Coordinated Global Strategies for Animal Welfare Research Adroaldo José Zanella Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo
My objectives today are: 1) Present some existing research networks working in animal welfare 2) Share some of the outcomes of the Animal Welfare Indicators -AWIN Project 3) Propose a strategy to promote effective communication among stakeholders and interested parties, in animal welfare research, through the AWIN HUB
Centre for Comparative Studies in Health, Sustainability and Welfare At the University of São Paulo we are: a) Conducting studies in the prenatal and early-neonatal periods to promote good welfare and health outcomes in the offspring, in several species. b) Developing science based indicators of animal welfare
University of São Paulo, Pirassununga: FMVZ & FZEA
Sample of new initiatives (not comprehensive)
EUWelNet (SANCO 2012/10293) To establish and coordinate a network of recognised technical, scientific and educational experts in the field; to identify some of the bottlenecks/ difficulties in implementing a few examples of EU legislation on animal welfare; to develop and test knowledge transfer strategies designed to overcome selected bottlenecks; to analyse the outcomes of EUWelNet and make recommendations on the feasibility and the likely conditions required for an effective European animal welfare network.
BBSRC has pledged over 100,000 to establish a network that will foster collaboration within the UK animal welfare research community. Measuring and Monitoring of Farm Animal Welfare DairyCare Synergy for preventing damaging behaviour in group housed pigs and chickens (GroupHouseNet)
Global research landscape: drivers Universities Research institutes Scientific societies (ISAE) Professional organisations (WVA) Agriculture research organisations (INRA, USDA and EMBRAPA) World Animal Health Organization (OIE) FAO European Commission: DG Research; DG Santé Industry Certification programmes NGOs (WAP; HSI; Donkey Sanctuary; The Brooke) Consumer s groups Funding organisations: UFAW; EU HORIZON 2020; USAID; BBSRC; Bill and Melinda Gates; DFG
OIE is an important global driver The World Organisation for Animal Health, with their 180 member countries, is one the most influential drivers in animal welfare. Their work is aimed primarily at the implementation of standards. They could have a greater role to promote research through their collaborating centres, four dedicated to animal welfare. Paris 2004 Cairo 2008 Kuala Lumpur 2012 Mexico 2016
OIE survey in the Americas: Top 3 priorities in 25 countries Planned activity No. of respondents Implement training programmes for stakeholders 20 Address problems with legislation (primary or secondary) 18 Publicise the Regional Strategy, including on the website of the VS 11 Hold stakeholder meetings or set up working groups 6 VS activities to improve engagement with the OIE 4 Develop undergraduate curriculum on animal welfare 3 Activities of VS with a regional focus 3 Applied research on production systems 1 Develop activities based on OIE standards 1 E. Glass, S. Kahn, & M. Arroyo Kuribreña (2015)
NGOs: Business Benchmark for Animal Welfare 68 Corporations evaluated in 2012 70 Corporations evaluated in 2013 80 Corporations evaluated in 2014 a) Compassion in World Farming b) WAP http://www.bbfaw.com
BBAW
Assurance and certification programmes There are significant diversity in how standards are developed and applied. Some certifiers apply science based animal welfare standards Some supermarkets, restaurants, fast food chains have animal welfare criteria when labelling their products. Their international outreach and availability of resources for targeted research may help the development of a coordinated global strategy.
Global projects Welfare Quality Animal Welfare Indicators
AWIN Partners
What is next? We submitted the final report on the AWIN project on the 30 th of June/2015. Both the financial and scientific reports have been approved. The AWIN partners drafted a new consortium agreement to work as a network, with the primary goal to update welfare assessment protocols and meet new demands in this area. Our goal is to bring other stakeholders and interested parties in the new consortium, you are invited!
The AWIN Network The template developed during the 4 years AWIN project may offer a useful framework to establish global collaborative research networks. Applied research: WP1 and WP2 Fundamental research: WP2 and WP3 Network building and dissemination: WP4
The AWIN HUB The AWIN HUB (www.animalwelfarehub.net) represents the attempt to foster effective communication among stakeholders and interested parties, in animal welfare. Given the needs for applied research demanded by the main global drivers for animal welfare the risk is not to invest in fundamental research.
WP1) Welfare and pain assessment protocols The AWIN approach! WP2) Welfare consequences of diseases WP3) Early-experience and welfare outcomes WP4) Animal Welfare Hub
WP4: The Hub The Animal Welfare Science Hub was developed to integrate the activities of the project and to foster effective communication with stakeholders and interested parties. http://www.animalwelfarehub.com
Welfare, including pain, assessment The AWIN partners developed, tested and validated novel protocols to assess animal welfare, including pain, in donkeys, goats, horses, sheep and turkeys.
Identification of suitable indicators Following the 4 principles and 12 criteria set up in Welfare Quality Absence of prolonged hunger Absence of prolonged thirst Good feeding Good housing Comfort around resting Thermal comfort Ease of movement Expression of social behaviours Expression of other behaviours Good human-animal relationship Positive emotional state Good behaviour Good health Absence of injuries Absence of disease Absence of pain induced by management procedures Literature review Expert meetings
It is a science-based welfare assessment method, built on animal-based indicators, including pain indicators.
