Animal welfare as
a way to preserve
diversity & quality
in animal production
EXPO MILANO 2015
© EUROPEAN UNION/MCI/BRC
Venue:
EU Pavilion
1st floor
10 June 2015
Animal
Welfare
AGENDA
10.45-11.15
Registration
11.15-11.20
Welcome and opening
Andrea Gavinelli, Head of Unit Animal Welfare, DG SANTE
MODERATOR: Elena Benedetti, Editor of EUROCARNI
SESSION 1: Will the EU be able to preserve its high animal welfare standards
despite the growing challenge posed by globalisation and international trade?
Speakers: Sira Abdul Rahman, President of Commonwealth Veterinary Association and
Alberto Alvarez de Benito, Food Chain Director, Zoetis
11.20-12.30
12.30-13.30
Statements by:
1. Monique Eloit, Deputy Director General, Administration, Management, Human
Resources and Regional Actions at the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
2. Daniela Battaglia, Livestock Production Officer, Animal Production and Health
Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
3. Paulo Gouveia, Director of General Affairs of the Committee of Professional
Agricultural Organisations - General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in
the European Union (Copa- Cogeca)
4. Piercarlo Zedda, Vice President of the International Wool Textile Organisation
(IWTO)
5. Zeev Noga, Veterinary Policy Officer at the World Veterinary Association (WVA)
Lunch
SESSION 2: How far can science and knowledge contribute to an increased
awareness of the role animal welfare plays in preserving biodiversity?
Speakers: Franck Berthe, Head of the Animal and Plant Health Unit, European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA) and Piero Sardo, President of the Slow Food Foundation for
Biodiversity
13.30-14.40
14.40-15.00
Statements by:
1. Jean-Luc Mériaux, Secretary General of the European Livestock and Meat Trades
Union (UECBV)
2. Elisabetta Canali, Professor of the University of Milano, Department of Animal
Science
3. Linda Keeling, Professor of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,
Department of Animal Environment and Health
4. Emma Van Rooijen, President of the International Veterinary Students Association
(IVSA)
5. Andreea Petre-Goncalves, International Advocacy Adviser at The Brooke
6. Vicky Bond, Food Business Manager at Compassion in World Farming (CIWF)
Coffee
SESSION 3: Are consumers ready to understand the added value in animal
welfare products?
Speakers: Martin Cooke, International Director, Corporate Engagement, World
Animal Protection and Claudio Mazzini, Manager responsible for the Environment &
Sustainability, Coop Italy
15.00-16.10
16.10-16.25
Statements by:
1. Cristina Meneses, Responsible for the breeding programme of Avileña Negra
Iberica
2. Giulia Rabozzi, Law and Veterinary Officer for the Meat Processing Industry in the
European Union (CLITRAVI)
3. Ffinlo Costain, European Project Manager for Labelling Matters
4. Ludwig Willnegger, Head of Public Affairs at EDEKA
5. Reneke Hameleers, Director of Eurogroup for Animals
6. Agostino Macrì, Expert from Unione Nazionale Consumatori
Conclusions
Bernard Van Goethem, Director of Veterinary and International Affairs, DG SANTE
ANIMAL WELFARE AS A WAY TO PRESERVE
DIVERSITY & QUALITY IN ANIMAL PRODUCTION
What we are discussing today
• The global challenges posed by the need to balance the growing demand for animal products
with respect for the environment and animal welfare;
• The adoption in the future of a “food systems view” which considers the triple bottom line of
improving the economy, public health and the environment;
• Pathways toward recognising that agriculture, food, cultural diversity and health are
intertwined;
• The trade-offs among agriculture, food, cultural diversity and health, emphasising the role of
animal welfare.
We will hear from inspiring speakers, who will share their current experiences with us. The
speakers will then participate in a debate together with other prominent participants from all
sectors of society. This will help to move discussions forward and enable participants to find
a common ground.
The key messages of today’s discussion1
Session 1: Will the EU be able
to preserve its high animal
welfare standards despite
the growing challenge posed
by globalisation and international trade?
SIRA ABDUL RAHMAN PRESI
DENT OF COMMONWEALTH
VETERINARY ASSOCIATION
Improving the education and
competence of animal handlers
will also help to improve animal
welfare. Therefore, to enhance
their knowledge, we need to
develop strategies which are
science based but also incorporate technical innovation.
ALBERTO ALVAREZ DE BENI
TO FOOD CHAIN DIRECTOR,
ZOETIS
creasingly demanded by consumers. EU exporters need to convey
the added value of the EU’s high
quality production to their international customers. This trend in
consumer demand is confirmed
by the fact that major pig industries from the USA, China and
Canada are implementing procedures to improve animal welfare.
Session 2: How far can science
and knowledge contribute to
an increased awareness of
the role animal welfare plays
in preserving biodiversity?
FRANCK BERTHE HEAD OF THE
ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH
UNIT, EUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY
AUTHORITY
Thanks to the increasing attention it has been gaining globally,
animal welfare has received more
credit for the crucial role it plays
in food production and economic
development, both politically and
ethically. Because animal welfare is perceived by the public as
closely linked to food safety, production systems should focus on
making farming methods more
socially acceptable.
Since the production and consumption of pork meat is a global
market, traders take advantage
of this situation to differentiate
products and prices. Despite increases in the cost of production
due to animal welfare rules, pig
livestock levels remain steady in
the EU. Retailers are starting to
realise that concepts like animal
welfare or sustainability are in-
1. Key messages extracted from speakers’ abstracts.
The more the global population
expands, the greater the poten-
© EUROPEAN UNION/MCI/BRC
EU Pavilion - Meeting room, 1st floor - 10 JUNE 2015
tial impact on biodiversity. The
Animal Health and Welfare Panel
of EFSA provides scientific advice
on a broad range of animal welfare issues, many of which are
related to increasing public concern regarding the sustainability
of food production systems.
ENGAGEMENT, WORLD ANIMAL
PROTECTION
well as to raise awareness among
citizens concerning sustainable
production and consumption.
A milestone in Coop Italy’s policy
was the commitment in 2010 to
sell only free-range eggs.
© Archivio Slow Food
PIERO SARDO PRESIDENT OF
SLOW FOOD FOUNDATION FOR
BIODIVERSITY
Over the past fiy years, both
agriculture and farming have
undergone an increasing process of industrialisation, while
global economic trends have led
to the selection of specific breeds
tailored to the market. Animal
welfare has become a very important subject to most consumers who rely on labelling to get
information on the origin and
farming methods of the products they buy. However, a shared
science-based understanding of
animal welfare should be the
basis of food information and
of any discussion aimed at
increasing awareness of its link
with biodiversity.
Session 3: Are consumers
ready to understand the added value in animal welfare
products?
MARTIN
COOKE INTERNA
TIONAL DIRECTOR, CORPORATE
Offering consumers the desired
quality at reasonable prices
means ensuring that they get
value for their money. In addition, it has been proven that in
consumers’ minds attributes
such as safeguarding animal
welfare in production contribute
to a genuine improvement in perceived quality. The challenge for
producers, brands and retailers is
to create added value by offering
better animal welfare, effectively
communicated, at prices consumers can afford.
CLAUDIO MAZZINI RESPON
SIBLE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
& SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER,
COOP ITALY
Animal welfare has always been
a key element of Coop Italy’s
policy. In this respect, it has also
been extremely important to
effectively communicate the ideas
behind “achievable” welfare as
ANIMAL WELFARE AS
A WAY TO PRESERVE
DIVERSITY &
QUALITY IN ANIMAL
PRODUCTION