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04 Jan 2024

Cow & Turkey welfare: Upcoming Examination requested by the EU Commission

The European Commission is currently focusing on the welfare of turkeys and cows; with a forthcoming examination looming for farms.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has commenced two test requests aimed at collecting data that supports the evaluations of the welfare of both cows and turkeys.

The closing of 2023 has provided the European Commission with the opportunity to issue two mandates to the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). The objective is to provide scientific opinions on “thewelfare of turkeys and cattle on farms.” An examination is in sight for farms that barely reach profitability margins.

EFSA has already launched two “test calls to collect information/data supporting ongoing risk assessments of the welfare of farm turkeys and beef.” Hence, at present, the European Authority has extended an “invitation” to stakeholders to submit evidence until January 31, 2024, utilizing two links—one pertaining to the “Welfare of cattle on the farm” and the other addressing the “Welfare of turkeys on the farm.”

These requests for testing represent the following phase following a meeting convened in Brussels on November 8, 2023. During this session, stakeholders were provided with the chance to familiarize themselves with EFSA’s efforts in animal welfare and engage in a technical dialogue concerning the accessible data and data sources that shape the EFSA’s scientific recommendations regarding turkey welfare on farms.

Following a voluntary examination, there might be subsequent involuntary actions. Consequently, the well-known requests to disclose data unmistakably signify that this “meeting marked the initial phase in a novel approach to engaging in animal welfare mandates.” As a subsequent move, the EFSA is now issuing a call for evidence to compile information in aid of the risk assessment concerning cattle welfare on farms. The “areas of focus” for cattle on the farm are noteworthy, covering aspects such as “the cattle population, breeding systems and housing, cattle mutilations, and breeding strategies.”

Furthermore, the request clarifies that “if your submission relates to a description of current practices (e.g., descriptions of breeding systems, livestock housing, or floors) and has not been previously published, you must provide a document citing the original source of the information.” Also, “if your submission relates to a scientific study (e.g., linking the type of floor to animal welfare using Animal Welfare Indicators (or AWI)) and has not been published, please also provide a report detailing the title, material and methods of the study, results, conclusions, and authors.”