Toward a global perspective on farm animal welfare

During the past half century, the less industrialized countries experienced rapid increases in animal production through both large-scale confinement systems and traditional small-scale systems. These countries now produce the majority of the world’s meat. The regulations and other programs designed to safeguard animal welfare in the European and English-speaking countries may prove ineffective in the […]

Assessment of welfare of Brazilian and Belgian broiler flocks using the Welfare Quality protocol

The Welfare Quality consortium has proposed a science-based protocol for assessing broiler chicken welfare on farms. Innovative features make the protocols particularly suited for comparative studies, such as the focus on animal-based welfare measures and an integration procedure for calculating an overall welfare status. These protocols reflect the scientific status up to 2009 but are […]