In an attempt to compete on price instead of quality, EU ministers have, once more, chosen for low-cost-large-volume production and, once more, this choice is made at the detriment of animal welfare. A missed opportunity In strong contrast to the above: the atmosphere at the stakeholder conference of the Welfare Quality project. This research project, funded by the European Commission under the 6 th framework programme, aims at developing practical and science-based tools to improve the welfare of farm animals. In early May, over 150 people gathered in Berlin for a number of presentations and very open and stimulating debates on the issue. One thing was clear; people ARE concerned about animal welfare. It is regrettable that the Council of Ministers (i.e. EU Member States) lost the opportunity to increase animal welfare. In doing so, they also lost an opportunity to show leadership. Through their fears to loose, they lost the opportunity to win. Jan Vaarten FVE executive director Contents Animal Health P Role of vaccination - Pet food recall in the US following melamine intoxications - OIE succeeds in bringing China and Taiwan to fully participate together in the organization's activities - FVE/TAIEX Conference in Romania Animal Welfare P 3-5 -EU project looks at practical ways to monitor on-farm animal welfare -Towards a European College for Animal Welfare? -Shopping behaviour and animal welfarefriendly foods - Encouraging the dialogue on welfare, socioeconomic and consumer issues Public Health P 6-7 -Training courses for official control staff -Impact report also considers veterinary applications -Less cattle, more pigs and the production of single-sex offspring Medicines P 8 -Report on medicines availability in the EU Education P Update on the evaluation status of Europe s veterinary schools -UK requires young graduates to obtain year-one clinical competencies FVE & Professional Matters P UK Veterinary nurses to have their own professional Register - Ireland is also setting up a Register of Veterinary Nurses - Professional registration should not be subject to prior language tests Meetings P 11 - Europe s veterinarians to elect new board Erratum P 11

2 Animal Health Avian Influenza Conference discusses role of vaccination Importing countries should respect OIE standards to avoid unjustified trade barriers related to vaccination against Avian Influenza Contaminated raw material Pet food recall in the US following melamine intoxications In April, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a problem regarding melamine contamination of different brands of pet food manufactured in the USA, leading to kidney failure and the death of a number of cats and dogs. This was one of the recommendations of the scientific conference Vaccination: a tool for the control of avian influenza, which was held in Verona (Italy) from March. Furthermore, while vaccination could be considered as an additional tool to stamping out and biosecurity, it should always be carried out in combination with these classical methods. These and other recommendations, including the objectives and the role of vaccination in the control of avian influenza can be downloaded from the OIE web site 1, which recently launched a new Avian Influenza web portal 2. There is no evidence of imports into the EU of contaminated wheat gluten and rice protein Melamine is an industrial chemical found in plastics and was found to have been fraudulently added to wheat gluten and rice protein from China, which was subsequently used in pet foods. There is no evidence of imports into the EU of contaminated wheat gluten and rice protein. However, the European Commission has asked Member States to monitor for the presence of melamine in these and similar products, particularly those originating from China. Vaccination plans should be an integral part of the contingency and emergency plans In the US, melamine has now also been found in pigs and poultry which were fed salvage pet food

3 OIE International Committee meeting OIE succeeds in bringing China and Taiwan to fully participate together in the organization's activities China had become a member of the OIE in 1992 but had not been fully participating to its work due to the presence in the organization of Taiwan, which joined the OIE in 1954 The 169 Member Countries of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) that gathered in Paris for the 75th General Assembly of the organisation, voted on Friday the restoration of the exercise of the rights and obligations of the People's Republic of China to the OIE. Taiwan maintains its participation to the organization. The OIE has been asked by the vote of its Member Countries to refer to it under the new name of Chinese Taipei. This is a historical vote for our organization, the Director General of the OIE, Dr Bernard Vallat commented. Nowadays, an effective control of animal diseases, including zoonosis, requires more and more transparent information and cooperation from Member Countries. The international community cannot afford to have gaps in the management of sanitary information and counting both Taiwan and China among our active Members will further improve the animal disease situation in the world, he added. With this vote, the OIE becomes one of the first and few international organisations whose members have facilitated and reached an agreement to have both China and Chinese Taipei as active members. September, in conjunction with the Romanian National Congress of Veterinary Medicine. The conference will address topics relating to CSF such as legislation, epidemiology, biosecurity, disease control and reporting, on-farm euthanasia, transport and slaughter. The conference is mainly aimed at veterinarians and veterinary legislators from Romania, Bulgaria and countries from the Balkan region. Please contact the FVE office for further information at info@fve.org Animal Welfare Welfare Quality meeting EU project looks at practical ways to monitor on-farm animal welfare According to FVE, if the project is to become a success it should be accepted by main stakeholders. This means that the right balance has to be found between being scientifically credible and achievable in practice On 3-4 May Welfare Quality 3 held its second stakeholders meeting in Berlin. Around 150 participants attended the meeting of this EU project, which aims to develop science-based monitoring tools for on-farm welfare assessment, taking into account public expectations and practical strategies for the improvement of animal welfare. Classical Swine Fever FVE/TAIEX conference in Romania In collaboration with the General Association of Romanian Veterinarians and TAIEX, the FVE plans organise a conference on Classical swine fever (CSF) in Poiana Braşov (Romania) on 17 and 18 Different monitoring schemes are being developed for production animals like pigs

