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Third annual EURCAW-Pigs MS officials meeting

Summary
  • Subject
    Annual meeting EURCAW-Pigs
  • Target audience
    Policy workers, official veterinarians, animal welfare inspectors
More info and sources
On 20 and 21 September, 2023, EURCAW-Pigs organised a third annual meeting for Competent Authorities and policy workers of EU Member States on pig welfare legislation. The programme for these meetings focus on the topics that the officials want to discuss, and there is ample opportunity to engage in dialogue with colleagues from other Member States as well as pig welfare scientists.

The meeting took place online via Teams. On both days, 41 officials from EU Member States were present, representing 20 MS in total. In addition, two delegates from DG SANTE and 13 EURCAW-Pigs experts attended the meeting.

Discussion topics

The delegates attending this meeting informed EURCAW-Pigs prior to the meeting which particular topic they wanted to be addressed. During the meeting, four of the proposed Welfare topics were discussed in detail. Delegates from different MS were asked to present their welfare issues on a topic, after which experts from EURCAW-Pigs introduced some technical aspects in short presentations. Following these short ‘pitches’, the topics were further discussed in breakout rooms for 45 minutes. The
participants were asked to choose three of the four topics for the discussion. Each breakout room was attended by several delegates and a EURCAW-Pigs moderator. During the session best practices and ideas were shared. The moderator was asked to prepare a slide during the session to be presented in the wrap-up.

The topics and experts were:

  • Topic 1: Challenges with stunning & slaughter of pigs in the abattoir – presentation by Marien Gerritzen, Wageningen Livestock Research, The Netherlands. There was no MS delegate presentation on this topic.
  • Topic 2: End the cage age: Move towards free farrowing – presentation by delegate Pavel Brávek (Czech Republic) and EURCAW-Pigs expert Lene Juul Pedersen, Aarhus University, Denmark.
  • Topic 3: Floors, finishing pigs & climate control – presentation by delegate Michail Kakanis (Greece), and EURCAW-Pigs expert Herman Vermeer, Wageningen Livestock Research, The Netherlands.
  • Topic 4: Keeping long tailed pigs – presentation by delegate Stephanie Ronan (Ireland), and EURCAW-Pigs expert Hans Spoolder, Wageningen Livestock Research, The Netherlands.

Parallel sessions were:

  • Day 1: Community of practice by Marko Ruis animal welfare scientist, Wageningen Livestock Research, The Netherlands. The focus of this parallel session was the explanation and discussion of an on-line community for welfare inspectors, envisaged in the current Work Programme of EURCAWPigs.
  • Day 2: Transport by Isa Kernberger-Fischer, animal welfare scientist, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Germany and Mette S. Herskin, animal welfare scientist, Aarhus University, Denmark. The focus of this parallel session was the explanation and discussion of transport related issues, envisaged in the current Work Programme of EURCAW-Pigs.

Videos and presentations will be available in December 2023.

    Introphoto: MS Officials meeting 2023 (©EURCAW-Pigs)

    Publications

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