Recent Activities

All Member Meeting Discussions and Engagement

  • Welfare outcome measures, with an expert briefing from the Royal Agricultural University
  • Developments in EU animal welfare legislation
  • Welfare of decapod crustaceans, with an expert briefing from Crustacean Compassion
  • The interplay between animal welfare and other aspects of sustainability, with presentations from:
    • Wageningen University & Research on circular food systems
    • Blonk Sustainability on life cycle assessments of higher welfare production
    • The Sustainable Food Trust on the Global Farm Metric.

Laying Hen Welfare Working Group Discussions and Engagement

  • The potential for alternative supply chain models to facilitate procurement of cage-free eggs in challenging regions.
  • A consultation with key stakeholders and invited experts on alternative supply chain models for other products, including:
    • The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association
    • Textile Exchange
    • Global Food Partners.
  • Avoiding the practice of day-old male chick culling, including presentations from companies who have successfully adapted to the bans on male chick culling introduced in Germany and France and an expert briefing on in-ovo sexing technologies from
    • Agri Advanced Technologies.
  • The opportunity to improve welfare and sustainability metrics through the use of specific laying hen breeds.

Broiler Chicken Welfare Working Group Discussions and Engagement

  • The potential for welfare outcome measures to help drive welfare improvements for broiler chickens, including expert briefings from:
    • Global Animal Partnership
    • International Poultry Welfare Alliance.
  • The development of the GCAW Recommendation on the Use of Welfare Outcome Measures for Broiler Chickens.
  • A regional industry update on Brazil, providing insight into typical production systems, key welfare issues, legislative developments and assurance schemes.

Pig Welfare Working Group Discussions and Engagement

  • Alternatives to close confinement and innovative housing systems for sows, including expert briefings on free-farrowing and group housing from:
    • Aarhus University
    • Skiold Group
    • Big Dutchman.
  • Practical options for providing environmental enrichment to pigs.
  • The potential for welfare outcome measures to help drive welfare improvements for pigs, including an expert briefing from:
    • The UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) on the world’s largest welfare outcome measure data collection initiative.
  • A regional industry update on Australia, providing insight into typical production systems, key welfare issues, legislative developments and assurance schemes.
  • A study tour for the next generation of Dutch pig farmers to Sweden, in collaboration with the Dutch Young Farmers’ Association (NAJK).
  • Insight presentations from:
    • Maple Leaf Foods
    • duBreton