4 Since animal welfare requires a multifactorial evaluation, all the criteria that need to be evaluated were defined (see Table 1). The holistic view of animal welfare requires that it only be obtained if all principles are fulfilled, and include both animalbased criteria (e.g. body condition) and resourcebased criteria (e.g. number of drinkers available). As a next step, the parameters were put into a practical monitoring system. Different monitoring schemes are being developed and tested on-farm for the main production animals (pigs, cattle and poultry). Welfare Quality also analysed consumer and retailer perceptions to animal welfare (see this FVE Newsletter) and took the results into account when developing the proposed monitoring tool. Farmers representatives expressed their concerns about the implementation of the monitoring tool and about its fitness into farm practice and the farm as a business The intention to set up a European College on Animal Welfare was announced during a side meeting of the Berlin Welfare Quality conference by David Main (Bristol University), David Morton (Birmingham University) and Siobhan Mullan (also Bristol). Several universities already offer postgraduate trainings on animal welfare. The establishment of a European College on animal welfare, under the umbrella of the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS) 4 would satisfy the growing demand of veterinarians specialized in animal welfare. It would also help advance animal welfare in Europe and increase the knowledge and skills of those working in this field. The initiative was warmly welcomed and around 30 veterinary surgeons working in the field of animal welfare supported the initiative. The FVE Secretariat will further coordinate the initial steps to be taken. For more information, please contact Nancy De Briyne at nancy@fve.org. At the meeting, concerns were voiced about the status of the outcome of the project: scientific advice to be submitted to the Commission or to be formulated as a recommendation with a complete strategy for implementation? If the project is to become a success, it should be accepted by the main stakeholders, according to FVE, member of the advisory Board of the Welfare Quality project. This means that the right balance has to be found between being scientifically credible and achievable in practice. Specialisation Towards a European College for Animal Welfare? A group of University scientists has expressed the intention to set up a European College for Animal Welfare under the umbrella of the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation Around 30 vets working in the field of Animal Welfare have supported the initiative Welfare Quality survey Results Shopping behaviour and animal welfare-friendly foods A recent Welfare Quality survey in seven European countries showed that links between improvement of farm animal welfare and food shopping behaviour vary considerably Farm animal welfare is important to most consumers, ranging from 69% of respondents in the

5 Netherlands, 73% in the UK, 75% in France to 83% in Hungary and Sweden. Norway and Italy scored the highest, with 84% and 87% respectively. Consumers are most concerned about the conditions in poultry and pig production. They are least concerned about the treatment of dairy cows. Concerns include farming conditions, but also transport and slaughter. A majority of consumers thinks that conditions for farm animals have improved therefore they may not see the need for action According to the study Dutch and British consumers think of welfare conditions when shopping for eggs and beef Religious Slaughter Encouraging dialogue on welfare, socioeconomic and consumer issues DIALREL (dialogue and religion) is a 3- year EU funded project that encourages dialogue on issues of religious slaughter Its objectives are to explore the conditions for promoting the dialogue between interested parties and stakeholders and facilitating the adoption of good religious slaughter practices. It also aims at reviewing and proposing a mechanism for implementation and monitoring of good practices. The initiative has identified six work packages : Religion, Legislation and Animal Welfare: Conflicting Standards; Religious slaughter: Evaluation of current practices; Consumer and consumption issues; Socio-economic issues related to religious slaughtering practices; the Promotion of the debate and dissemination activities; and Project management. The DIALREL website 5 will contain information relating to the three-year EU funded project ( ) on religious slaughter and its activities. FVE is member of its Advisory Board. When asked about changes over the last ten years, there is considerable optimism in most countries. A majority of consumers thinks that conditions for farm animals have improved, while less than one in five think that the situation has become worse. This optimism may be one of many reasons why the researchers found that the proportions of people who associate animal welfare concerns with their own purchasing practices are much lower than the general interest and concern. They may simply not see the need for action. Many consumers think about welfare issues when shopping for eggs, beef or milk. The proportions are generally much higher than the market shares for animal welfare-friendly products. One of the first tasks is to gather available data on animals slaughtered for religious purposes Future Welfare Quality studies will consider the products that are on offer in the food markets across Europe and how they are labelled