AWIN new approach: stepwise strategy assessment First level of welfare assessment for a quick screening Valid and reliable indicators No or minimal handling needed Stakeholder opinion Second level welfare assessment Valid and reliable indicators More comprehensive assessment Feasible in a given time
The prototype protocol How is the protocol? Two levels: 1 Quick 2 Comprehensive Single Indicators, not only protocols Single indicators can be adopted for specific needs
Toolbox for animal welfare studies
App to assess turkey welfare Smartphone / tablet app for turkey welfare assessment based on the transect methodology.
Day of inspection Is authomatically entered
WelGoat app App to assess welfare and lameness in goats
App to assess horse welfare
Outputs WP 2 Disease and Welfare a) Mastitis b) Pregnancy toxaemia c) Footrot d) Laminitis e) Castration f) Disbudding WP 1 on farm welfare assessment tools Sheep foot-rot mastistis pregnancy tox. (UC, SRUC) Quantitative pain assessment tools Goats lameness mastistis pregnancy tox. Disbudding (UTL) Horses laminitis castration (HEC) Recommendations for pain relieving protocols In depth biomarkers of pain AWIN Biomarkers Lab (SRUC)
Horse Facial Action Units (FAUs) Collaboration with experts for the codification (Minero et al., 2013)
PLoS ONE Development of the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) as a pain assessment tool in horses undergoing routine castration Emanuela Dalla Costa 1 *, Michela Minero 1, Dirk Lebelt 2, Diana Stucke 2, Elisabetta Canali 1, Matthew C. Leach 3 1 Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie e Sanità Pubblica, Milan, Italy 2 Pferdeklinik Havelland / Havelland Equine Hospital, Beetzsee-Brielow, Germany 3 Newcastle University, School of Agriculture, Food & Rural Development, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) Smartphone Application Download for free from the Animal Welfare Science Hub: www.animalwelfarehub.com
Foot-rot in sheep
The red bar is the genomewide significance threshold. Two different models show consistency for SNP OAR18_23478564.1 on chromosome 18 which was significant for both models (additive and dominant). Genomics and footrot (Connington et al. 2015)
The early-life environment, including the prenatal period, shapes the trajectory of the adaptive mechanisms.
WP3: Early-Environment Developmental and welfare outcomes in the offspring, including brain indicators. Sheep and goats: A) Animal density and group size B) Gentle, Neutral and Aversive Handling Horses: A) Management strategies during pregnancy B) Weaning stress
WP4: The Hub The Animal Welfare Science Hub is a resource to foster global networks of excellence in animal welfare research teaching and outreach activities http://www.animalwelfarehub.com
Animal Welfare Science Hub
Learning objects Learning objects: The research carried out by the AWIN partners has been translated into learning objects. We also developed learning objects in other topics: PIGSAFE @ AWIN FARM In this simulation we present different housing systems for pigs, during parturition.
The Hub http://www.animalwelfarehub.com
AW Education AW Courses Learning Materials Research Database
AWIN legacy The AWIN project related with stakeholders and interested parties through social media, website, meetings involving in excess of 30,000 participants and participated in public events which had more that 253,000 visitors. http://www.animalwelfarehub.com
Future work Animal Welfare Indicators Network of Excellence On line training Creating global databases on animal welfare outcomes
Horizon 2020 Initiatives in the Horizon 2020 Programme will be very useful to develop Global Research Networks in Animal Welfare. Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions are particularly interesting. FAPESP, funding organisation from the State of São Paulo, Brazil, has a MOU with the EU Commission to compete in the Horizon 2020
Final considerations Animal welfare is often viewed as in a collision course with the mainstream animal production scientists, veterinarians and farmers. Communication portals, like the Animal Welfare Science Hub, can facilitate the dissemination of animal welfare science into the mainstream of animal production and animal and veterinary sciences.
Our contribution with the HUB Science based indicators of animal welfare are necessary to meet the current needs. In order to promote transparency and good communication among stakeholders and interested parties in animal welfare, a resource, such as the Animal Welfare Science Hub (www.animalwelfarehub.com), should be maintained. We hope to establish collaborative strategies with the International Society for Applied Ethology, with the OIE Collaborating Centres and other partners.
Final Considerations We invited the OIE Collaborating Centres and the International Society for Applied Ethology to consider a joint approach, working as catalysts, to integrate the existing scientific information in animal welfare. The Animal Science Hub needs a plan for the future. The same invitation is open to the ANIHWA-ERA NET Consortium.
Acknowledgement The AWIN project has received funding from the European Union s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement number 266213.
Acknowledgements Professor David Fraser, University of British Columbia, Professor Vince Molony, University of Edinburgh, Professor Sylvia Kaiser, University of Munster, Dr. Rob Malinowski, Michigan State Universtity and Professor Donald Broom, University of Cambridge, were advisors of the project. Dr. Andrew Voas, Scottish Government and Professor Jorg Hartung, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, worked in the stakeholder advisory board.
Acknowledgements Elisabetta Canali Michela Minero Inma Estevez George Stilwell Andreia Vieira Dirk Lebelt Inger Lise Andersen ANIHWA-ERA NET
Thank you!
Acknowledgments
adroaldo.zanella@usp.br www.animalwelfarehub.com