Aims and objectives Welfare Quality® project

The primary aims of the Integrated Project WELFARE QUALITY® are:

1. To develop practical strategies/measures to improve animal welfare

2. To develop a European on-farm welfare assessment standard

3. To develop a European animal welfare information standard.

4. To integrate and interrelate the most appropriate specialist expertise in the multidisciplinary field of animal welfare in Europe

These aims will be realised through clustering appropriate expert groups in Europe to address the following underlying research objectives:

To analyse consumer concerns about food animal welfare, the type of information demanded, and the most effective communication and information strategy;
To evaluate the current and potential market for welfare friendly animal based food products, welfare label characteristics,and inspection systems;
To identify potential barriers to the development of animal friendly products faced by producers;
To develop robust on-farm welfare monitoring systems and information standards for selected farm animal species;
To define integrated, knowledge-based, practicable species-specific strategies to improve farm animal welfare;
To develop strategies for implementing a welfare information system as well as the welfare improvement strategies identified in the project;