6 Public Health Better training for safer food Training courses for official control staff Member States traditionally train their own control staff dealing with food hygiene, animal health and welfare. Now the Commission is also able to set up EU-level training in these areas. Better training for safer food, a DG SANCO training initiative for official safety control staff has just completed its first year of activity 6. In 2006, thirty-four training events were organised, as well as seven sustained training missions, for a total of 1400 participants and a budget of 3.5 million. The programmes included workshops on HACCP 7, avian influenza control, EU import standards, animal welfare at slaughter and checks at border inspection points. In all, 87% of participants were competent authority staff from EU, candidate, and third countries, while the private sector accounted for the remaining 13%. The primary aim of the training initiative is to keep those responsible for the safety of food and the health and welfare of animals up to date with the relevant EU standards", explains Salvatore Magazzù, Head of the DG SANCO Training Sector. This includes control staff from EU, EEA and candidate countries. Furthermore, he adds, "Third countries, and developing countries in particular, need to familiarise themselves with EU import requirements, as this is vital in order to access the EU market for their products. For this reason, certain training programmes are developed specifically for third countries. This is the first time that the Commission has been empowered to organise this kind of training, Salvatore Magazzù, Head of DG Sanco Training Sector EU Member States traditionally train their own control staff dealing with food hygiene, animal health and welfare. But since the Regulation on official controls 8 came into force in January 2006, the Commission is able to set up EU-level training in these areas. As Dr Magazzù points out, This is the first time that the Commission has been empowered to organise this kind of training". So, who can participate, and how should participants register? The training is aimed at official control staff, and potential participants are put forward by their national competent authority says Dr Magazzù. It is also possible for private practitioners to participate at their own expense For each training course, participant numbers are limited. Interested parties should contact their competent authority. The contractor carrying out the actual training sends the list of participants to the Commission for final approval. This is to make sure that the right people are attending the relevant course", adds Dr Magazzù. In certain countries the private sector takes care of certain aspects of official controls (such as meat inspection or disease control). It is thus also possible for private sector representatives to participate at their own expense. An average of 6000 trainees per year In 2007, 62 workshops and training events will be held, as well as nine sustained training missions, for approximately 2900 participants with a budget of 7 million. Salvatore Magazzù tells us, For 2007, we have not only increased the number of courses, but also the scope of subjects, which now include zoonoses, food testing and the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. 6 For further information: 7 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point 8 Regulation (EC) no. 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules - 6 -

7 Priority topics are identified following extensive consultation with Commission services and of material such as Food and Veterinary Office reports, as well as with national contact points, stakeholders and former participants. Dr Magazzù explains, Feedback from participants is essential, and focuses on both on the content and form of the courses. It is also important to measure the longterm impact, and SANCO s training sector intends to find ways to evaluate the impact of training on professional performance. The pilot phase is projected to end in late 2008, and the long-term phase will begin when the finalised structure for training provision is in place. "The participant levels will rise gradually to reach an annual average of around 6000 during the years " estimates Dr Magazzù. "We believe that the impact of the training will be maximised due to the fact that people who have already received training will be able to spread the message among their peers The Commission aims at an annual average of participants Biotechnology part II, "Modern biotechnology in primary production and agro-food". The importance of biotechnology in the field of animal vaccination was stressed during the conference, in particular to help distinguish between carrier and vaccinated animals. The culling of thousands of animals during a disease outbreak is not acceptable, underlined Jan Mulder, MEP. Perspectives for Food 2030 Less cattle, more pigs and the production of single-sex offsprings How will the food industry and consumer demand evolve over the next 25 years? And what are the implications for food, agriculture, fisheries and biotechnology research? These topics were discussed at the conference Perspectives for Food 2030, organised by DG Research (European Commission) on 17 and 18 April. In livestock production, the emphasis will shift from ruminants to pigs, while the poultry sector is likely to slow down, according to Prof. Babuchowski (Poland), who gave his assessment of future developments in the agricultural sector. Dr. Bruce Lee (Australia) highlighted the new biotechnologies that will allow the production of single sex offspring (e.g. males only for beef and females only for milk production). Finally, all conference speakers agreed that there is no "zero risk" regarding food and that consumers need to be better educated about food safety. Impact report also considers veterinary applications Consequences, opportunities and challenges of modern biotechnology for Europe" is the title of the report on the main findings of the Bio4EU study of the Joint Research Centre, presented on 20 April 9. FVE attended the meeting as one of the stakeholders. The report is aimed at the general public and outlines the importance of biotechnology and its economic, social and environmental impact. Biotechnology in the veterinary field is discussed in In livestock production, the emphasis will shift from ruminants to pigs

