IZSAM in France for the Assessment of Animal Welfare

From the 3^rd to the 5^th of September the 6^th International Conference on the Assessment of Animal Welfareat Farm and Group Level (WAFL 2014) was held in Clermont-Ferrand (France).

Around 350 researchers coming from all over the world took part in the event: among them there was Doctor Stefano Messori of the Human-Animal Relationship and Animal Welfare Laboratory of IZSAM, who presented a study on the implementation of a protocol for the assessment of equidae welfare during long journeys.

The research, which fits into the activities of a project financed by the General Directorate for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO)of the European Commission (Development of EU wide animal transport certification system and renovation of control posts in the European Union), has aroused great interest from participants, who recognized the innovativeness and potential of its application in the field in order to implement the transport conditions of these animals with a positive impact on their health and welfare.

Doctor Messori acted as Chairman of one of the Conference’ sessions and coordinated the resulting debate.

Two other works, in which IZSAM had taken part, were presented at the Conference. During the oral presentation the selection procedure of animal welfare measures based on animals, which could be inserted in a quality certification scheme for animal transport by means of the application of a Delphi method (an interactive investigation technique), was described.

Moreover, a poster illustrating the implementation of welfare assessment protocols to be inserted within the certification scheme was presented.