Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The role of advisory bodies and charities
1
European Food Safety Authority
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was set up in January 2002, following a series of food crises in the late
1990s, as an independent source of scientific advice and communication on risks associated with the food chain.
EFSA's remit covers not only food and feed safety but also nutrition, animal health and welfare, plant protection
and plant health. In all these fields, EFSA's most critical commitment is to provide objective and independent
science-based advice and clear communication grounded in the most up-to-date scientific information and
knowledge.
EFSA's independent scientific advice underpins European food safety legislation. In the field of animal welfare,
the Animal Health and Welfare Panel have produced comprehensive and detailed opinions summarising current
scientific knowledge on welfare at slaughter.
http://www.efsa.eu.int/EFSA/ScientificPanels/efsa_locale-1178620753812_AHAW.htm
2
The World Organisation for Animal Health - (OIE)
Animal welfare was first identified as a priority in the OIE Strategic Plan 2001-2005. OIE Member Countries
and Territories mandated the organisation to take the lead internationally on animal welfare and, as the
international reference organisation for animal health, to elaborate recommendations and guidelines covering
animal welfare practices, reaffirming that animal health is a key component of animal welfare.
The Permanent Animal Welfare Working Group was inaugurated in May 2002 and the first recommendations
of the Working Group were adopted 1 year later. The OIE Guiding Principles on animal welfare were included
in the OIE
Terrestrial Animal Health Code
(
Terrestrial Code
) in 2004.
The OIE convened a First Global Conference on Animal Welfare in February 2004 with a second during
October 2008. As well as the Veterinary Services in OIE Member Countries and Territories, the Conference
targeted livestock producers and actors in the meat sector, veterinary practitioners and international non-
governmental organisations (NGOs) working in animal welfare. The main objective of the Conference was to
raise awareness of, and to explain, the OIE's animal welfare initiative.
OIE have adopted five animal welfare standards to be included in the OIE
Terrestrial Code
. These cover:
a
the transport of animals by land
b
the transport of animals by sea
c
the transport of animal by air
d
the slaughter of animals for human consumption
e
the killing of animals for disease control purposes.
http://www.oie.int/eng/bien_etre/en_introduction.htm
3
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 with the aim of achieving a greater unity amongst its 47 member
countries.
The Council of Europe's work on animal protection was started in the 1960s. There are two reasons for this.
First of all, respect for animals counts among the ideals and principles which are the common heritage of its
member States as one of the obligations upon which human dignity is based. Secondly, in all Member States
animal protection has become a topical subject on which governments have agreed to the necessity of concerted
action. Five Conventions have been drawn up - on animals during international transport (ETS 65, 1968);
animals kept for farming purposes (ETS 87, 1976); animals for slaughter (ETS 102, 1979); vertebrate animals
used for experimental and other scientific purposes (ETS 123, 1986); and pet animals (ETS 125, 1987). All of
these conventions are based on the principle that 'for his own well-being, man may, and sometimes must, make
use of animals, but that he has a moral obligation to ensure, within reasonable limits, that the animal's health and
welfare is in each case not unnecessarily put at risk.
Scientific developments and intensification of practices were sources of important changes in the use of animals,
in agriculture and food production, as well as in research and experimentation. The Conventions on the protection
of animals elaborated at the Council of Europe were the first international legal instruments laying down ethical
principles for the transport, farming and slaughtering of animals as well as for their use for experimental purposes
and as pet. They have been used as a basis for and continue to influence all the relevant legislation in Europe.