8 Medicines Report on availability of veterinary Medicines in the EU The Task Force of the Heads of Veterinary Medicines Agencies produces a report on the adequacy of current legislative and regulatory measures regarding the availability of medicines The availability of an adequate range of veterinary medicines to treat the wide variety of animal species in the European Community has been a growing challenge over the last two decades. During this period, considerable efforts have been made by various stakeholders, including regulators, industry, veterinarians and other users of medicines, to address the problems of medicines availability. Despite these efforts, the situation has continued to deteriorate. Recognising the gravity of the issue, the Heads of Veterinary Medicines Agencies (HMA-V) established a Task Force (TF) on availability of veterinary medicines in July The TF was requested to produce a report on the adequacy of current legislative and regulatory measures relating to the availability of veterinary medicines, including: medicines for food-producing and companion animals, pharmaceuticals and vaccines and, the success of initiatives in Member States. The report notes that the free movement of animals and their food products between Member States serves to underscore the need for harmonised between the legislative and regulatory tools available The Report provided by the the Task Force contains clear recommendations (short-term, medium-term and long-term) for consideration by Member States, HMAs, the European Medicines Agency, as well as for the Commission to help bring solutions to the problems. The Report states that notwithstanding the economic obstacles and specific problems in smaller markets, there are legislative and regulatory tools available which have the potential to ameliorate the situation. The Report also notes that the free movement of animals and their food products between Member States serves to underscore the need for harmonised interpretation of the available tools at least between neighbouring countries. In adopting the Report, HMA-V noted that the recommendations contained therein must be taken in the context of an understanding of the need for consumer protection and that implementation measures will respect existing laws and the limits of budgetary provisions. HMA-V will continue to monitor the situation over the coming years. Veterinary Schools in the EU 40% 13% Education Veterinary Education Update on the evaluation status of Europe s veterinary schools According to the latest update (April 2007) of the evaluation of veterinary education in Europe, 34 EU teaching establishments from 18 EU countries have been evaluated and approved. Three further schools are currently under evaluation. All remaining schools in the EU have either not (yet) been evaluated or have shown major deficiencies during their most recent evaluation. For members of the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE 10 ) the evaluation visits are compulsory. 47% Approved schools Schools not yet evaluated or show ing major deficiencies Schools under evaluation Last updated in May 2007 (source

9 Veterinary Schools in the EU Professional Development Phase UK requires young graduates to obtain year-one clinical competencies All newly-qualified veterinary surgeons who wish to enter clinical practice in the UK, regardless of the country in which they graduated, now need to complete the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Professional Development Phase (PDP). Effective from 2007, the Professional Development Phase was made mandatory by the Council of the RCVS, the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the UK. Comprising an online system for recording clinical experience 11, the PDP supports new graduates as they attain their Year-one Competencies the set of skills they are expected to acquire during their first year of practice. Although graduates qualify with Day-one Competencies, additional, structured support during their first year of work pays dividends in terms of reducing stress, improving performance and enabling experience to be gained across a balance of clinical areas. 34 EU teaching establishments from 17 EU countries have been evaluated and approved FVE is concerned about the large number of schools which are not evaluated or which appeared to have major deficiencies. Some EU countries don t even have one approved school Jan Vaarten, FVE Executive Director PDP helps new graduates put theory into practice during their critical first year The PDP is self-assessed via a password-protected website where graduates can log their experience and case histories against a register of clinical skills

