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Self-evaluation of animal welfare by the farmer: a report of application on Austrian cattle farms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

E Ofner ,
E Schmid ,
E Schröck ,
J Troxler  and
A Hausleitner
E Ofner*
Affiliation:
Department for Animal Husbandry, HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, Agricultural Research & Education Centre, 8952 Irdning, Austria
E Schmid
Affiliation:
Chief Veterinary Officer of the Province of Vorarlberg, Specialist in Animal Husbandry and Animal Welfare, Landhaus, 6901 Bregenz, Austria
E Schröck
Affiliation:
Department for Animal Husbandry, HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, Agricultural Research & Education Centre, 8952 Irdning, Austria
J Troxler
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Husbandry and Welfare, Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
A Hausleitner
Affiliation:
Department for Animal Husbandry, HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, Agricultural Research & Education Centre, 8952 Irdning, Austria
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: elfriede.ofner@raumberg-gumpenstein.at
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Abstract

It is not sufficient to merely publish regulations and strictly control them to improve the living conditions of farm animals. The farmer must receive precise information, understand the individual measures and be able to act with personal responsibility. A new animal welfare law has been in force in Austria since the 1st of January 2005. A system of self-evaluation is being developed for putting these new legal requirements into practice. The aim of this self-evaluation system is to enable every farmer to personally check his animal housing system against the given standards. This independent work motivates the farmer and makes him aware of animal welfare issues. This new strategy for the implementation of animal welfare law was originally developed, tested and found to be successful by the Federal Administration of the Austrian Province of Vorarlberg. Self-evaluation is to be carried out by means of specific checklists and manuals. Checklists and manuals are currently being drawn up for cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep and goats. The checklists and manuals will include all of the requirements of Austrian animal welfare legislation and will be formulated in easily understandable questions with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. The manuals will describe the methods for assessing legal requirements on the farm as well as the conditions for compliance with legislation, and give advice on how to improve the state of animal welfare on the farm. This paper gives an example of the self-evaluation system for cattle farming.

Keywords

animal welfareassessment systemcattlelegislationon-farm checklistself-evaluation
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 16 , Issue 2: Special Issue: Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on the Assessment of Animal Welfare at Farm and Group Level , May 2007 , pp. 245 - 248
Copyright
© 2007 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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References

Ofner, E and Schröck, E 2006a Selbstevaluierung Tierschutz-Checkliste Rinder. Selbstevaluierung Tierschutz Cattle Working Group. Bundesministerium für Gesundheit und Frauen im Einvernehmen mit Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft (Hrsg.) 1 Auflage: July 2006, Vienna, Austria [Title translation: Self-evaluation of animal welfare checklist cattle]Google Scholar
Ofner, E and Schröck, E 2006b Selbstevaluierung Tierschutz-Handbuch Rinder Selbstevaluierung Tierschutz Cattle Working Group. Bundesministeriums für Gesundheit und Frauen im Einvernehmen mit Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft (Hrsg.) 1 Auflage: July 2006, Vienna, Austria. [Title translation: Self evaluation of animal welfare manual-cattle]Google Scholar
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