Private sector organisations: work in support of the implementation of the OIE Animal Welfare standards

摘要

At the time of writing, there are currently seven published Terrestrial Animal Health Code chapters of relevance to the livestock sector: Introduction to the recommendations for animal welfare (7.1); Transport of animals by sea (7.2), by land (7.3) and by air (7.4), Slaughter of animals (7.5); Killing of animals for disease control purposes (7.6); and Animal welfare and beef cattle production systems (7.9). Ever since the publication of the World Organisation for Animal Health (01E) Guiding Principles on Animal Welfare in 2004, private sector organisations have played an important role in the implementation of the OIE animal welfare standards. The work conducted by private sector organisations can be divided into four broad categories:1. capacity building;2. setting of industry codes of practices;3. development of internal (on-site/farm) evaluation and third-party verification systems; and4. validation and feedback on currently approved standards.This paper provides examples of each of the four types of activities undertaken by the livestock sector. Capacity-building activities are numerous, with private sector organisations often taking the lead in developing training programmes for their constituencies as well as for public sector Veterinary Services. In some countries, industry standards or codes of practice are the direct and only links between the OIE animal welfare standards and their local implementation. Similarly, private sector organisations have developed internal evaluation and auditing schemes to ensure proper compliance with the OIE animal welfare standards. The livestock sector also plays a key role in the validation, under field conditions, of the applicability of the OIE animalwelfare standards. Private sector organisations also contribute to the continuous improvement of published Terrestrial Animal Health Code chapters by providing feedback through their local Veterinary Services and through industry representatives on theOIE Animal Welfare Working Group. Finally, private sector organisations have a role that extends beyond the review and implementation of currently approved OIE animal welfare standards, to their proactive participation in the drafting of new OIE animal welfare chapters.