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
    • The Food Systems Institute, University of Nottingham
    • Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the EU Countries (AVEC)
    • Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford
  • Engagement with the Beijing Consensus on Farm Animal Welfare at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
  • Publication of a case-study led resource: Knowledge Share: Implementing Animal Welfare Commitments – GCAW Member Experiences.

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.
  • Publication of a member resource: GCAW Alternatives to Male Chick Culling.
  • The opportunity to improve welfare and sustainability metrics through the use of specific laying hen breeds.
  • Engagement with the IQC regarding its cage-free egg certification scheme in China.
  • Publication of a research-based public resource: Knowledge Share – Cage-Free Eggs Global Landscape Review – Executive Summary.

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 a public resource: 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.
  • The benefits and challenges of sourcing slower growing broiler breeds in relation to animal welfare and environmental impacts, with insight presentations from:
    • Hubbard Breeders
    • Wageningen University and Research
  • Implementing European Chicken Commitment and Better Chicken Commitment standards.

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).
  • The use of, and options for, pain relief during routine mutilations in piglets, with an expert briefing from Kansas State University.
  • Supply chain insight presentations from:
    • Maple Leaf Foods
    • duBreton