Animal welfare is a complex issue that reflects our relationship with animals, on which our livelihoods depend. From 2022, animal welfare is an integral part of the WHOA mandate. In order to materialize and implement international standards of well-being in the diversity of the world’s productive systems, the Organization collaborates with various sectors, from NGOs to governments and industries. As part of the celebration of the centenary of the OMSA, a representative of each of these groups reflects on the evolution of animal welfare over time.
The economic, social and cultural importance of animals for human societies is as old as time. Animals are essential for food security, human health, livelihoods, sustainability and even providing emotional companionship. For example, “an estimated 200 million working animals support the livelihoods of more than a billion people around the world”says Roly Owers, president of the International Coalition for Animal Welfare (ICFAW), which collaborates with the WHOA within the framework of improving animal welfare in the world.
The prominent role that animals play in our lives “implies the ethical responsibility to guarantee their well-being to the greatest extent possible”adds Dr Carol Sheridan, Deputy Secretary of the Animal Welfare Branch of the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. However, an NGO like World Horse Welfaremember of the ICFAW coalition, does not fail to emphasize “the lack of recognition of the importance of animal health and welfare at the political level”.
Promote animal welfare
Currently, the mission of the OMSA is to “improve animal health and well-being around the world.” This second aspect, closely related to the first, became part of the Organization’s mandate with the adoption of a resolution in 2002. Members recognized the essential link between animal health and welfare, and requested WHOSA [OIE en ese entonces] to develop a detailed vision and strategy that incorporated all facets of this complex issue.
More than twenty years later, important progress has been made. At the first World Conference on Animal Welfare, organized in Paris, France in 2004, national Delegates adopted the first rules regarding the transport and slaughter of animals, working closely with international organizations, the private sector and civil society. . In 2004, these standards were published in the Terrestrial Code and, in 2008, in the Aquatic Code. Animal welfare was officially defined as “the physical and mental state of an animal in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies”.
The “five freedoms”
Stated in 1965, the “five freedoms” describe society’s expectations regarding the conditions to which animals are subjected when under the control of people, that is:
- Free from hunger, thirst and malnutrition
- Free from fear and anguish
- Free from physical and thermal discomfort
- Free from pain, injury and illness
- Free to express natural behavior
Develop standards based on science and evidence
Producer organizations such as the International Poultry Council contributed their professional perspective to the development of the OMSA standards. “Our contribution from the reality on the ground is essential to ensure that the work of the WHO is based on knowledge and science at the facility level,” stated Ricardo Santin, president of the Council. «International standards need to be translated to the national level and, ultimately, to the farm. “This is a process that requires adequate communication and training tools so that the private sector can act based on government guidelines.”
As Dr. Carol Sheridan puts it, “the development of the WHOA standards generated a common understanding of animal welfare and the ethical treatment of animals”which contributes to the improvement of animal welfare at all levels. By developing science-based international standards, we provide Members with guidance to enable them to develop their own standards.
“OMSA standards were a key element in the development of Australian livestock export standards and the exporter’s supply chain assurance system,” adds Dr. Carol Sheridan.
The development of these standards also highlights the importance of animal welfare as a support for human societies:
The mere existence of the WHOA standards for the welfare of working equids has increased awareness of the value and functions of often invisible working animals.
Roly Owers, President of the International Coalition for Animal Welfare (ICFAW)
A strategy that recognizes the contribution of animal welfare to sustainable development
The fourth Animal Welfare Conference held in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2016, paved the way for the adoption of the WHOA Global Animal Welfare Strategy. In this roadmap, the OMSA [fundada como OIE] lists the different functions of animals and recognizes «all of these purposes as legitimate, while carrying an associated ethical responsibility to ensure that any such use is humanitarian, as defined through OIE international standards for animal welfare, in recognition of the sensitivity of animals.”
Far from constituting an abstract ethic, animal welfare is focused on as a key asset for sustainable development. The WHO Global Animal Welfare Strategy recognizes that, in animal production systems, welfare can improve the health, productivity, quality, food safety and economic performance of animals and therefore contribute to the food security and economic prosperity. “In order to maximize the poultry sector’s contribution to food security, it is essential to maintain healthy and productive birds, and animal welfare is key to a healthy bird,” confirms Ricardo Santin.
Collaborate to bring animal welfare to productive establishments
The WHOA Global Forums on Animal Welfare, as part of the main activities of the strategy, took over from previous conferences to foster dialogue on the most pressing issues and ensure the participation of all relevant sectors. The last global forum, held in November 2023 in Paris, France, was an opportunity to share experiences and good practices on national animal legislation.
NGOs agree with producers and governments in this regard: implementation is key. “Much remains to be done to properly implement the WHOA standards in countries and improve animal welfare around the world,” points out Roly Owers, underlining the importance of the collaboration of all those responsible, following the WHOA Vision on Animal Welfare, published in 2024.
Collaboration will be essential to counteract the «growing impact of climate change on the livestock industry» which will undoubtedly affect animal welfare, says Dr. Carol Sheridan. “Through organizations like the OMSA, we can address these issues as a global community,” Add. Now more than ever, the WHOA demands a paradigm shift in the way people interact with animals – for their benefit and ours.
