Training on Animal Welfare during slaughter

Within the framework of the initiative “Better Training for Safer Food”, promoted by the DG SANCO of the European Commission, the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” (IZSAM)is implementing a training period on Animal Welfare for the control on animal diseases in livestock, during transport, slaughter and culling.

The event, which will be held from the 18^th to the21^st February in the convention center at the Hotel “Parma e Congressi”, is the second of 9 training courses on Animal Welfare to be held in 2014. The 56 participants will come from Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Holland, Portugal, the UK, Czech Republic, the-Former-Yugoslav-Republic-of-Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey and Zimbabwe.

An intensive technically and practically-oriented teaching-plan, centred on the key issues of the Regulation (EC) N. 1099/2009, will be developed with the contribution of delegates from the Food and Veterinary Office of the European Commission, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the competent National Authorities, as well as teachers from Universities and Research Institutes with international relevance and non-governmental Organizations (NGOs). The learning programme will be completed with lessons and exercises of a scientific and specialized nature aiming to ensure animal welfare from the arrival at the slaughterhouse to the culling.

Particular attention will be paid to the different kinds of methods which are used to stun animals, to the evaluation of the appropriateness of facilities and equipment in order to safeguard animal welfare, and to the Standard Operating Procedures (Procedure Operative Standard). Finally, two lectures will focus on ritual and religious slaughter before completing the most important learning stage: field activity.

In order to simulate inspections that verify the conditions of animal welfare, the participants will be divided in different subgroups and visit several slaughterhouses to cover different animal species (bovines, pigs and chicken for meat production). The course will conclude with an ethical reading which refers to the Regulation (EC) 1099/2009, an efficient overview of the action taken from the NGOs, which are operating in European and non-European countries in favor of animal welfare, and a lecture dedicated to the importance of slaughterhouse staff training, as an essential tool for the protection of animals.

For further information: sancotraining@izs.it