The European Food Safety Authority (ESFA) has launched a period of public consultation on the proposed draft methodology for animal welfare under the Farm to Fork Strategy.
The move by the EFSA’s Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) followed a request by the European Commission on what will be a “key component” of the strategy.
The draft guidance methodology will be used for a series of scientific opinions on the welfare of farm animals during transportation.
The ESFA also said that the opinions will cover the on-farm welfare of “calves, laying hens; broilers; pigs; ducks; geese; quail; and dairy cows”.
“The methodological guidance will define harmonised methods and strategies to be applied consistently across the opinions,” the group stated.
The draft “lists and describes the welfare consequences of husbandry conditions that are known to affect animals”.
ESFA consultation
As part of the Farm to Fork Strategy, the EU Commission is revising animal welfare legislation, including animal transport and the slaughter of animals.
The strategy document has stated that the purpose of this is “to align it with the latest scientific evidence, broaden its scope, make it easier to enforce and ultimately ensure a higher level of animal welfare”.
According to the strategy, “better animal welfare improves animal health and food quality, reduces the need for medication and can help preserve biodiversity”.
The ESFA document includes a new methodology for assessing the welfare of animals by comparing their experience on a farm to “natural” conditions where they would have unlimited space.
The ESFA has now opened the “open consultation” and opinions and observations on the draft guidance methodology can be made to the authority until March 28, 2022.