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ARCHIVE: Animal welfare: Research and Development Programme

Animal Welfare Research Programme

The animal welfare research programme contributes to Defra’s objective to improve the welfare of kept animals. Research and development (R&D) is commissioned to support this objective and to provide sound scientific evidence to guide policy development and application as well as to support the UK’s negotiating positions with the EU, the Council of Europe and other fora.

The overall objectives of the animal welfare research programme are to:

  • improve the welfare of animals reared for food in currently used production and husbandry systems
  • develop and promote alternatives to existing systems where proven to be necessary
  • improve welfare in transport and slaughter systems
  • provide the evidence base to support regulatory policies to improve standards of animal welfare in the UK and across the EU
  • consider how breeding and selection may be applied to improve the welfare of animals while ensuring that new developments do not compromise animal welfare
  • determine and refine methods relevant to assessing animal welfare, establish how methods inter-relate and can be translated into practice
  • improve the welfare of companion and performing animals, and game birds, in line with the Department’s responsibilities

The Defra budget in 2010/2011 for animal welfare R&D is approximately £2.50 million.

The Veterinary Research Unit within the Veterinary Science Team manages the Animal Health and Welfare research programmes in Defra. Further details about Science in Defra can be found in the science section of the Defra website, and the Research and Development database includes a list of past and current animal welfare research projects.

In early 2010 a review was conducted of the animal welfare research programme as part of an ongoing process of assessing the value of research procured by Defra. A report (PDF 640 KB) was produced that summarises reviewer comments and the outputs of the programme 2005-2010, and addresses balance of funding and future priorities. The document provides recommendations from reviewers and stakeholders that Defra has already begun to address and will be used to steer future research requirements.

The main objectives addressed by Defra's animal welfare R&D programme are outlined below.

On-Farm Welfare: Pigs

Research within the on-farm pig welfare programme is currently directed towards exploring genetic solutions to reducing maternal aggression and to the development of a commercially viable alternative to the farrowing crate that optimises both pig and piglet welfare.

On-Farm Welfare: Poultry

Current research on the welfare of on-farm poultry focuses on issues such as infra-red beak trimming, meat (broiler) chicken leg and foot health, and on the welfare of laying hens in non-cage and enriched cage systems.

On-Farm Welfare: Ruminants

The on-farm ruminant welfare R&D programme currently includes research on cattle management and behaviour, the interplay between economics and the welfare of extensively managed sheep, the development of sheep welfare indicators and work on lameness both in cattle and sheep.

On-Farm Welfare: Fish

Research within the on-farm fish welfare programme currently focuses on methods of assessing the welfare of farmed fish and on investigating fin erosion in rainbow trout.

Welfare of Companion Animals and Gamebirds

Current research on the welfare of companion animals and gamebirds includes projects on tail docking and the effects on behaviour of electronic training aids on dogs, studies of gamebird management practices and a project to examine how the ‘duty of care’ concept can be effectively promoted.

Welfare during Transport and at Markets

Research within this programme is currently directed towards investigating a range of factors that affect the welfare of livestock during transport, such as handling practices, journey length, spacing allowances, temperatures experienced on vehicles, and rest requirements following a journey. These projects involve a wide range of livestock types.

Welfare at Slaughter

Research into animal welfare at slaughter currently focuses on the pre-slaughter handling of ruminants and poultry, and on the development of alternative or novel systems for the stunning, slaughter and killing of farmed livestock for use both inside and outside of slaughterhouses. In particular, priority has been given to the development of novel methods for the emergency killing of poultry in the event of a disease outbreak.

The LINK Programme

LINKaims to bridge the gap between the research base and industry to support collaborative research for industrial or private sector purposes in line with Defra objectives. Animal Welfare falls within the Sustainable Livestock Production LINK programme.

The aim of this programme is to initiate collaborative, pre-commercial research and technological development projects so that UK livestock production can become increasingly sustainable, with due regard to cost of production, animal health and welfare, environmental concerns, and product quality.

One example of a current LINK project is:

  • a three year study entitled ‘Breeding for resistance to footrot’. Footrot is a major welfare problem in sheep and is the most common cause of lameness. The aim of this project is to develop robust procedures to identify individuals and family groups that differ in their genetic resistance to footrot, in order to enable selective breeding for improved footrot resistance.

 

Page last modified: 26 January, 2011