Animal Welfare

Animal Welfare in the Americas

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Animal welfare

The 3rd OIE Global Conference on Animal Welfare, entitled “Implementing the OIE Standards – addressing regional expectations” was held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), during November 6 to 8, 2012, and reconfirmed the results of previous Conferences. One of the relevant points in the conclusions was the need of the support by the OMSA for the development and implementation of OMSA regional animal welfare strategies, and consider the development of a global animal welfare strategy.

Regional Strategy of Animal Welfare

The strategy was approved during the 23º OIE Regional Conference for the Americas held in Barbados, from 26 to 29 November 2012. It could be download here.

Since the beginning of the development of the WOAH Standards on Animal Welfare, the countries of the Americas mobilized themselves with the objective of taking part in them, so the productive, cultural and economics regional particularities could be taken into account.

At the same time of the designation of the WOAH Focal Point for Animal Welfare, the Regional Representation started to identify the different actors in the chain that are directly or indirectly involved in the Animal Welfare aspects, as the meat processing industry, the farmers, the transporters, the colleges, the research institutes and, of course, the Veterinary Services.

By working together the identified actors, the WOAH Focal Point for Animal Welfare and the Regional Representation delineated and proposed a Regional Strategy of Animal Welfare for comments, which facilitate a regional approach of public-private and multidisciplinary consult and pretend to develop the regional support for the application of the WOAH standards and guidelines.

This strategy establishes the framework for the achievement of results in animal welfare, based on the knowledge and scientific evidence, so it recognizes the importance of education, formation and investigation.

The strategy is based in the five following goals:

  1. Guarantee, through a coordinated regional approach, the implementation of the WOAH Animal Welfare Standards.
  2. Disseminate and promote the concept of Animal Welfare in the Region through the effective coordination, the communication, the education and the capacities building.
  3. Achieve sustainable improvements in animal welfare, based on the development of regional and international research.
  4. Develop sustainable mechanisms for coordinating and promoting Animal Welfare programs, in connection with regional priorities.
  5. Establish partnerships with the stakeholders with the aim of facilitating the implementation of WOAH Standards.

To know more about the WOAH work on Animal Welfare, follow click here.