10 for small animal, equine or farm animal practice, or a combination of the three. The RCVS requires UK-practising veterinary surgeons to undergo 105 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) over three years (an average of 35 hours per year). Completing the PDP counts as the first year s CPD. In addition, from 2007, any veterinary surgeon who spent their first year in practice in the UK and goes on to enrol for an RCVS Certificate or Diploma must also have completed the PDP. FVE & Professional matters Professional Conduct and veterinary nurses UK Veterinary nurses to have their own professional Register From September 2007, veterinary nurses in the UK will have their own Register, maintained by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). The new Register for Veterinary Nurses in the UK will be known as a non-statutory Register since there is currently no legal requirement for its existence, as is the case for veterinarians, who must be registered in order to practise legally. By signing up, veterinary nurses will authorise the RCVS to regulate their professional work in accordance with the Guide to Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses (VNs). Registered VNs may be suspended or removed from the Register if found guilty of serious professional misconduct. Under the new Register, which will become fully operational by 2010, VNs will be expected to undertake 15 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) each year. All VNs who qualified after 1 January 2003 will automatically transfer to the new Register, while those who qualified before that date may transfer voluntarily. VNs will be expected to undertake 15 hours of continuing professional development each year. Ireland is also setting up a Register of Veterinary Nurses The first January 2008 is the date when the Veterinary Council of Ireland must have established a Register of Veterinary Nurses. The Council has set up a Validation Committee to review educational programmes in the State which award qualifications in veterinary nursing with a view to assessing whether these awards can be included in the Register. From 1 January 2008 only veterinary nurses who possess recognised awards will be able to call themselves 'veterinary nurse'. Recognition of professional qualifications Professional registration should not be subject to prior language tests Language skills may only be assessed after professional recognition is granted, according to a recent document by DG Markt 12 that addresses the implementation of the recognition of professional qualifications. The document recalls that article 53 of the Directive stipulates that Persons benefiting from the recognition of professional qualifications shall have a knowledge of languages necessary for practising the profession in the host Member State, but goes on to stress that the assessment of linguistic knowledge cannot be used to check, in any way, the substantial qualifications of the migrating professional. 12 Implementation of Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications (MARKT D/15748/2006-EN)

11 The report underlines that, although language tests are not excluded, these can neither be used systematically nor in a standardised form. Furthermore, the European Court of Justice recently confirmed that making professional registration subject to a prior language test is contrary to EC Law 13. Case-law 14 has also clarified that the requirement for migrants to obtain a particular diploma in one particular institution (e.g. to measure language skills), is not only disproportionate, but is equivalent to discrimination based on nationality. Meetings FVE General Assembly 1-3 June Europe s veterinarians to elect new Board in Poland The FVE and its sections will hold its spring General Assembly on 1-3 June in Krakow (Poland). The main agenda points include veterinary medicines, education, food hygiene and animal welfare. Guest speaker Dr Christianne Bruschke (OIE) will update the assembly in the field of avian influenza. In Krakow, the FVE assembly will also elect a new Executive board for Miscellaneous Migrating professionals can attest their language skills through any means of proof, without any restriction However, the national codes of professional conduct may emphasise the obligation that professionals should not handle matters which they are not competent to handle due to a lack of expertise - including language skills. The European Court of Justice recently confirmed that making professional registration subject to a prior language test is contrary to EC Law Erratum One week upper age limit for routine castration in piglets According to current legislation 15, the upper age limit for routine pig castration without anaesthesia and subsequent analgesia is seven days, and not three weeks, as stated erroneously in the February FVE Newsletter. If castration or docking of tails is practised after the seventh day of life, it shall only be performed under anaesthetic and additional prolonged analgesia by a veterinarian. 13 Commission v Luxembourg, judgement of in case C- 193/05 14 Roman Angonese, judgement of in case C-281/98 15 Commission Directive 2001/93/EC of 9 November 2001 amending Directive 91/630/EEC laying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs 11 -

12 FVE The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) is an umbrella organisation of veterinary organisations from 37 European countries, regulated by the law on international societies in Belgium. Members Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, FYR of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia/Montenegro, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom Sections EASVO-State Officers EVERI Education, Research and Industry UEVH-Hygienists UEVP- Practitioners Observers Ukraine, Albania FVE Staff Jan Vaarten Executive Director Nancy De Briyne Deputy Executive Director Nicole Schreiner Policy Officer Clara Espósito Communications Manager Reproduction of articles is authorized, except for commercial purposes, provided that the source is mentioned. The views or positions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily represent in legal terms the official position of FVE. Acknowledgements: Picture of swans on page 2 of Georg Schroll Picture of doc on page 2 of Esther van Nes Picture of pig on page 3 of Matjackfinney Picture of Veterinary Medicine students on page 4 of Carol Jones Picture of meat on supermarket shelf on page 5 of Brandon Rude Picture of sheep on page 5 of Esther van Nes Picture of Veterinary Nurses on page 10 of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Federation of Veterinarians of Europe - AISBL rue Defacqz, 1 B 1000 Brussels Tel: Fax: info@fve.org - Internet: